BLOOD MOUNTAIN LOOP HIKE

On February 28, 2007 for the second year in a row, Jon and I did a loop hike over Blood Mountain in a southernly direction in order to see and visit with the APPALACHIAN TRAIL End-To-Enders just starting their journys..... This year we added one half mile to our total by taking the old AT route through Slaughter Gap ( trails there are now almost invisible as they are trying to rehabilitate the area )

We hiked up the 0.7 mile Byron Reese approach trail and then south on the AT for 1.5 miles to the summit and the stone shelter built by the CCC in 1934. Then south on the AT to Bird Gap where we took the Freeman Trail 1.8 miles back to junction with the approach trail, a hiking total of 6.3 miles ( 3 hours and 45 minutes )... We saw 12 end to enders on the trail.....