Date: January 16-18 (Friday – Sunday)
Join us for winter camping at one of North Georgia’s most popular state parks. Built by the Civilian Conservation Corp during the Great Depression, Vogel is the 2nd oldest GA state park. Approximately 2 to 2.5 hour drive from the Scout Hut.
We are staying at the Pioneer site, which requires a short 0.3 mile, moderate hike from the vehicles. There are two Adirondack style structures that can hold around 10 people. However, given the time of year, it may be warmer to stay in tents.
It will be too cold for boating or swimming, but there are many hiking options:
- A short 1-mile hike looping around the lake to see Trahlyta Falls.
- A longer hike (~4 miles) along Bear Hair Gap Trail to reach a mountain top view. This hike would allow campers to complete one of the rarer requirements of the Camping Merit Badge.
- Possibly backpacking Saturday night in the Blood Mountain Wilderness. This would be ~8 mile trek and backpackers would get picked up at Neel’s Gap on Sunday.
This trip will also be a great opportunity for Scouts to cook over a fire. There are many Rank and Merit Badge cooking requirements.
Deadline for sign-up is Monday January 5th. Because this trip requires extra planning and preparation, the deadline is strict.
Winter camping is a unique experience and rewarding experience. The views are expansive, the fires are cozier, there’s always a chance of snow. However, Scouts need to know what to expect and need to be prepared.
At Vogel in January, average high temp is 47deg F; average low is 25deg F. Although cold weather gear can help, knowledge about how to stay comfortable makes the most difference. If you’re unsure about your gear, just ask. We’ll discuss winter camping at some of our Tuesday meetings before the trip.
Chris May will be the primary adult leader for this trip. If a subset of Scouts want to go backpacking, we’ll need to enough adults to cover both groups.
Additional information will follow.
