"The kids on the trail go WHAAA WHAAA WHAAA..." That's what my hubby and I started singing about half-way through our five mile journey to The Len Foote Hike Inn, a back-country lodge only accessible on foot. On the trail, it didn't take long before I began questioning my sanity about booking this Spring Break excursion. But the story has a happy ending, thankfully. Our averagely fit, ordinary family not only survived the ten-mile round trip hike to the inn and back, but we had an amazing time and learned a lot to boot. I would do it again in a heart beat, but next time we'll definitely bring friends with us. Read on to find out why!
Note: For even more pictures from this trip, be sure to check out our Hike Inn Facebook album.
The Trail
The 4.8 mile trail to The Hike Inn starts within Amicalola Falls State Park, in Dawsonville, Georgia. The trail itself was gorgeous and diverse. Patches of woods, plenty of creek crossings and sections of swampy areas with fun logs and boardwalks to traverse. The black-throated green warblers were singing like crazy. It is a fun and mildly challenging trail.
Follow the iconic green blazes to the Hike Inn, one of the nation's few backcountry lodges, accessible only on foot.
The sections of narrow boardwalk across swampy areas were some of our favorite parts of this trail. Perfect for pretending you are adventuring hobbits and dwarves.
One of several beautiful creek crossings with stepping stones. We didn't get our feet wet, but bring extra socks just in case. A swimsuit in summer would be fun for giving toddlers a break from the backpack.
The Inn
So how does a backcountry lodge like the Len Foote Hike Inn solve problems like power and waste? I really enjoyed following along on the nightly tour conducted by the inn's resident naturalist to find out the answers. The inn itself is a super green building, utilizing solar panels, composting toilets and vermiculture composting for food waste, just to name a few features.
Don't let the composting toilets scare you away either. I know you are picturing flies and stinkiness, typical of most backcountry toilets, but the ones at the Hike Inn are high tech! When you first set your hot, sweaty behind down on one of these babies, you are in for a pleasant surprise! The system is built to draw air down into itself and away from your sensitive nose. No stinkiness in these bathrooms and a pleasant breeze for all your trail-weary (ahem) "parts." The guys were a bit shocked at first, rushing in to take care of some business the moment we reached the inn. I imagine some toddlers might be a bit intimidated by this, so certainly prepare them!
It was fun learning during the tour that all our bodily waste gets turned into "hu-manure," and is used to fertilize the surrounding landscaping and trees.
A visit to the composting room showed us where all the food waste for the inn goes. Here, resident naturalist Diane Duffard, explains vermiculture, or how the inn uses earth worms to turn food waste into valuable fertilizer for the inn's summer vegetable garden. Read more about this cool process HERE. We also got to see the tanks for the composting toilets where "hu-manure" happens.
I got a giggle out of Evan's reaction upon walking into our bunk room at the Hike Inn. "Oh... I thought it would be fancier," he said. Nope. Simple, but comfortable, is the way of the Hike Inn. Each room has two bunks and a pad for the floor to accommodate a family of three. Since we have four, we had adjoining rooms and a bunk each (though Cole slept with Mike in his bunk). Each room comes with linens, towels and wash cloths. So all you need to bring are toiletries and a change of clothes. What a fun way to experience a long hike without having to carry a back-packing sized load!
Our Favorite Feature - The Game Room
As soon as you arrive at The Hike Inn, you will be encouraged to unplug for the length of your stay. But don't worry about having enough to do. Even if the weather is yucky, there's plenty to do with kids in the game room. Warm, cozy and bright, this room is brimming with books, board games and puzzles. It is the perfect place to do a little family bonding and try out some new games.
Cole learned how to play jacks.
The Food
Meals at the Hike Inn are served family-style in one big dining hall. Before dinner, our naturalist host challenged us to a food waste goal of less than 2 ounces for the whole group! We were encouraged to take only what we felt we could eat, and help each other out if someone couldn't finish. If we did it (which we did), we got a smiley face for the day. It's pretty easy to do when the food is so good though. Look at this dinner of pork tenderloin, salad, roasted veggies and more. We ordered trail lunches for the next day, which includes one option of sandwiches made from dinner leftovers. We all chose that and got gigantic pork tenderloin sandwiches (enough for lunch AND dinner). Each sack lunch felt like it weighed a couple pounds!
The Way Home
After a restful night's sleep, we awoke to a foggy, spring wonderland surrounding the inn. If it had been a clear morning, Diane would have gently woken us with a quiet drum beat to alert us to impending sunrise, which is rumored to be a breathtaking sight. Although we were disappointed that we missed out on this experience, it gives us a reason to go back!
After breakfast, we gathered our things and got ready for the journey home. The kids were eager to hike with some of their new friends, and this proved motivating and beneficial for both families! With friends, the mental effort of the hike for the kids was completely removed. Not only did they hike the way back in record time (taking only 2 1/2 hours to get back, a full hour faster than on the way in), we didn't hear one single complaint from anyone. Lesson learned: hiking is way more fun with friends, so find another family to go with when you attempt a trip like this!
Hiking for the guys was a lot more fun with their new friends Gabby and Gage.
Who Should Go
The last time we attempted more than a two mile hike with the guys was over a year ago. Cole didn't make it. It turned out he was coming down with a fever on the trail and we ended up taking turns carrying him. That was not an experience I wished to repeat, but I was pretty certain that had he not been sick, he would've been ready for a longer hike. On this trip, I was more worried about our physical limitations. Would Mike and I be able to make the hike, having had virtually no exercise or training leading up to the trip?
There were several families with young kids staying at The Hike Inn while we were there. All were pretty obviously athletic and I wondered how many families more like ours (leaning more toward the couch-potato-y side of the spectrum) would be too intimidated to attempt the hike. If this sounds like your family, don't be intimidated! While the hike was challenging, it was more of a mental challenge for the kids. By dinner time, they had already recovered completely and were sprinting around the grounds playing tag with the other kids. For me, the hike was just enough of a challenge for me to feel accomplished... YES! I DID IT! But not so challenging that I felt I'd never want to do it again. I was slightly sore the next day, but in a I-feel-like-I-got-a-great-work-out sort of way. And none of us had any special equipment for the journey. Just regular sneakers (except for Mike who wears trail shoes everyday) and day packs.
All families are welcome at The Hike Inn. Just about anyone of an average fitness level should be able to make this hike (just use common sense or check with your doctor before you go). If you have a child three or younger, you will need something to carry them in. Kids ages 5 and up should be able to make the journey just fine physically, but be prepared for the mental effort involved. Plan to take lots of breaks, playing and exploring along the way. For the best experience, bring your playmates with you!
Disclosure: Thanks very much to The Hike Inn for hosting our family to facilitate the writing of this review. All opinions are our own.
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