Post by runbum on Sept 22, 2011 8:30:45 GMT -5
Sean Blanton ran this 12.9 mile loop in 1h53m7s on Sept. 20, 2011. He provides details below.
Starting at Vogel State park in Blairesville , GA, the Coosa Back Country Loop is a 12.9 loop with aprox 7,000 ft of elevation change.
info on loop here
www.georgiatrails.com/gt/Coosa_Backcountry_Trail
note i have read a lot of things that denote the length of the trail from 12.4 to 12.9 miles.
The timing of the loop starts and ends where the loops starts. NOT AT VOGEL STATE PARK.
If you walk the approach trail to it which is about .4 miles or so you come to an intersection. you can go straight (sign points to blood mountain), Right (bear hair trail and coosa back country trail loop) or left which goes back to camp grounds. It is right here that the trail starts and finishes. THIS IS WHERE EVERYONE, including myself starts the timer and stops it. you will take off following the coosa trail loop to the right (counter clock wise loop) and finish from the trail that pointed towards blood mountain.
My time this past tuesday was 1 hour 53 mins and 7 seconds.
This was running the loop. with a small waist pack on with one bottle of water, come gu chomps (with alot of caffenine), a gerber knife(for bears haha) and me. no water drop or food drop.
Temps were 55-65 degrees and rainy on and off.
I am a fast down hiller
I have run this course about 15 times now and I know it well.
here are my split times:
start of loop to first crossing wolfpen gap road (ga 180) 6:02
Bottom of the hill where you cross over the gravel road and then start the coosa climb... (total time from the start of the loop.. i don't split my watch at the first crossing of wolfpen gap rd i just look down and note it to myself) - 20:30
Top of coosa climb from the bottom starting at gravel road and stopping at fire circle on top of coosa(this is a 3.8 mile section with about 2200ft of climbing with a good bit of down as well most likely 500-700 ft of down) - 44:25
top of coosa(fire circle) to wolfpen gap road- 11:35
wolfpen gap road to the top of the first hump of slaughter(this is the hardest to really judge because there is no clear top to slaughter on the trail) - 13:48
top of slautghter (1st hump) to finish - 22:47
final finish time - 1:53:07
My previous PR was 2:09 and change.
Its my favorite training run in georgia. Runners and hikers alike will love this!
Warning!!!!! to do this loop you will want to drop of water and supplies at wolf pen gap. this will take you about 2-2.5 hrs if you are running and double that if you are hiking. so it is imperative that you carry enough supplies with you. In the summer is is dangerous to go out there alone. SO BE CAREFUL!
To get a good estimate of how long this will take you is to take you half marathon time and add an hour to an hour and a half. you will be walking 50-75% of this.
I usually see bears, wild turkeys, deer, fox, wild chickens etc...
www.RunBum.com
if you are interested in doing this loop email me
Sean@RunBum.com and I will give you directions to the trail. It needs to be reblazed VERY badly!
Starting at Vogel State park in Blairesville , GA, the Coosa Back Country Loop is a 12.9 loop with aprox 7,000 ft of elevation change.
info on loop here
www.georgiatrails.com/gt/Coosa_Backcountry_Trail
note i have read a lot of things that denote the length of the trail from 12.4 to 12.9 miles.
The timing of the loop starts and ends where the loops starts. NOT AT VOGEL STATE PARK.
If you walk the approach trail to it which is about .4 miles or so you come to an intersection. you can go straight (sign points to blood mountain), Right (bear hair trail and coosa back country trail loop) or left which goes back to camp grounds. It is right here that the trail starts and finishes. THIS IS WHERE EVERYONE, including myself starts the timer and stops it. you will take off following the coosa trail loop to the right (counter clock wise loop) and finish from the trail that pointed towards blood mountain.
My time this past tuesday was 1 hour 53 mins and 7 seconds.
This was running the loop. with a small waist pack on with one bottle of water, come gu chomps (with alot of caffenine), a gerber knife(for bears haha) and me. no water drop or food drop.
Temps were 55-65 degrees and rainy on and off.
I am a fast down hiller
I have run this course about 15 times now and I know it well.
here are my split times:
start of loop to first crossing wolfpen gap road (ga 180) 6:02
Bottom of the hill where you cross over the gravel road and then start the coosa climb... (total time from the start of the loop.. i don't split my watch at the first crossing of wolfpen gap rd i just look down and note it to myself) - 20:30
Top of coosa climb from the bottom starting at gravel road and stopping at fire circle on top of coosa(this is a 3.8 mile section with about 2200ft of climbing with a good bit of down as well most likely 500-700 ft of down) - 44:25
top of coosa(fire circle) to wolfpen gap road- 11:35
wolfpen gap road to the top of the first hump of slaughter(this is the hardest to really judge because there is no clear top to slaughter on the trail) - 13:48
top of slautghter (1st hump) to finish - 22:47
final finish time - 1:53:07
My previous PR was 2:09 and change.
Its my favorite training run in georgia. Runners and hikers alike will love this!
Warning!!!!! to do this loop you will want to drop of water and supplies at wolf pen gap. this will take you about 2-2.5 hrs if you are running and double that if you are hiking. so it is imperative that you carry enough supplies with you. In the summer is is dangerous to go out there alone. SO BE CAREFUL!
To get a good estimate of how long this will take you is to take you half marathon time and add an hour to an hour and a half. you will be walking 50-75% of this.
I usually see bears, wild turkeys, deer, fox, wild chickens etc...
www.RunBum.com
if you are interested in doing this loop email me
Sean@RunBum.com and I will give you directions to the trail. It needs to be reblazed VERY badly!
