the benton mackaye trail is very different than the appalachian trail.overall, i would rate it somewhat more difficult to both walk and navigate.as it was still early spring, some of the trail, particularly in the more remote wilderness areas, were full of brush and blowdown, making walking very tedious at times.the georgia section had steeper ups and downs than the same section of the at, but still easier than most trails ive hiked here in the northeast.i found sgt rocks, bmt guide a must, as well as the national geo maps. although the trail is usually easy enough to follow, the trail intersections can be confusing at times, as well as reentry into the woods off roadwalks, which are not always clearly marked. this lack of blazing is pronounced in the wilderness areas, where there are no blazes at all.it just means paying close attention at the trail intersections to make sure you're on the right trail.if you hop on the wrong trail, you could travel miles without knowing you're on the… [Read More]

i started from springer mountain on my 57th birthday, april 10th. The night before i had stayed at hiker hostel in dahlonega. everyone there was doing the appalachian trail. they mostly had that wide eyed "what am i getting myself into ?"look, but most were equipped fairly decently. i helped one guy lose some pack weight as his pack was close to 60 lbs with food and water. he had an arctryx mountaineering pack that weighed 7lbs alone!his sleeping pad weighed over 3 lbs and he was carrying 3 sets of clothes,plus raingear.i told him he should consider replacing his pack and pad at neels gap, helped him eliminate some other stuff he didnt need.
i also met shea,who was wearing a ny mets cap, and lives just a few towns away from me in ny. i would run into shea again several times during the course of my hike. he's still on the trail, making miles.
the benton mackaye trail starts just a few hundred yards from the at terminus.it intersects the at 4 times before turning westward. about 4… [Read More]