Blood Mountain

::"For the album, see Blood Mountain (album)"Infobox Mountain
Name = Blood Mountain
Photo = BloodMountainGeorgia.jpg
Caption = Blood Mountain, as seen from Vogel State Park
Elevation = convert|4458|ft|m|0
Location = Georgia, USA
Range = Blue Ridge Mountains
Prominence =
Coordinates = coord|34|44|23|N|83|56|14|W|type:mountain_region:US-GA
Topographic
USGS Neels Gap
First ascent= unknown
Easiest route= Appalachian Trail, other trails

Blood Mountain is the highest peak on the Georgia section of the Appalachian Trail and the sixth-tallest mountain in Georgia, with an elevation of convert|4458|ft|m|0. [cite web
last = Prats
first = J.J. (editor)
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Blood Mountain
work =
publisher = The Historical Marker Database
date = 2007-11-01
url = http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=3259
format =
accessdate = 2008-01-09 ] Brown (1996), p.93] It is located in Union County and is within the boundaries of the Chattahoochee National Forest and the Blood Mountain Wilderness. There are many waterfalls, hiking trails and other recreational areas in the vicinity.

History

Two Indian tribes resided in North Georgia in the 1500s. By the late 1600s the Cherokee and Creek began to compete for resources and fought a battle on the mountain near Slaughter Gap. The Creek lost, ceding Blood Mountain to the Cherokee, who considered it a holy place. Archaeological evidence has been discovered that tends to back the story of the battle, but the date of the battle and its participants are still hotly disputed.

There are various theories on the origin of the mountain's name. Some believe that the name of the mountain comes from this bloody battle between the Cherokee and Creek Indians. Others believe that the name is based on the color of the lichen and Catawba rhododendron growing near the rocky summit.

The mountain drew media attention in January 2008 when 24-year-old hiker Meredith Emerson went missing from a nearby trail. Her body was later recovered some distance away. [cite web
last = The Associated Press
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Drifter Leads Officials To Hiker's Body
work = CBS News,com
publisher = CBS News
date = 2008-01-08
url = http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/01/08/ap/national/main3684843.shtml
format =
accessdate = 2008-01-11 ] Authorities arrested Gary Hilton on charges of murdering Emerson. [cite web
last = Boone
first = Christian
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Hilton 'prime suspect' in Fla. woman's death
work = AJC.com
publisher = The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
date = 2008-01-08
url = http://www.ajc.com/wireless/content/metro/gwinnett/stories/2008/01/08/emerson_0109.html
format =
accessdate = 2008-01-11 ] On January 31 Hilton pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison.cite news
title=Hilton pleads guilty, gets life for killing hiker
date=2008-01-31
publisher=CNN
url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/01/31/hilton.plea/index.html
accessdate=2008-01-31 ]

Hiking and Recreation

This peak has scenic views from the large rock formations that top the mountain. There is a hiker's shelter at the top of the mountain maintained by the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club, and at the bottom of the eastern side of the mountain is a hostel and store (at Neels Gap, where the Appalachian Trail intersects U.S. Highway 19/129) at the Walasi-Yi Interpretive Center. The summit shelter is a two-room stone cabin which was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1934 and is eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, but is not currently on it. The Walasi-Yi Center started out as log cabin constructed in the early 1900s by a logging company. It was renovated and expanded by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1933-38 into a larger stone building. [Brown (1996), p. 94] The Center now houses a store; its breezeway is the only place the Appalachian Trail passes through a man-made structure. [Brown (1996), p. 94]

There is no water for hikers on top of Blood Mountain, and the shelter and surrounding area is often crowded with weekend hikers during the spring and fall, as well as hikers all summer. There have been numerous problems with people hiking to the top of Blood Mountain in the summer months without taking water and becoming dehydrated. The mountain summit is the highest point of the Appalachian Trail in Georgia.

There is a short (2 mile) but steep (1,800 foot elevation gain) approach trail to the top of the mountain from a parking area to the immediate north of the Walasi-Yi Center. This hike affords spectacular views as one apporaches the summit but the final convert|1.5|mi|km, past the Flatrock Gap intersection with the Byron Reece Trail, is fraught with switchbacks. It is perhaps the most hiked segment of the Appalachian Trail in Georgia. [Brown (1996), pp. 93-94.] Another approach is from the other side at Lake Winfield Scott via the Slaughter Creek Trail. This approach, which is easier to hike, has excellent campsites and abundant sources of treatable water.

Adjacent to the mountain are several boulderfields and stands of northern hardwoods and large buckeyes. Portions of the area were previously logged and now sport fast-growing tulip poplar.

Near Blood Mountain are DeSoto Falls Scenic Recreation Area and campground, Vogel State Park and Sobee Cove Scenic Area. All are accessible from Blood Mountain by trail and road.

References

*Brown, Fred and Nell Jones. "The Georgia Conservancy's Guide to The North Georgia Mountains", 3rd Edition. Atlanta: 1996, Longstreet Press. ISBN 1-56352-314-0
*Tucker, Margaret. "A Winter Hike on Blood Mountain." Reprinted in "Brown's Guide to the Georgia Outdoors", John W. English, ed. Atlanta: 1986, Cherokee Publishing. ISBN 0-87797-128-5
* [http://www.allenlacy.com/GPS/GaSummits.php Georgia's Named Summits]
* [http://www.mountainpeaks.net/hiking_georgia.html 100 highest peaks in Georgia]
* [http://www.americasroof.com/highest/ga.shtml Georgia peaks over convert|4000|ft|m]

External links

* [http://www.topoquest.com/map.asp?lat=34.7395&lon=-83.9371&datum=nad27&u=4&layer=DRG&size=l&s=50 TopoQuest map of Blood Mountain]
* [http://www.fs.fed.us/conf/rec/fow/20041130-fow.shtml Forest Service information about Blood Mountain]

Notes