Monday, February 28, 2005
Hiked this trail to the AT and then on to the summitt of Blood Mt. It was 38 degrees with wind chill in low 30s. Storm front was on the way in but it was only cloudy and windy at 9:00 am. Trail itself was in good condition.
Saturday, November 6, 2004
Met quite a few folks on the trail, but then again it was a beautiful day. We hiked to the top of Blood Mountain in about two hours after stopping 15 or 20 minutes for lunch. My wife and I both slipped and ended up on our butts on the way down; coincidentally, we were both looking at the panoramic view when it happened. Neither of us was hurt...except our pride. The leaves were off the trees on this Indian Summer day, and that made the view inviting where one would normally not see the surrounding mountains. The downded leaves also made the trail slippery. But this was only a problem on the way down. Took us one hour and ten minutes to return to our car from the top of Blood Mountain after stopping once for about 5 minutes. Nicely maintained trail. Our dog loved it.
Thursday, October 30, 2003
Started the day (Saturday Oct 25) at the BHR Trailhead and made a loop of the Freeman Trail, AT over Blood Mtn from the west and back down the BRH. BRH is a very well maintained trail with rock stairs at the steepest inclines. It is a short moderate climb from the trailhead to Flatrock Gap where it intersects the AT. Instead of following the crowds onto the AT and climbing Blood Mtn from the east, we continued straight across Flatrock Gap and picked up the Freeman Trail. The Freeman Trail traverses around the side of Blood Mtn is an easy trail with little elevation. Footing can be tough at times as the terrain is very rocky throughout. The views are truly magnificent to the south. This 3 mile trail was the highlight of our trip and should not be missed. The views rival those at the top and unlike the top it was very peaceful. We saw no one else on this stretch of trail. The Freeman trail terminates where it meets up with the AT at Bird Gap west of Blood Mtn. We turned northeast on the AT to Slaughter Gap. Found a good water source where the recently re-routed Slaughter Gap Trail intersects the AT. At Slaughter Gap we made the sharp right on the AT and made the surprisingly easy 1.1 mile moderate climb to the top of Blood Mtn. We found a nice rock looking out to the north (away from the crouds) and enjoyed our packed lunch. After about 1/2 hour at the top we began our trip back towards Flatrock Gap. This was by far the worst part of the day. This steep downhill 1 mile of hard knee banging was made even worse by the large number of suffering climbers in the way. I am glad we made the climb from the west as based upon the amount of knee banging on the way down I am sure it is a strenuous climb from the east. At Flatrock Gap we turned back on the BHR and returned back to the parking lot. On our return the parking lot was jammed with cars all over the place. This was a great day hike, but when I do it again it will be a weekday as the weekend crowd was too much for me. Happy Trails.
Wednesday, April 24, 2002
Went to the Walasi Y Center first and then drove and parked at the Reece Memorial parking lot. This was in the winter of 2000. Went to the top of Blood Mountain. This trail was beautiful from the start. Crossing the first stream and walking in the Rhododendrons and seeing all of the snow. Getting to the A.T. and seeing the neat rock formations. The ice was deep in a lot of places and offered some challenge to stay on my feet. Made me feel great to get to the Shelter. It was my first hike. Have done much since and I owe wanting to continue as I have to this first hike.
Thursday, September 13, 2001
It's been a while, but the trail, although difficult, offers spectacular views. I enjoyed hiking it, even though it wasn't extremely easy. I was there spring of 1993, and I want to go back so bad. It's a good challenge.
Monday, August 6, 2001
Definitely, absolutely, certainly, without fail, stop in and chat with the people at the Walasi-yi center before climbing. Not only are these the kindest, friendliest, and helpful people around, they can provide helpful information about any area of hiking. And if you forgot food, water bottles, blister patches, or maybe rain gear, they've got it there too. And, most of the people there have hiked the full length of the AT and have more experience and knowledge than I could ever dream of. In addition, they have maps of the BHR Access trail you can check out, just to make sure you know where you're going.
Monday, August 6, 2001
A farily moderate trail, with beautiful views on a clear day. Short, so time is never an issue with day hikers. While I have nothing against kids, there do seem to be quite a few on the trail, and can at times become a nuisance (and commonly leave trash at the Blood Mountain Shelter, inviting various rodents to stay). If you want to avoid fairly heavy crowds, i'd stay away from weekends. Boy Scouts, church groups, school outings, summer camps.... they all seem to like this area.
Sunday, January 14, 2001
Byron Herbert Reece lived in CHoestoe, not Cloestoe. Thought you might want to know...
Wednesday, December 8, 1999
this trail was fun to hike with my family.
Trail Length:0.7 mile
Location: Union County
Features:ATaccess.
Last hiked:05/30/1999 | Type of trail:In and out
Our rating:Strenuous
Your rating:Moderate (44)
Date added:01/01/1993
Trail Usage:
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