Woody Gap to Jarrard Gap (AT Mile 20-26
Type: Day (Out and Back)
Total Mileage: 12
AT Direction: Northbound
AT Miles: 20.2 - 26.2
On the final day of the year (and decade), I decided that a nice day hike was in order to cap off a nice year of hiking. It was the first time back on trail in a while since work had been a little crazy and frankly, I was a little out of practice. It was going to be a brisk day to start but should turn into a nice winter day. With thru hiking season getting ready to start, I decided to tackle another few miles of the AT as I continue to work to connect all of Georgia.
The sun was just starting to color the mountains orange as I drove through Dahlonega. I had hoped to make it to the trailhead before sunrise to catch it from the top of Big Cedar Ledges; however, a stop for breakfast at Waffle House had led to being about a half hour behind when I should have been at the trailhead. Pulling into the Wood Gap parking lot, I quickly switched into my trail runners and threw on the pack to hit the trail. Part of this was to catch the rest of the sunrise but also to get into the woods for some shelter to the winds.
The climb out of the gap started off gradually with a good little push as you near the summit. I was the only one of the accent and only passed a group of three coming back down from watching the sunrise. The sun was fully up by the time I made it up but the light was still wonderful from the overlook so I snapped a few pictures and enjoyed the view until the wind and the cold urged me to move on.
The trail then descends for the next two and half miles down to Lance Creek. Along the way, I passed multiple pink flag markers that look to be put up by GATC for future maintenance projects - no doubt in preparation for the upcoming thru hiking season. It was great to see the amount of work that they had put into the trail. The descent was gradual with several switchbacks and a few water sources which were all flowing well (even the spring on the top of Bid Cedar was flowing). The only notable marker on this section is the junction with the Docker Lake Trail about a half mile before Lance Creek.
From Lance Creek, you begin an accent that ultimately ends at Blood Mountain. Given that I was on an out and back day hike, I decided that Jarrard Gap would be a good turn around point. I would have loved to have gone all the way to Neel Gap since this would have connected my footprints up through Hogpen Gap (I’ve done Hogpen to Neel out and back before but its not posted on here). If I had done this, it would have been close to a 20 mile day which sounded like a little bit too much for an easy day hike. It wasn't an easy decision when I reached Jarrard Gap in two and half hours. This is why I don’t like Out and Backs since the outbound leg is always taking you away from your car and you are still fresh. You have to manage your energy a lot more since you are only at the halfway point when you decide to turn around.
Jarrard Gap Sign
On the way back from Jarrard, I only passed a few other hikers that were on their north-bound legs until I got back to Big Cedar Ledges. It was a steady climb making up the elevation that I had given up along the way out. At the top of Big Cedar, I ran into seven people on the summit; this is to be expected with a summit with a new view only a mile away from an easily accessible trailhead. This point was further proven on the descent back to the trailhead as I passed a dozen people making their way up. I was happy to have had the summit all to myself earlier that morning. I was back at the car before noon and happily on my way for a post hike burger.
