Day 2, Bryson Gap to Payne Gap

We arose at 6:45 a.m., which was well before sunrise. That wake-up time would need to be our habit for this hike to maximize our daylight hours. At this time of year, barely 12 hours of daylight is available.

Still, we didn't leave camp until just before 8:30 a.m. That wasn't an efficient use of our limited daylight.

Leaving Bryson Gap this morning, the trail straddled the northwest border of the recreation area before curving around the summit of Big John Dick Mountain and heading to the Toccoa River.

Go ahead and snicker about Big John Dick Mountain. We did, just like a bunch of 12-year-olds.

From the gap, the distance to the river was 2.8 miles, with a drop of nearly 1,000 feet. The descent was sometimes steep. Leaves covering the trail made it slippery.

The bridge had to be strong and well-anchored because the river is prone to flash flooding during heavy rains.

It also needed to be sturdy enough to handle a lot of foot traffic. We saw many day hikers in the area near the bridge, and most were with dogs or young children.

This section of the river is part of a 13.8-mile paddling route designated as the Toccoa River Canoe Trail.

Tengo, JA, and I took a break at the river to collect and filter water from a stream that flowed into the river.

Soon after we left the river and day hikers, the trail climbed 800 feet up and over Toonowee (or sometimes called "Tooni") Mountain. Both names are found in a list of Cherokee surnames from an 1835 census.

At the bottom, we stopped just short of Georgia Highway 60. There were some logs lying next to the trail, so we sat there and ate our lunch.

From where we sat, we could see cars come and go on the highway. There was a small parking area there, as well as a gravel Forest Service road that led to another parking area closer to the swinging bridge.

So many cars went by, we joked that we'd be really mad if we finished our lunch and then discovered there was a taco truck parked just around the corner.

Immediately after crossing the highway, the trail crossed Little Skeenah Creek on a small footbridge. We were entering what is said to be one of the toughest sections on the BMT.

Though we had already walked some substantial ups and downs, there were more to come. They are big enough that some hikers claim this section is tougher than the AT.

Perhaps it's more than a coincidence that the word Skeenah is a derivative of the Cherokee word "Asginayi," which became “Skeinah.” It means ghost, devil, or demon.

This section of the trail was within Coopers Creek Wildlife Management Area. It covers more than 30,000 acres, making it one of the largest wildlife management areas in Georgia.

As the trail approached the top of Wallalal Mountain, there were two small gaps in the trees. These were the only opportunities for views today.

While there, I sent a text message to check in with Kim.

After the descent from the top of Wallalal Mountain, of course, was another climb. This one was to the top of Licklog Mountain.

On the way to the top, I was surprised to discover Tengo was walking behind me. I didn't see him go off the trail to dig a cathole and didn't know I had passed him.

Together, we navigated over and around a few blowdowns. I had expected there would be many, thanks to COVID-19. When the trails were closed in late March, the Forest Service also suspended all volunteer trail maintenance work. Since then, crews have gradually begun to return.

A little care was needed as we were walking around the blowdowns. We had to make sure we weren't stepping into poison ivy.

Licklog Mountain's summit was at 3,462 feet above sea level. The name "Licklog" comes from the way early white settlers cut notches in fallen trees and placed salt licks in them for their cattle, which were brought to higher, cooler elevations in summer months.

Licklog's elevation was nothing to compare with other climbs I've made on the AT and PCT. Still, the climb was plenty steep enough, even if I didn't think it was tougher than the AT.

This elevation was the highest we had been since leaving Springer Mountain and was the highest we could go for the next couple of days.

On the descent from Licklog's summit, a side trail led to a spring. When I arrived, JA had already come back from the spring and was filtering water, and Tengo had just left to get water.

From here, we still had about two hours of hiking left before reaching our planned campsite. This didn't allow us much time to get to camp before sunset, so we weren't able to take a longer break than necessary to finish getting water.

Before leaving, however, I discovered cell service was available here, so I checked the weather forecast. Chances were good for rain tonight and all day tomorrow.

We had been walking on a footpath shared with the Duncan Ridge Trail. After going six-tenths of a mile past the spring, the two trails split near the summit of Rhodes Mountain. The Duncan Ridge Trail headed to Blood Mountain, where it reconnected with the AT.

The BMT remained devilish as it descended to Skeenah Gap Road, dropping 980 feet in 1.4 miles.

When I arrived at the road 40 minutes later, the time was 5:45 p.m. This left me just enough time to reach our campsite at Payne Gap.

That is, I should have had just enough time. First off, there was no signage or blaze on the other side of the road, so finding the trail took a couple of extra minutes.

Then, the last section to the campsite included several short but steep ups and down. They were hard enough that I thought to myself, "Gee, I’d hate to be injured here and have to walk back to the road."

Just before reaching Payne Gap, I almost had to eat my words and came even closer to eating dirt. In the fading light, I failed to see a rock covered in leaves and tripped over it, falling face first. I landed with a hard thud, coming inches away from having my ribs smash against a large rock.

After picking myself up, I did a quick assessment to make sure there was no damage to my body or gear. I wasn't hurt, so I didn't need to walk back to the road. Instead, I finished the remaining distance to our campsite.

By now, the sun had almost dropped below the ridge at the gap.

Our campsite was just 200 feet or so off the trail on an old logging road. A spring was located on the other side of the trail, about 150 yards away.

As we set up our tents and prepared dinner, we discovered we were more ahead of schedule than we thought.

We had made a couple of last-minute adjustments to our plan yesterday just before starting from Springer Mountain and failed to change the date for reaching Iron Bridge General Store and Café. This is where we left a cache of food.

Not that this caused a problem, but we realized we will get there tomorrow, a day earlier than planned. Maybe we can take longer breaks then.