Recommendations for an easy hike

imported
#1

My wife and I would like to hike a section of the AT, say 30-60 miles. The problem is my wife is very intimidated by heights. She can take rolling terrain, but where the trail traverses ridges where the slope falls away on both sides, it’s too scary for her and she stops having fun. I’m not real crazy about hiking in flat terrain. Is there a short section of the AT that would be a happy compromise? I want it to be as much fun for her as it is for me. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Chipmunk Whisperer

#2

I think that a hike from Amicalola Falls State Park to Neels Gap would be a great start for a Hike on the AT

Old School

#3

Any suggestions?
If it’s not to far for you, try the Foothills Trail in SC/NC
Park your car at Oconee State Park and get a shuttle to Bad Creek. The hiking is not as hard and you’ll have interesting scenery including the Chattooga River for a good part of the hike. Check out the FTC site for shuttles and the map and guide are for sale at the park.
No shelters and little trail traffic during the week. Great waterfalls too.

Nearly Normal

#4

Thanks so much for the suggestions. I’ll check some maps on Amicalola to Neels. I’ve been reading some trail memoirs (In Beauty May She Walk, White Blaze Fever, Awol on the Appalachian Trail, and Iron Toothpick) and had the impression that Georgia was pretty mountainous, so thanks for the suggestion.

As for the Foothills Trail, I wasn’t familiar with that at all and I’m loving the thought of an easier trail but with great scenery. I’ll check it out.

Also, none of the trail memoirs say very much about the terrain in the SNP, so I really didn’t have a very good feel for that, except driving through on the Skyline Drive, which seemed pretty mild.

Just a follow-up question, and again from the trail memoirs I’ve read, Maryland through about middle of Massachussets sounds like a good prospective area, so any comments would be appreciated, and also the area around Mt. Rogers and North of there. We’ve hiked in the immediate vacinity of Mt. Rogers, but I’m just concerned that there might be some sections north of there might be nothing like the rolling highland type of terrain at Mt. Rogers. Again, comments appreciated. Thanks again!

Chipmunk Whisperer

#5

Just another quick point to convey, is that the area just north of Damascus but not quite to Mt. Rogers is the area where we hiked before. We hiked southbound into Damascus and she was pretty much in tears by the time we intersected the Virginia Creeper Trail, so we ended up taking the Creeper for the last few miles into town. That area is a good index of how much is definitely too much.

Chipmunk Whisperer