Park entrance.
Amy looking over the lake.
Ducks went wild when Brooks went into the water to play with them.
Great view of the mountains from the far side of the lake.
Great view of the falls below the lake. All of us. Brooks would not pose for the camera.
This one is slightly different from the one above.
This is the name of the trail around the lake.
Managed to get our campsite setup before dark.
Of course eating is always important.
Great location for tents.
Brooks was the most well behaved of all of us.
Okay, this is not a great view, but our campsite location.
On Friday we ate breakfast and prepared for hiking up Blood Mountain. The name comes from a war with the Cherokee Indians. Legend has it that the fighting was so severe that the streams flowed red with blood. Therefore the name Blood Mountain.
Jason and I posed for a selfie before the hike.
No trip to the Appalachian Trail would be complete without a stop at Mountain Crossing.
Amy and Shelley
The store is located at Neel Gap.
Our hike started out on the Byron Reece Trail. Seven tenths of a mile in we turned right on the Appalachian Trail. This approach trail was rated strenuous due the climb in elevation.
Lots of steps up.
About a 1200 foot increase in elevation over .7 miles.
The approach trail intersects with the Freeman Trail, which goes around the mountain instead of over the top.
Of course we choose the AT trail (white blaze marked) at this intersection.
When I needed a rest, I took a picture.
These two were taken during a rest stop.
As you can see I was quickly lagging behind.
Amy taking a break. Me too, that's the reason for the picture.
There were even some rock scrambles near the top.
Views near the top were awesome.
I think I like this one best. Taken from the top near the shelter.
I threw this one in to prove that I made it to the top of Blood Mountain.
Of course we went down the same path we went up. Turned out that was a great day hike. We met several through hikers along the way. One young man was from Scottsboro and another from Birmingham, and many others. One day hiker was from Blairsville, a town close by. Of course some people passed me going up and then passed me again on their way down before I got to the top. I might add this included my own family. Beautiful park, beautiful views, lots of steps up and then lots of steps down, but well worth the effort. I would totally recommend this for anyone who loves the outdoors, loves to hike and loves to get away from it all.
Just as a side note, the knees did fine and the wrist held up with the hiking poles. We are looking forward to our next adventure --- Alaska here we come!
