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The MemiCluster, Febtuu? 7, 1977-P«*«5
Appalachian Trail:
Blue Ridge Mountains
Beta, Beta, Beta
Holds Initiation
Bj Bill Borgia
Gaze oat over miles and miles
of beautiful, blue, hazy moun
tains as you stand on the bald
nunmit of a towering peak.
Close your eyes and take a
deep, refreshing breath of cool
crisp mo;mtain air. listen to the
wind crashing through forested
slops below you. Stand speech
less as you vratch the sun -
setting in a sea o. r red, orange,
and yellow behind dark, distant
peaks. You’re in the Blue Ridge
Mountains, "God’scountry.”
The Blue Ridge Mountains of
Georgia are the part of the
oldest mountain chain in the
world, the Appalachian Moun
tains. A fool, trail begins at
Katahdin, Maine, and rides the
crest of the Appalachians 2000
miles south to its southern
terminus in Georgia’s Blue
Ridge. This trail, the Appalach
ian Trail, crosses over 79 miles
of some of the most rugged
country in the entire state,
affording hikers and backpack- *
era "unheralded opportunities
for strenuous and continuous
foot travel on excellent trails
through primitive wilderness of
surpassing beauty.
Georgia’s Blue Ridge Moun
tains take^the shape of a large
"V”, with its apex at Springer
Mountain; and the Appalachian
Trail follows the eastern range
of the huge "V”. Prior to 1968,
the southern terminus of the
trail was located at Mt.
Oglethorpe, and its pathway
followed the Amkilola Moun
tain Range south of Springer
Mountain and the Blue Ridge.
In 1931, a 20 mile section of the
trail was completed north of
Tray Mountain, creating a
continuous foot Uail from Mt.
Oglethorpe to the Great Smoky
Mountains in North Carolina.
Industrial encroachment forced
the Appalachian 'frail Confer;
ence to shift the southern
terminus of the Trail northward
to Springer Mountain in 1968.
This move assured a permanent
wilderness setting for the Trail
in Georgia by placing this entire
79 mile section within the
boundaries of the Chattahoo
chee National Forest.
Georgia’s portion of the
Appalachian Trail extends from
Bly Gap at the Georgia -
North Carolina Line to Springer
Mountain near'Amicalola State
Park. (Neigbter location is
accessible by automobile) Blood
Mountain, the highest peak on
this Appalachian Trail section at
4463 ft., is one of the best
known peaks in the Blue Ridge
Mountains. It is second in
heighth in Georgia only to
Braastown Bald. From Blood
Mountain’s semi-bald summit,
the has s panoramic view
of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Tray Mountain, the second
highest peak on the Trail in
Georgia, has an elevation of
4430 ft. From the rocky summit
of this peak, the Mkar is offered
excellent views of Lake Burton,
Blood Mountain, Mt. Yonah
and other prominent Blue Ridge
features. Near Tray Mountain is
the most isolated section of the
Trail in Georgia, the area called
the Swag of the Blue Ridge.
Springer Mountain, in addition
to being the southern terminus
of the Trail, also affords fine
view of surrounding mountains.
These ar$ just a few highlights
of the Appalachian Trail in
Georgia.
The Georgia section of the
Trail is usually divided into
seven smaller sections, where
major roadways cross the Trail.
These sections are, from south
to north:
1. Springer Mountain (usu
ally reached by the Amkalola
Fallj^ Apprmoch Trail) to High
tower Gap (Cooper Gap Road 20
miles NW of Dahlonega) 10.3
miles.
2. Hightower Gap (Cooper
Gap Rd.) to Woody Gap (Ga. 60)
12.1 miles
3. Woody Gap (Ga. 60) to
Neels Gap (U.S. 19 & 129) 10.75
miles
4. Neels Gap (U.S. 19 & 129)
to Tesnatee Gap (Ga. 348) 6.7
miles
5. Tesnatee Gap (Ga. 348) to
Unicoi Gap (Ga. 76) 14.9 miles
e.UnicoiGsp (Ga. 75) to Dicks
Creek Gap (U.S. 76) 16.56 miles
7. Dicks Creek Gap (U.S. 76)
to Bly Gap (N.C. - Georgia Line,
reached by various side trails or
by Trail from Deep Gap North
Carolina; 8.74 miles
Blood Mountain is located in
the Neels Gap-Woody Gap
sectin, while Tray Mountain
and the Swag of the Blue Rklge
can be found in the Unicoi Gap -
Dicks Creek Gap Trail section.
Nine shelters are spread
evenly over the 79 miles of trail
in Georgia. All of these shelters
are 3 walled - openfaced
lean-tos, except for a two room
rock cabin at the summit of
Blood Mountain. The newer
shelters have wooden floors,
and all shelters have a fair
supply of mice for your
nightime entertainment. Water
is abundant along the trail
except in extremely dry condi
tions. There is no available
water on Blood Mountain.-
Braaatown Bald. Georgia s
highest ’ mountain, can be
reached from the Appalachian
Trail by way of a biue-Waxed
side trail. Vogel State Park (in
which he* Blood Mountain)
Lake Winfield Scott Recreation
Area, Amkalola Slate Park end
various other scenic areas,
campgrounds, and picnk areas
are located within reach of the
Appalachian Trail in the Blue
Ridge Mountains of Georgia.
pack rr in, pack rr OUT.
Notice!
Beta Beta National Honor Biological Society held its
initiation on Thursday, January 27,1977.
Those Initiated as Active members are:
Merry Bailey, Paul Alton Basilico, Brett Bolhofner, Oliver J.
Booker, m. Cathy Lee Camps, James Anthony Carr, Susan
Chambliss, Jane Frances Chow, Jeffery Alan Dean, Robert E. Fox,
and Brett Gandy; a
Catherine Roxanne Hall, Clifford J. Hopkins, Sharon Jordon,
Eugene Wynn Kallay, Terry Vem Kelley. Steven D. Mallary,
James Wayne Riggins, Anthony Lynn Stubbita, Steven Taylor,
The sisters of Alpha Kappa
* Alpha Sorority will hold a tea at
6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 10th in
the Art Gallery for all interested
young ladies.
Got A Complaint
With the SGA
S.G.A. Senator
George McClellan
P.O. Bpx 1195 Mercer
Room 219 Shorter
or the Co-op.
Drunell Williams and Ana Zevallos.
Initiated as associate members were:
Edwin Anderson, Carol Berry, Abraham Bobo, Marcus Eli
Brewster, ID, Steven W. Byrum, McArthur Freeman, William Alan
Huckabee, Rosemary Jackson, Stephen George Keim and Gregory
Benard Lester;
Paulette May, William F. Nation, Stephen Halt Pearce, Joseph
D. Price, Barbara Riegsecker, Scylance B. Scott, Jr.. Kenneth
Stephens, James E. Stuckey. Jr.. Kim Irene Suellau and John
Keith Weathers.
Officers for this year are: ^res. - Cheryl Ellington, Vice Pres. -
Bart Sturtevant, Secretary - Beth Foreman. Historian - Laurel
Prinz, Steward - Terri Guenther.
I did ft.
“With two years of
;e behind me. I began looking
I found out! could get my
degree and an Army officer's cum-,
mission at graduation. I g< < over S50(I
for a six weeks camp at Fort Knox.
Kentucky and will luive recec- ed
$2000 worth of financial aid by grad
uation/!’pun selection for active duty.
I’ll have an annual starting salary of
over su.moor
Army ROIC in two years, toucan do it, too.
Gan:
Mercer University
Macon, Ga. 31207
tele: 912-745-6811
E«». 221 ot 222
ARMY ROTC