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Huh, what? The largest swath of wilderness land in the eastern US National Forest is the conjoined tracts of the Cohutta wilderness in NW GA (about 80% of the combined tract) and the Big Frog wilderness just across the border in TN (about 20%). Wilderness areas contain no roads, but are usually surrounded by forest service roads. So… Larry, Dave and Mel decided to circumnavigate the Cohutta - Big Frog wilderness area.
Earlier in April, Dave, Mel and Dan toured the SE and S portion of the Cohutta’s on an unseasonably cool day ride (Ok, with all the snow flurries, it was COLD!) [see here for pics and video]. Since a full circumnavigation around these two wilderness tracts is about 90 miles and requires a full day’s riding, the trip would require some camping. So, on a Friday afternoon, they rode to Ellijay the fast way, then headed NW up beautiful Gates Chapel road toward their “loop”. But first they received a taste of what the next day would bring when the came to a spectacular overlook just before starting the loop.
We tried for May, but heavy rains forced a reschedule to June. But our luck held and 5 riders (BobK, Dave, Dennis, Larry, and Mel) enjoyed an epic 2 ½ day, 2 night camp-n-ride to western NC. Although weather the week prior had been “off the charts” hot and humid (awful for camping!), a window of gloriously cool, dry air opened just in time. We left Thurs afternoon for the TWO motorcycle campground in Suches via pleasant runs thru Grandview and Sunrise areas to Van Zandt’s in Dial for a rest, then S down Ga’s fabulous twisty-60 to TWO. It was so cool we almost broke out extra layers!
Our lucky streak of great weather rides continues! July 11th, four riders (Dave, Dennis, Larry and Mike) met in Hickory Flat for a tour of some of our favorite sights in NE AL – Little River Canyon (LRC) and Desoto Falls. Our trip started on a cool summer morning with absolutely no forecast of afternoon pop-ups - a real treat for July riding. We took the serene Hwy 140 west to Armuchee, then 27 to Summerville and Mentone, an old-timey getaway town on a ridge top in the AL mountains. At the south end of town is Desoto Falls which drops into large (several acre) pool with an adjoining 8-story sheer rock wall.
Truth in advertising prevailed… Dave, Larry, and Mel had a big adventure enjoying the best roads and trails Western North Carolina has to offer! Although the forecast for this 4 day, 3 night moto-camping extravaganza ranged from iffy to awful, they persisted and were rewarded, and are ready to do it again soon.
Larry and Dave left on a Wednesday morning and rode peaceful backroads to the N Ga mountains and met Mel at Neels Gap. From there, they enjoyed a beautiful trip to WNC on mostly empty roads – weekday travel has its perks. After a hearty lunch at Creekside Deli in Franklin, they headed to Wayah Rd (curviest in the land!) and the Nantahala gorge, but not without rain gear. Was the ominous forecast true? They encountered just enough light rain to tamp down speeds on the Dragon-like Wayah Rd. But with the clouds trying to lift, they headed up the Forest Service to Wayah Bald and its fabulous lookout built by Roosevelt’s CCC – a must-see on any sunny day, but mostly socked in then. On thru the gorge and a well-earned rest at the Nantahala Outdoor Center to watch the (chilly) rafters. From there they took the needs-no-introduction Blue Ridge Parkway to their camp for the night – Mile High Campground about 20 miles outside of Cherokee. Yes, that’s a couple of elk monitoring traffic on the road to camp. Glad they didn’t charge at us - they were HUGE. What Mile High lacks in services, they make up for in beauty. After a full day of riding, the men used backpack stoves to make surprisingly good hot meals before enjoying a great evening campfire.