On Saturday, November 12, we will have a family day hike in Unicoi State Park, which is near the town of Helen, Georgia. This event will be co-led by Troop adult leaders Mr. Jim Carey and Mr. Bill Penkava.
In addition to all Scouts, parents and other family members are welcome to participate. The trails we will use are not difficult, so younger siblings should not have any problems participating. We will spend most of our time hiking on the Lake Trail, Bottoms Trail, and Frog Pond loop trails.
Interested? Sign-up (include ALL family members attending) and review additional details below.
[Sign-up for Day Hike @ Unicoi State Park]
DETAILS:
- Unicoi Park map: Park Map – Unicoi State Park & Lodge – Helen, GA (unicoilodge.com) The address is Unicoi State Park & Lodge, 1788 GA-356, Helen, GA 30545
- Transportation: Families are responsible for driving to and from the park. We encourage participating families to make plans for ride sharing. The driving distance from Tucker is approximately 84 miles, and it will take a little less than 2 hours to get there by car.
- Families should arrive and be ready to begin the hike no later than 8:30 am. This means drivers should leave Tucker around 6:30 am.
- Where to meet: We will gather in front of the Park Lodge, and will start our hike from there. Geocoordinates for the Lodge to copy/paste into your smart phone’s navigation app are: 34.72239, -83.72293. Also see the park map. Drivers should bring money to pay for the parking fee, or if they have it, an annual state park pass tag.
- Advancement opportunities, and what Scouts and family members should bring:
- Weather appropriate clothes and hiking boots
- Each person should have a day pack large enough to carry their water bottles, lunch cooking and eating equipment, and food supplies. Everyone should bring a bowl and spoon because Mr. Carey will demonstrate how to make an easy “Thanksgiving meal” to sample while out on the trail.
- A BIG water bottle for each family member!!! We do not want anybody to get dehydrated!
- In addition to identification of plants and animals we might see while on the hike, Scouts will work on map and compass skills. In addition, we strongly encourage all Scouts to bring a backpacking stove, fuel, matches to light the stove (if needed), cooking and eating utensils, and lunch food supplies to cook and eat while out on the trails. All of these skills may help Scouts fulfill various lower rank requirements or Cooking Merit Badge requirements.
- NOTE: If families do not own backpacking stoves, they can borrow Troop equipment during the November 8 Tuesday night Troop meeting at the Hut.
- If Scouts or other family members do not want to cook lunch, they need to bring other lunch food in their day packs.
- Family personal first aid kit.
- NOTE: The Troop is not bringing any of these supplies for families. Scouts and their families are responsible for bringing everything they need for the day.
Other fun things to do in the area: After we are done with the hike, some families might want to go to Anna Ruby Falls. Another option is to visit shops and restaurants in Helen, GA before driving home.
