The Foothills Trail Day 1

From Oconee State Park to Burrell’s Ford Campground

We made good time this first day and soon found ourselves walking along the Chattooga River. There were several very picturesque campsites, right on the river bank, that would be an amazing place to hang out and float on a tube in the summer. We were also able to see where the storm had ripped up the riverbank and washed away what were probably excellent campsites.

darkness falls

Being late November, the sun set long before we reached our destination in the evening. At about 11 miles we stopped to refill our water bottles and take out our headlamps to prepare for the final miles to camp. The darkness comes even faster when you are deep in a gorge and we soon turned on our headlamps. This was my husband’s first night hiking experience and he said it was great.

As we continued toward camp, I began to notice small flashing lights on both sides of the trail on the ground. At first I assumed they were just chunks of rock reflecting my lamp, and I thought they were charming, like little fairy lights on an enchanted forest path. Then I noticed that these flickering lights also seemed to come from piles of leaves and some even from tree trunks. Which meant they couldn’t be rocks. I paused, inconveniently stopping my husband in his tracks, and leaned over to look closely and discovered SPIDERS! They were spider eyes that reflected my headlight! All kinds of spiders: the tiny ones and the ones whose legs would span the palm of my hand. Suddenly the twinkling lights didn’t seem so charming anymore, but I guess it’s not the spiders’ fault.

About a mile from camp, my headlamp went out. (It was a harbinger of nights to come, but I admit this was my responsibility.) In the rush of packing and tying up loose ends, I had completely forgotten to charge my headlamp. Fortunately, I was able to take my husband’s headlamp to camp without too much trouble.

Burrell’s Ford Campground was a pleasant surprise. Far Out indicated that it was a large site with many tent sites and an outhouse, but failed to mention that each site had its own bear box! It was very convenient to store not only our food, but also our backpacks inside and have more space in the vestibules of the store. The night sky was much lovelier than spider eyes as we settled down for a peaceful night.

This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any products or services you purchase using links in articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price they would otherwise pay, and their purchase helps support The Trek’s ongoing goal of bringing you quality backpacking information and advice. Thank you for your support!

For more information, visit the About page of this site.