TR - Highpoints for TM (GA and TN)

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Tropical Flab
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TR - Highpoints for TM (GA and TN)

Post by Tropical Flab »

My friend Allan (amadisofgaul) and I had initially planned to make an epic high pointing excursion while on the way to a friend's wedding in Pennsylvania. It was to include GA, SC, TN, NC, KY, VA, WV, MD and PA...in that order as one continuous drive/hike/sleep while the other drives/idiots on wheels trip. However, our grand plans were destroyed only five hours after leaving Florida by some ill-spirited nails on I-75 in Georgia.

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So, with air leaking from two tires, the donut seriously hampering our progress, and me a little tired from my interstate shoulder tire-changing experience (twice within an hour), we found a $35 (woohoo!) motel in Cordele:

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No, not the Hampton Inn, that was way too expensive. After catching a few winks there in the railroad traffic nexus of the world (I swear, every five minutes there was another freight train rolling by our quaint little motel right next to the tracks), we hit up the Wal Mart tire center (and the Shoney's breakfast buffet) and were back on our way. We made it to Brasstown Bald (4784'), the Georgia highpoint at 2:40PM, slightly later than our planned sunrise arrival. It's a short ½ mile hike up a paved trail to the summit tower, 400' above the parking lot.

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From there, we did some quick re-routing and headed straight for Clingman's Dome (6643') in Tennessee. We got there just before sunset and twisted through the Smokeys up to the parking lot. As we were getting out of the car, a cloud rolled in, leaving us in a windy, rainy, foggy, cold mess. We broke out the rain gear and headlamps and decided to head up anyway. Again, its about ½ mile up a paved path. It was a little bit dark and foggy for pictures (as you can see), so we missed out on the renowned vistas. However, we had the entire trail to ourselves, something very few people can say about this most-visited high point.

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From there, we were in serious jeopardy of not arriving in time for Thanksgiving dinner if we didn't head straight for PA, so the rest of the high points will have to wait for another trip.
rmhil
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Post by rmhil »

I know the great TalusMonkey is proud !

Thanks for sharing.

Bet it was too cold to enjoy the Colt 45 ?
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Kate
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Post by Kate »

it's never too cold to enjoy a colt 45
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mtgirl
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Post by mtgirl »

Thank you for keeping David's spirit alive. Gone, but NEVER forgotten. I'm sure he never realized how many peoples' lives he impacted.
"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away."
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Aubrey
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Post by Aubrey »

Great stuff ... right on! I (and many others) appreciate the post.
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gurlyclimber
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Post by gurlyclimber »

Awesome! Thanks for the Monday smile. It is so nice to see and hear people thinking about him. We always will.
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Duffus Kentucky Climber
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Post by Duffus Kentucky Climber »

Thanks for the post. It made me think that I can add Brasstown Bald to my highpoint list, although I never thought of it before.

We had to hike up the road to the summit (although some of the people we were with took the trail) when I was there for the Tour De Georgia a few years ago, to see Lance in his last American professional race. It was one of the coldest days (April) I have ever spent on ANY mountain, possibly aided by the extreme wind and fog and the fact that it was in the seventies the previous day and no one was prepared for cold. The year before, paramedics were busy with folks suffering from the heat!!

Way to go for the TM!
It looks like the ridge is just right up there!
OBX Fisherman
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Post by OBX Fisherman »

Awesome, thanks for remembering TM!

David and I hit the Shoney's breakfest buffet on numerous adventures we had and gorged ourselve on greasy food. David took great pride relating how he "paid for it" several hours later!!!! LOL!

Gary
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brett.t.burch
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Post by brett.t.burch »

I did WV, MD and PA over Memorial Day weekend a few years ago when I lived in Ohio. Lovely views from all, but the MD one is a bit hard to find. 4wd and high clearance required if you're driving up to where the 'road' fades to forest. If you have time I highly recommend parking well below the WV high point and hiking to the top... quite rewarding.
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Two Headed Boy
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Post by Two Headed Boy »

I love seeing these posts for the highpoints. Awesome.
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