Georgia Wilderness Society
Len Foote Hike Inn
November 5, 2025
On Wednesday, 5 November, 2025, five Georgia Wilderness Society members gathered for a pre-hike meal around a dining table on the patio of Shenani-gan’s Restaurant and Pub in Dahlonega, Georgia. The table had a gas-fired pit in it, providing warmth for us on this beautiful fall evening. The five of us spent the night in hotels in the area.
On Thursday, we met at Amicalola Falls State Park, along with four other members. The day was beautiful again, with hardly a cloud in the sky, and the leaves in their fall colors. After checking in, we ate lunch at a picnic area at the trailhead, then began our hike about 12:10. Terry, Rosemary and Susan began a little before the rest from a different parking lot, but we met them on the trail soon after we began. Irene decided to accompany Susan the rest of the way, while Terry and Rosemary took their time and brought up the rear.
The trail was about 5 miles to the inn, with some ups and downs along the way, generally about 200’ gains followed by a 150’ loss. Overall, we gained about 400’. The vanguard of the group arrived at the inn about 3:20, with most of the rest of the troupe arriving not long after.
At 5:00 o’clock, the staff gave us a tour of the place. At 6:00, dinner was served family-style (Pass the ‘taters Elmer!) At 7:00, a volunteer gave a slide show about his hike on the Camino de Santiago in Spain.
It was an enjoyable evening for those able to
be there in time.
Rosemary, our indefatigable octogenarian, was a bit slow-paced, due to age and fairly recent hip problems. She hiked with us several weeks ago in the Chattanooga area, so we all knew she would arrive a bit late, but she and the rest of us kinda underestimated just how long it would take her and Terry to make the hike.
Late afternoon, a woman came running up to the inn saying that we needed to raise a rescue party to go fetch this elderly woman on the trail. She seemed to want a dozen people, staff and guests, to go to the rescue. Knowing Rosemary, I thought it was a huge over-reaction. Rosemary is a little slow nowadays, but very determined, having hiked across the Grand Canyon from North Rim to South Rim just a few years ago. I believe the folks (chiefly a couple from California in their early 60s), mistook her slow pace for evidence that she was about to drop dead from exhaustion.
GWS overnighter at Len Foote Hike Inn
Curt Cole, trip coordinator
Participants were: Susan Bush, Margaret Clay, Curt & Irene Cole, Bonnie Gehling, Joe Mangum, Terry & Rosemary Ross and Christine van Roosen.
See you on the trail.
In the message I sent out to all participants, prior to the trip, I included links to two maps, each with an elevation profile, showing what the trail entailed, so we all knew (assuming all checked out these links) what we were up against. While the signage along the trail described it as strenuous, I thought it was actually moderate (but then I’m a youngster of 70.)
After breakfast on Friday, we all headed down the mountain. It was a great trip, and I encourage you to check out this inn.
While many of us thought this “rescue team” simply over-reacted, I have to applaud them for being concerned for a stranger they had never met before. They missed their dinner (GWS members and staff saved some food for the late-comers) and the program, and plodded along for several hours at what for them was a snail’s pace. One concern the “rescuers” had was that Rosemary would trip over the roots and rocks and break some bones, thereby calling for a sure enough rescue squad. So, I’m glad to see that there are still folks around that care about other people and are willing to step up to the plate to help. Thanks to all the volunteers and staff who helped out. (The next morning, some staff members gave rides back down the mountain to the Rosses and Susan.)
The Hike Inn is a backcountry lodge operated in the Amicalola Falls State Park. The staff hauls in supplies along a gravel road, but all guests have to hike in. There are small, individual rooms with bunks, ceiling radiant heat, hot showers, and the guests are provided dinner and breakfast. I think all but one of us had stayed there before. You can of course do a day hike there just to see what it looks like, but we all made reservations to spend one night.
I had taken extra lighting (two headlamps, a flashlight and extra batteries) in anticipation of the Rosses being caught in the dark. So, at 6:35, I headed down the trail to check on them. What I found after a 25-minute hike down the trail was that there was a person on each side of Rosemary holding her arms as she walked with trekking poles, plus others providing additional lighting. Rosemary wore her head-lamp and Terry led the way. At one point, the California dude decided it would be faster to carry her, so we did that for maybe 15 minutes before he realized that was no faster than she could walk, plus it risked dropping her, so she reverted to walking the rest of the way, arriving at the inn near 8:00, very tired but not exhausted, or so it seemed to me.
