In November, I met up with Scott Sanders, an Atlanta-based map coorespondent for the BACKPACKER magazine map project. Scott has spent much of his life exploring the wild areas of Georgia. As we hiked on the trail, he told me of past trips on Blood Mountain, where and where not to camp, and when the views broke out he pointed out other great places to hike (and even the mountain where he married his wife). It was great to hike with someone with such vast knowledge of the area. Scott, by the way, ran the Atlanta marathon the next day. 

I also carried a Canon F1, an old-school 35mm film camera, on the hike. I hadn't used one of those for almost five years, and it took a while to remember how to load the film and recall how to use all the manual settings, not to mention no auto-focus. I shot black-and-white T-MAX 400 film. 

If you hike this trail, check out the Mountain Crossings store just a few miles down the road at Neels Gap. This outdoor retail store caters to hikers and has a nice selection of gear, especially for weight-conscious thru-hikers on the Appalachian Trail. -Kris Wagner

HIKE DETAILS
Blood Mountain, set at 4,458 feet overlooking the Chattahoochee National Forest and Blue Ridge Mountains, is perhaps the most famous peak in Georgia. It's the setting of epic battles between the Cherokee and Creek Indians more than 400 years ago. The war stories, whether stained by time or not, are so gory that the neighboring mountain is called Slaughter, and locals claim the creeks flowed red.

Today, the peak isn't a place of war but a peaceful locale for dayhikers, backpackers, and thru-hikers on the Appalachian Trail.

You'll start this 5.5-mile loop at Byron Reece Memorial trailhead and connect three trails--Reece, Freeman, and Appalachian--to the summit of Blood, the fourth highest peak in Georgia. The first 0.7 miles follows blue-blazed Reece Trail along a rhododendron-lined creek and under sparse hardwoods to a four-way intersection at Flatrock Gap. From here, head straight onto the Freeman Trail and contour around the flanks of Blood Mountain to Bird Gap at 3,700 feet. Just off the trail are two enticing campsites but be aware that strong winds funnel through this low spot making for cold, restless nights.

To continue, turn right (northeast) on the AT. Off to the left are sporadic views of Slaughter Mountain and its self-named gap. Follow the white blazes through a couple intersections then switchback up Blood Mountain. Backpackers can choose to camp at protected campsites just below the summit or on top inside the stone walls of Blood Mountain Shelter.

Views of back-to-back ridges and weathered peaks stretch into Tennessee and North Carolina. To finish, stay on AT and descend almost 1,000 feet to Flatrock Gap. Turn left and backtrack to trailhead.

-mapped by Kris Wagner and Scott Sanders

TO TRAILHEAD: From Atlanta, take I-85N to GA 400/US 19 N. Turn left onto GA 60/US 19. In 8 miles, turn right onto GA 19/GA 9. Drive 5.3 miles to Turners Corner. Turn left onto GA 129/GA 11. Go 8.2 miles and turn left into trailhead parking lot just past Neels Gap.