This hike had fun water features, amazing ice formations, well-marked trails, and not a single other hiker except for a few groups at Rabun Bald itself coming from a different trail.
The details:
Start of hike: February 5th, 2022, 5:30 pm
End of hike: February 6th, 2022, 4:15 pm
Daytime temperature range: upper 20's to low 30's (F)
Nighttime temperature range: lower 20's (F)
Length of trip: about 14 miles
Elevation Gain: 3100 ft
Type of hike: Out and back
Trail conditions:
well maintained
a few wet spots requiring hopping to rocks or downed sticks
several stretches of water running down the middle of the trail for perhaps 30 to a couple hundred yards
One significant river crossing requiring wading
Two smaller river crossings with log and/or rock hopping
Several intersections that are not marked near Darnell Creek
One major labeled intersection at the Bartram Trail and Darnell Creek
Video log: watch here
What made this trip particularly fun?
I really enjoyed the ice formations on this trip. First, there were these amazing filaments that built up from the ground, pushing up leaves and dirt on top of them sometimes. They were abundant on the trail and added a fun crunch under foot. They were also quite intriguing as they are not like other ice you would expect on trail. Apparently this is called "needle ice" and sometimes also appears as ribbon or flower ice.
Then, there were wonderful icicles and ice coatings on sticks and logs along the streams. These gave beautiful reflective patterns and added to a sense of the condition being cold (obviously, there was a fair bit of ice around!) yet not frigid (the streams were free flowing without major ice buildup).
What challenges did I face on this trip?
I got started quite late on the first day, with only about an hour of light remaining, at best. This resulted in having to stop at a creek crossing only a couple of miles in, leaving a much longer hike on day 2 than I was hoping for. This also meant trying to find flat ground in the dark to set up the tent, and cooking in the dark as well. I have a good headlamp that makes this very manageable, but it is more work once it gets dark.
The hardest part of the hike was not the temperatures or my late start, it was the two creek crossings with log/rock hopping required to get across if you didn't want to take your shoes off. I was hiking alone so safety was of course a concern, and with icy water I didn't want to get wet feet. With proper scouting at one crossing, and taking plenty of time at both crossings to plan for a safe route where I could take advantage of my trekking poles or handholds on tree branches, everything went smoothly. It took some good balance and faith in my choices of where to step, but that was enough for solid success.
What gear did I bring and how did it perform?
Below is my complete gear list from this trip. Everything worked really well. My sleep system was plenty warm without having to wear extra clothing, I had plenty of food providing calories and something warm to enjoy, my tent performed extremely well and didn't really even have any condensation to wipe down in the morning, and my feet stayed dry in my trail running shoes (took them off for the major crossing and rock/log hopped elsewhere).
The piece of gear I was loving on this trip: my new X-therm MAX regular wide sleeping pad. This pad is 25 X 72 inches which is just long enough to be functional for my 6'2'' frame without hanging off too much, and it has an unmatched R-value of 6.9 good for all winter conditions due to its triangular core matrix heat reflective insulation. As I said above, I was toasty warm, and plenty comfortable as well. Best winter sleep I have had in a tent. After inflating with the included pump sack I did let out a little bit of air for better cushioning, especially at the hip and shoulder. This seemed to work very well.
A few extra photos
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