Foote N otes

The Hike Inn turns 10!
Volume 10, Issue 4
Ten years ago, before the native plant gardens
Senator Guy Middleton of Dahlonega, GA, who con-
were completely established, before there were
vinced the state legislature to appropriate more
heaters in the rooms, when only three staff mem-
funds. In the end it took almost $900,000 to con-
bers ran the Len Foote Hike Inn ...like minded peo-
struct the Len Foote Hike Inn.
ple gathered to celebrate the Hike Inn, Georgia’s
first (and so far only) backcountry inn on October
For its 10 year anniversary, the Inn held a Founder’s Day celebra-
30, 1998. Pictures
tion with food and
found in Hike Inn
festivities, testimo-
scrapbooks and
S. Straw
nials and dedica-
from the late George
tions. Details can
Goldman, piece the
be read in Richard
event together.
Judy’s column on
Food and drink were
page two.
Foote Notes
served in the dining
To celebrate ten
room, volunteer
Orea Van Doran played the bagpipes for the event,
years of “Providing Education and Recreation” and
and as shown above, a ribbon cutting was held on
a “Home Away from Home” to the Hike Inn guests
the front porch. First General Manager Hillrie Quin and volunteers, a commemorative pictorial quilt
was created for the Inn itself. It is dedicated to all
and Park Superintendent Bert Weertz raised the
“Len Foote Lodge” sign before the ribbon was cut by the volunteers who contributed their time, effort
and energy to making the Inn what it is today. Each
Len Foote’s surviving family members: Russell,
Rebecca and Grace Foote.
Originally, the State of GA appropriated
$350,000 for construction of a “walk-in” lodge.
This amount, however, would not be enough. The
Hike Inn’s Architect Garland Reynolds said the Inn
would have been just an idea without the help of
picture reminds the guest or volunteer of a special
moment on the trail or at the Inn. You can read the
stories of each quilt square in a binder in the office
lobby. Many thanks to Noreen Gay of Dillard, GA,
who pieced and machine quilted the eight- foot- by
three- foot display hung in the dining room.
Many thanks to the staff who helped the Founder’s Day celebration go off without a hitch. Pictured top left is David Little showing off Owl Capone, Amicalola Falls State Park, on Halloween.
Inside this issue:
Richard Judy presents a Garden Recognition Rock to
Hike Inn VIPs for their hard work and dedication to the
Inn. Pictured left to right: Roz Van Landingham,
Nancy Shofner, Hillrie Quin.
President’s Column:
History & Halloween
2
General Manager’s Column:
Hiking the GSMNP
3
Guest Spotlight
4
First ever Hike Inn Photo Contest & Rules
4
Hike Inn volunteer completes Girl Scout
5
New Staff
6
President’s Column
By Richard Judy
Halloween was glorious at the Len Foote Hike such as how even burned breakfast bacon someInn this year – not particularly scary, but great
times turns out OK.
Hike Inn Staff
fun – as we celebrated our tenth anniversary.

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The facility was closed for the evening allowing
special guests to remember Hike Inn history as
we recognized singular personalities who played
key roles in our decade-long heritage.
AERS board members: Tom LeVert, Mary
Stan Krajeski, General Manager
Lovings, Steve Skinner, Fred Stowers, Don Wall-
Sandy Straw, Education Manager
ing and Jeff Woody.
Reid Boudreau, Business Manager

Neal Mastbrook, Kitchen Manager
Noel Holcomb, David Freeman and Bert
Larry Winn, Caretaker
Kicking off the evening was GM Stan Kra-
Weertz of the Georgia DNR recounted hilarious
Kris Murray, Housekeeping
jeski who welcomed a distinguished gathering of
tales of days when the Hike Inn was little more
Jordan Sullivan, Housekeeping
Hike Inn founders. Education Manager Sandy
than a gleam in the eye of a few half-crazed state
Robert Compton, Dinner Cook
Straw who assembled the event dedicated the
employees and delusional GATC hikers.
gorgeous commemorative quilt she organized. It

now hangs in the dining hall. Bill Tanner, superintendent of Amicalola Falls State Park, com-
Vette Middleton, Reservationist
Architect Garland Reynolds described early
construction and how he once was tipped out of a
cart being pulled to the work site by an ATV.
mented on what a great complement the Hike Inn
is to his fine park.
I had the honor of presiding over a series of
speakers providing impromptu oral histories of
the Hike Inn. I noted with regret that we could
Tom LeVert, Treasurer
owl program followed up by great live bluegrass
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Gennie Justus, GATC Liaison
music by Four Cent Cotton.
Hillrie suggested that we form a history com-
fore they slip away. Roz, Nancy and Mary Lov-
Hillrie Quin, Roz Van Landingham, Nancy Shof-
ings have agreed to make that happen.
As the evening wore on, old friends wove a
fabric of oral history that raised one question:
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Fred Stowers, Legal Advisor
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Jeff Woody, Personnel Committee
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Mary Lovings, Outreach
[email protected]
Steve Skinner, Physical Plant
[email protected]
How did this magical place perched on a remote
Former managers Cynthia Taylor and Eric
Don Walling, Secretary
new employee, Dave Little, gave a hoot of an
beautifully etched stone extending gratitude to

Richard Judy, President
[email protected]
mittee to compile stories about the Hike Inn be-
Among attendees were:
AERS Board Members
country boil to follow up the program. Later,
the Hike Inn. Then, Sandy and I dedicated a
ner and Bob Almand.
Josh Tanner, Reservationist
[email protected]
LFHI kitchen staff prepared a superb low
not enjoy the company of Len Foote himself as
well as Joe Boyd, one of the early activists for
David Little, Breakfast Cook
Charles Aiken, Trail Maintenance
Georgia ridge ever come to be? The question is
[email protected]
Graves. Eric is now an AERS board member,
essentially unanswerable, but people with clarity
Bob Almand, Member-at-Large
and Cynthia formerly served on the board.
of vision and an intense desire for wish fulfill-
[email protected]

ment were a stubborn ingredient in the successful
Eric Graves, Member-at-Large
Volunteers such as Jimmy and Linda Turner,
Helen Boyd and Nancy Shofner.
recipe. Hillrie and Bert and Roz and Jimmy and
Consultants
Linda and Nancy and Joe and David and Garland

Len Foote’s son, Russell Foote, and daugh-
and Eric and all the many other dedicated state
ter-in-law, Judy Foote.
staffers, dogged volunteers, inspired board mem-

bers and loyal employees played their parts.
Former AERS presidents, Hillrie Quin and
Roz Van Landingham, provided rich memories
Page 2
[email protected]
Becky Kelley, Director GA State
Parks & Historic Sites
[email protected]
Kathy Fuller, CPA
[email protected]
Long may the spirit of Len Foote live on at the
Hike Inn.
FOOTE NOTES
Notes from the General Manager
By Stan Krajeski
A Backpack in the Great Smoky Mountains
National Park (GSMNP)
were more surprises in store. I walked into the shelter and
before dropping my pack I took a peek around the corner to
see where the spring
Back in August I had decided to take some time for myself.
When the day came I loaded my pack, threw it in the car and
was located, and that is
headed for Fontana Dam, NC. As required for any overnight stay
when I achieved an-
within the GSMNP I had secured a permit number a month prior
other nine on the
to departure. This number was tied to an itinerary for shelter and
pucker factor scale. I
campsite space. It was late in the afternoon when I arrived at the
found myself ten yards
dam, so as planned, I spent the first night outside the park in the
from a bear, and he or
she was staring right at
famous ‘Fontana Hilton.’ This is a rather large and, by trail standards, luxurious hiker shelter close to the dam. The next morning
Photo by Steve Pfiffer, www.Bugwood.org me! I got big, mean,
and bad right away.
I parked my car at the dam then filled in a blank permit with my itinerary and number. Afterwards I was picked up for a pre-arranged
This ran the bear off or so I thought. That bear didn’t want to
shuttle ride to the north end of the park.
go away. Although the bear was nowhere in sight I kept hearing it for several hours. Being the only one in the shelter that
It was about noon before I reached my drop-off point where the
Appalachian Trail goes through an Interstate Forty underpass. At that
point it was a seventy-two mile trek back to my car. I was pumped
and excited, which was a good thing because my pack was heavy
with food as well as water, and I had nine miles of ‘up’ to get to
Cosby Knob Shelter.
night, I was careful about hanging all of my food, trash, mess
kit, and toiletries. I even hung the clothes that I cooked and
ate in up in the steal cable system. You will find a cable system for hanging food at all of the shelters and campsites inside the Park. I made sure that there were no attractive
smells inside the shelter and slept that night with one eye
open. The next morning I pulled down my food bag and
By the end of the first day I was wondering if the
‘Hiking Gods’ had it in for me. I couldn’t complain
surprise! Sometime in the night a mutant ninja mouse had
about the weather yet! But I did have more than my
thwarted the cable system. It chewed a large hole in the bag
share of mishaps. First, I had never experienced so
and hauled off most of my pumpkin seeds. At this point I
many ‘check dams’ or log steps, concentrated on a
Ninja mouse!
had to keep reminding myself that ‘A bad day on the Trail
stretch of trail before. At about six-and-a-half miles in, I reached the
is still better than a good day at Work.’ Well at least the
top, and my quadriceps were burning from stepping up on all those
weather was still good.
logs. Along the way a wasp or hornet came out of no where and
tagged me on the back of the neck. This stung for about a half an
hour. A little later I almost got tagged by a timber rattler. I was clip-
Be sure to read the next issue for the continuing adventure
of ‘A Backpack In the Great Smoky Mountains National
Park.’
ping along when all of the sudden it rattled and struck at one of my
trekking poles at the same time. On the pucker factor scale I would
rate that experience at about a nine out of ten. The last eight tenths of
a mile to the shelter were all ‘up’ and at that point I had run out of
gas. It took me the better part of an hour to drag my behind the last
eight tenths.
I felt relieved when the shelter finally came into view yet there
VOLUME 10, ISSUE 4
According to new Forest Service regulations, all
trails within national forests not directly touching
the Appalachian Trail are to be painted lime green.
The Hike Inn’s blazes are therefore no longer
yellow. Look for the lime green blazes and head
north from Amicalola Falls State Park to the Len
Foote Hike Inn!
Page 3
Spotlight on Guests: The Happy Hoofers
The Happy Hoofers, a group of nine hiking friends from Texas,
recently spent some time at the Len Foote Hike Inn. The women,
who celebrated their 20th year of annual hiking trips, began their
excursions by going to the bottom of Grand Canyon and staying
overnight at the Phantom Lodge. That was so much fun that the
group has gone somewhere every year since. Trips have ranged all
over the U. S. as far away as Kauai and into Canada.
The group often stayed in or near national or state parks but
reported that the Hike Inn is by far the most comfortable of the
hiking huts they've visited. They all agreed that the friendly staff,
educational aspects, and beautiful fall foliage were the highlights
of the trip.
Judy Navarro, member of The Happy Hoofers
Full Moon
The Happy Hoofers from Texas visited the Inn the last week of
October and left the following in the log book: “Contentment is
contagious here from your happy smiling staff.”
Photo Contest!
Submit your best AUTUMN & WINTER Hike
Inn photographs for a chance for them to
appear on the Hike Inn’s website!!
Winter
Night Hikes
December 2008-February 2009
Bundle up! And join the Hike Inn’s naturalists around the
Firebreak trail after hours. Observe nature when few seek the
quiet wilderness, from winter constellations to winter wildlife
discussions.
Hot chocolate, cider and snacks to follow.
Page 4
Requirements:
1) Picture needs to be taken on the Hike Inn trail or at
the Inn during the fall or winter.
2) Emails size needs to be less than 500 KB or a print
can be mailed to the Inn (address on page 6).
3) Two pictures per person can be submitted.
4) Pictures are due by January 30, 2009 by midnight.
Results will be announced by February 15, 2009
via email and on the website.
First place receives a Hike Inn t-shirt; second place
receives a Hike Inn ballcap or beanie. If chosen for
website use, credit will appear with your photo.
FOOTE NOTES
gold award project completed
A volunteer of the Hike Inn and a Girl Scout for ten years, Eliza-
These are not your typical bird houses. Each species of bird has
beth Olivares, completed her Gold Award project this fall before
specific requirements to raise their young. Four different patterns
heading off for the University of Alabama in Huntsville. This is the
were used to create Elizabeth’s birdhouses. 1) Four walls and a
highest Girl Scout award given to girls ages 14-18 who complete a
slanted roof will shelter chickadees, nuthatches, titmice, wrens, swal-
community service project after
lows and sparrows. 2) Four walls and a
exploring personal interests, ser-
flat roof will may be used by the Tufted
vice to the community and leader-
Titmouse. 3) Three walls and a slanted
ship skills. To create nesting
roof will provide a platform that may be
places for local wildlife, Elizabeth
used by the Eastern Phoebe, sparrows
chose to build birdhouses and bat
and swallows; it kind of looks like a
boxes and install them on the Hike
hiking shelter in a tree! Social birds will
Inn grounds.
nest near each other on these platforms,
as you may one day witness along the
To tackle such a project, assis-
Cove/Firebreak Trail at the Hike Inn.
tance was called upon by Hike Inn
staff, board members and friends.
Elizabeth Olivares, Girl Scout Gold Awardee
Also along the Interpretive Trail, you
Larry Winn donated wood and instructed use of a handsaw and cir-
will see large bird boxes intended to attract the large Barred Owl to
cular saws; from environmental education program funds, Reid pur-
nest. Listen for their mating calls in January and February...
chased any extra needed plywood. Jeff Woody cut pre-measured
pieces using a table saw. Friends helped her sand each piece of wood
and construct and waterproof each bird box at Elizabeth’s home outside of Atlanta.
Tips for building your own birdhouse: 1) Research box patterns
first and determine the correct entry hole size for the species you
want to house. 2) The wood should be at least 3/4 inch think.
3) Make sure you drill holes for ventilation and drainage. 4)
When
In addition to over 20 bird houses, two bat boxes were donated to nailing the boxes up, don’t use the silver washers...this will prevent
the Inn, previously constructed by Elizabeth and her brother.
birds from using their new home. 5) Be safe when installing them!
Bird boxes around the Hike Inn’s Interpretive Trail will house native nesting birds
next spring. Hike Inn staff assisted with construction and installation. Larry Winn &
Elizabeth, left; Andrew Salter & Elizabeth, middle; Sandy Straw & Elizabeth, right.
VOLUME 10, ISSUE 4
Page 5
New Hike Inn staff
Dave Little
Breakfast Cook
You may recognize me as the “Bird Man”
from Amicalola Falls State Park. I previously
worked there for two years as a seasonal naturalist. I enjoyed working with the birds of prey
and snakes and only sought a position at Len Foote after recent DNR budget
and staff cuts. Before Amicalola Falls, I volunteered at Red Top Mountain
State Park as a demonstration blacksmith for four years.
As a self taught naturalist, I am intrigued with everything the natural world
has to offer. The Inn provides an ample opportunity for star gazing, bird watching and outdoor fun.
I like working with my hands, working hot metal and glass with fire. I love
white water canoeing and may hike the Appalachian Trail one day. I have a
background in commission artwork for the interior trade in Atlanta. What a
long strange trip it’s been...you ever know where the road is going to lead.
I've been fortunate to live at Georgia State Parks my whole life. My family is very
involved with the outdoors and wildlife, and we grew up in a home that inspired an appreciation for the environment. When we moved to Amicalola Falls State Park a few years
ago, one of the first great discoveries I made was the trail to the Len Foote Hike Inn.
So it is a pleasure to join the Staff at the Hike Inn as a reservationist. I enjoy spending
my time telling people about the Trail and the facilities. It's easy work when you enjoy what you're doing. The guests are not just making a reservation to stay somewhere overnight - it's more like planning an adventure. Helping them make those fun
plans is what I do.
I'm only part time at the Hike Inn, because I'm currently enrolled at Gainesville
State College and plan to start EMS school in January. As of now my future plans are
to work my way through medical school while also getting experience as a paramedic. I'm not rushing through jobs and school right now though - I'm at that time in
my life where I would like to take the opportunity to travel and explore more of this
great country. There's so much to see and experience out there!
I have a beautiful but hyper Siberian Husky named Max - he enjoys the park and
the trails as much as I do. In what little spare time I have I love to read, go hiking,
and spend time with my friends.
240 Amicalola Falls State Park
Dawsonville, Georgia 30534
Email: [email protected]
Josh Tanner
Reservations