Atlanta Outdoor Club

I went on the Coosa backcountry trail yesterday for the first time since it was rerouted. I was wondering if anyone else had any thoughts about whether they like to old trail better.

On the way up (I went clockwise) they added a switchback to eliminate the rough, steep rocky section and another switchback before you start going around Slaughter mountain. After you cross highway 180 they changed the trail so instead making a beeline over Wildcat knob there is a big switchback going up and you skirt the side of the knob.

I realize they did this for erosion control and liked the view you get when you go around Wildcat knob. But the reroute also took some of the edge off the hike. You still know you have been on a hike when you finish but I miss the rough steep section near the start. If you have hiked the Coosa loop or gone to Blood mountain from Vogel State park you probably remember the section I am talking about.

That was the best training part of the trail for those who train for high elevation hikes. Yet, if the new route is going to save the landscape, that is most important. I will have to get out there soon and see what it is like now.

I just hiked the Coosa...yes, they did get rid of the steepest segment, not far from the branch off from the Bear Hair trail. It's still a good workout...my GPS read over 3500 feet of total ascent, but it was slightly more of a challenge before the changes.

And I did it clockwise this time...supposedly tougher, but I don't think it makes much of a difference. My time was much faster doing it clockwise, but I think I'm in better shape than I was when I did it last.

Here's a pic of the map they gave me and where they marked the reroutes..



and we laugh at your overly cautious sign....we don't need no steenking overnight for the Coosa...haha

It is still a long hike, no doubt about that. I have actually found it to be a little easier going clockwise since going up the steepest parts instead of down is not as hard on my knees. I always tell people that since there is a big sign telling you it is more than a days hike if you go counter-clockwise they must want everbody to go clockwise.

I think it gained about .5 miles in length and lost a couple of hundred feet of elevation gain. But that is not enough to make a noticable difference. I am guessing that if you make the little side trip up to Coosa bald it is now 14 miles long. I looked at GPS tracks from the old and new routes and the change was less noticeable than I expected.

I went with someone that pushes me faster than I normally go downhill and I do the same for her uphill. It ended up taking a little over 7 hours which is about an hour less than it took the last time I went alone.

In the pictures the red track was from last week, the green was from before the reroute and blue was before they moved the trail to avoid Slaughter gap.

Whole loop

Slaughter gap

Wildcat knob

nice pics Doug....always nice to see a fellow GPS enthusiast on here. You and I need to exchange some track files.

Well I did the loop in 4 1/2 hours a few days ago...I am training for the upcoming Smokies trip and pushed myself hard. I think last time it took me 6+ hrs. It's tough to say though because I did the side trip to Coosa Bald and also a side trip to Blood Mtn....this time I just tried to speed hike the loop itself.

Here are my pics of the before and after tracks....blue is from 10/06 and pink is from a few days ago:




Here is the more southern reroute....



and here's the more northern one...note the switchbacks at the bottom rather than the steep climb...this section is clearly much less difficult now.

Here's the elevation profile from doing it clockwise a few days ago...ignore the distance because it always overstates it. but you can see where the steep climbs/declines are, depending on which direction you hike it:



The Coosa has about 275 feet of ascent per mile, on average.

By comparison, the Arkaquah trail from Track Rock Gap to Brasstown Bald parking lot has about 500 feet of ascent per mile...of course it is just 5.5 miles vs 13.

And Unicoi Gap to Tray Mtn and back has about 300 feet ascent per mile...and about 10.8 miles for that one.

So you can see by those numbers that the Coosa is a bit overrated and not much more challenging than some other GA trails. Of course many in NC are much more strenuous. Well it's still a fun hike if you are in the right mood and I dare you not to be at least a little worn out by the end.

You are not the only one that thinks the Coosa is not as tough as advertised. The week before we went on the Coosa loop my friend and I went over Blood mountain, down to Winfield Scott and back over Blood using a different trail. This hike is about 11.5 miles with 3000 feet of elevation gain. After we finished the Coosa loop she said the Blood mountain hike seemed more strenuous to her. I still think the Coosa loop is tougher but there are always more strenuous hikes available. Maybe the Coosa has a tougher reputation because it is a loop so people who are not up for it do not have the option of turning back if it gets to be too much.

Since I now know there is at least one other GPS user here I am going to post a couple Google earth maps and elevation profiles of some other hikes in this forum as seperate threads. I generally prefer day hikes with 2000+ feet of elevation gain, a length of 10-14 miles and with a drive time of less than 2 hours from Lawrenceville. It sounds like you prefer more strenuous hikes and are not afraid to drive further into NC. But hopefully there will be some overlap between the upper end of the hikes I like and the lower range of the hikes you prefer. It sounds like we have both been on most of the common long hikes but maybe one of us has a new hike or twist on an existing hike.

If your tracks are too long you should try reducing the interval at which your GPS records data points. If you set the interval too high the GPS cuts off switchbacks and the track reads too short. If it is too low the GPS adds measurement uncertainty to the length and they end up too long. With my old GPS (Garmin Vista) I got pretty accurate lengths using a recording interval of .02 miles. I recently bought a new Garmin HCx which does not lose lock everytime I go under a tree. I am still trying to get the interval adjusted for accurate results. When I used auto it gave track lengths that were 20% too short. I have tried going down to .01 mile and the tracks lengths are longer but still too short. I am going to try recording at fixed time intervals next.

Yes I do enjoy long hikes of 10 miles or more with some major elevation gain. I do seem to do most of my tougher hikes NC lately as it's only maybe an hour or so past N. GA and the terrain is just so much more dramatic and impressive. (There are few really tough trails in GA...the Arkaquah is one of the better ones and I'm leading a hike there soon)

Well I'd be curious to see more GPS tracks of other hikes on here or e-mail me at tonycicc@gmail.com if you'd like to swap some gpx files..

Doug,

Good work with the GPS mapping. I found out about the reroutes doing a nighttime hike. It seemed like some sections took much longer than I remembered. I agree with you guys the Coosa's difficulty is overrated. I found the Duncan Ridge Trail more difficult; but it has been tamed down a bit with reroutes too.

Egads

It is kind of interesting how different parts of the country rate difficulty.

I was in Colorado a couple of weeks ago and went on an 11 mile hike with 3300 feet of elevation gain that was rated as moderate.

I also went up Longs Peak in Rocky mountain national park while I was there. This is a 15 mile hike with 5000 feet of elevation gain and a lot of scrambling and exposure. It only thaws out enough to be non technical for a month or two in summer. This is a much more challenging hike than the Coosa loop. To go up Longs Peak no permit is required. There is a sign up sheet that makes it clear that is only for statistical purposes, if you want someone to come looking for you if you do not return it is your responsibility to let someone know. They treat you as an adult capable of making your own decisions.

But when you go on the Coosa loop the park service wants to get a permit and ask if you have water, food and rain gear and post signs that make is sound like you should not even attempt it as a day hike.