Hike the Foothills Trail Spur in SC, June 23-24, 2012

[Rain Man]

Last summer I led hikes on the 76-mile Foothills Trail proper in SC from Oconee State Park to Table Rock SP. Now I plan to lead a hike of the 20-mile spur, from Sassafras Mountain (the highest mountain peak in SC) to Jones Gap SP. The spur is said to offer the best views in the area ... and some of the steepest ascents and descents.

If time runs short or anyone needs to bail out, we'll pass Caesar's Head SP at the 14.5-mile mark.

Link to the Foothills Trail Conference.

Though plans are tentative yet, I plan to drive down from Nashville either (1) early Saturday or (2) late Friday, and hike about 10 miles on Saturday. Then we'll hike another 10 miles (give or take) to the end on Sunday and drive home.

Though the daily mileage is moderate, this is a strenuous hike due to elevation gain and loss, especially in the first four miles.

As things stand now, three hikers from the Nashville Backpacker group on www.meetup.com are signed up for this hike. Anyone here on HF want to tag along?

Or, have any information, hints, suggestions, warnings, concerns, etc., about this stretch of trail?

Rain Man

.