Sunday, September 1, 2002

My teenage son and I recently backpacked this trail, starting from Deep Gap. We camped on the ridge just before the trail joins the Benton Mackaye. Just after daybreak, we broke camp and stashed our packs and treked ahead, hoping to find a sunny spot. While climbing a steep ridge with thick underbrush, the largest black bear I have ever seen dropped out of a tree practically on top of us. We heard limbs breaking and looked to our left, and there he was. I have seen bears in the woods before, but always from a distance. Needless to say, this got our adrenaline flowing. My son and I run and compete in road reces regularly, but he assures me that we greatly exceeded our ordinary race pace while descending that mountain. We had hiked maybe ten minutes from our campsite to get to the point of our liason with the bear, but I would wager we made it back to our packs in maybe two minutes. Notwithstanding the foregoing, I would recommend the Stanley Gap Trail, but probably only for a good day hike -- it's just not long enough. It's certainly steep in places, but what trail in North Georgia isn't. And one final thing; rest assured from this day forward that I will be scanning the treetops for bears when I'm out in the back country.

Trail Length:4.8 miles Location: Gilmer Fannin County Features: Last hiked:09/23/1998

Type of trail:In and out Our rating:Moderate Your rating:Moderate (9) Date added:09/23/1998 Trail Usage: About these ratings

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