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Traildirt: The Bartram National Recreation Trail
"Camper" Dave
Winding its way through the rugged highlands of Georgia and North Carolina, the Bartram Trail follows some of the country made famous by William Bartram, America's first white native-born naturalist. Bartram's book "Travels of William Bartram", published in 1791, influenced many of the Romantic poets, including Coleridge and Wordsworth. In his quest to record much of the flora and fauna of the area, Bartram journeyed through what is now almost the entire southeastern United States. Today this naturalist, artist, and writer has a long trail commemorating his name and travels.
The trail begins in Georgia at the Chattooga Wild and Scenic River, ending in North Carolina at the Appalachian Trail near Cheoah Bald. The Bartram Trail covers a similar environment to the Appalachian Trail in this area -- and even joins it in two places -- but the Bartram Trail offers a more remote experience than its more famous granddaddy. Following a course marked with yellow blazes, it crosses three mountain ridges (the Fishhawk, the Nantahala, and the Cheoh), reaching its high point at 5385 feet at Wayah Bald in the Nantahala Mountains. It does not pass through any wilderness areas during its route.
There are currently no shuttles available for this pathway, so you'll need to arrange an exit. At only 110 miles, this might be the ideal trail to yo- yo. The midsection of the Bartram Trail is a 14 mile road walk or you can opt for a nine mile canoe trip.
During the road walk portion of the hike you pass laundromats, grocery stores, motels, and post offices -- making it the perfect place for a resupply. Given this trail's close proximity to the Appalachian Trail and the Foothills Trail as well as the myriad of other trails nearby, a much longer hike could be planned. Mid-May might be the best season to hike the trail given water availability, but the real highlight is catching the brilliance of mountain laurel, azalea, and rhododendrons in bloom. Mid- October is also a wonderful time to hike if you're an admirer of stunning fall color.
Guidebooks are currently available for Northern Georgia and North Carolina, and can be purchased at GeorgiaTrails.com (http:// georgiatrails.com/features/bartram_trail_guides.html). Written by avid hikers of the trail John Ray and Malcolm Skove, these guidebooks sell for a total of $13.00 (including shipping and handling). Johnny Molloy also writes extensively on the Bartram Trail in his book "Long Trails of the Southeast" (Menasha Ridge Press, 2002). Molloy includes maps of the trail and elevation maps that incorporate campsites, road crossings, water sources, and more. His book also offers a description log for all 110.7 miles.
Maps may be purchased through the Bartram Trail Society (www.ncbartramtrail.org) for $2.50 each or $15.00 for all seven. "An Outdoor Guide to Bartram's Travels" (University of Georgia Press, 2003), by Charles Spornick, Alan Cattier, and Robert Greene suggests trips along Bartram's route via car, bicycle, canoe, horseback, and foot. It may offer some insight into hiking the trail. Of course William Bartram's own book would be a wonderful read during your trek, along with a good flora pocket guide to the area.
I wonder what William Bartram would make of today's trail. Maybe he'd see it as a respite from those many miles of cross-country hardship he walked during his explorations. But maybe he would be disappointed with how many things have changed. Either way, he would still be surrounded with the familiar flora he grew to love.
