I came across this information while reading the Carolina Mountain Club/CMC E-Newsletter. It sounded like a great trip for people on a restricted schedule. Jim Davis from Blairsville, GA (a stone’s throw from Springer) is starting out soon on The South Beyond 6000 (SB6K) Circuit, a loop trail of approximately 500 miles utilizing both the Appalachian Trail and the Mountains to Sea Trail in addition to local trails in the Smokies and the Pisgah National Forest. This route also will take you over all 40 of the 6000 foot peaks in the south. The Smoky Mountain Hiking Club, the Carolina Mountain Club and the Tennessee Eastman Hiking Club are the local clubs responsible for the trails in the area and have also promoted the SB6K in the form of recognition for hikers who climb all 40 peaks.
Jim expects this trip to take him anywhere from 30-45 days and it will be a totally self-supported hike. For updates on the hike he has started a site here at www.trailjournals.com/restless04. He will update the site as often as possible. He has included in the first few preparation entries a listing of all the peaks over 6000 feet and will also include within the next day a listing of the trails he intends to utilize. You might like to check out the following websites for further info: www.carolinamtnclub.com- A great trail organization that has done a lot in the construction and maintaining of the Mountains to Sea Trail and the AT. www.ncmst.org - The official site of North Carolina’s Mountains to Sea Trail.
He says he will try to answer all e-mails he receives when he returns. Jim Davis, 9710 Gainesville Hwy., Blairsville, GA, 30512 restlessw@yahoo.com
Bilko