The Len Foote Hike Inn
Where recreation meets sustainability
By Richard Judy
When Nashville attorney Dan White and his wife, Susie Schott, began a five-mile trek to the Len Foote Hike Inn with their two kids in tow, they figured nine-year-old Rafer would handle the trek easily. It was four-year-old Natalia they were concerned about.
“I figured Natalia might end up on Dan’s shoulders for the entire distance,” says Susie. “As it turned out, she did great. But what really stands out in my memory is that Natalia and Rafer got to experience a place that was more than just a lot of fun – they got to see the future of sustainability. Maybe it didn’t filter in that much for Natalia, but Rafer learned a lot. For instance, he thought it was really cool that the Hike Inn uses worms for waste disposal.”
Susie’s paragon of “green” sustainability rests lightly on a mountain spur on the southern trailing edge of the North Georgia Blue Ridge. The Hike Inn represents the new generation of back country lodges combining solar-heated showers, photovoltaics, vermiculture and home-style meals with the solitude of no cars, no cell phones and no sitcoms.
Accessible for guests only by foot path, the Hike Inn is reached from a trailhead at the top of 729-foot Amicalola Falls, the put-in point for the Springer Mountain Approach Trail leading to the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. The Len Foote Trail follows the Approach Trail briefly before splitting to the right. Winding for five miles over hardwood ridges and meandering through little coves of rhododendron tunnels, the trail offers frazzled suburbanites a break from traffic jams and a chance to stop and listen to the stacatto call of pileated woodpeckers and the chatter of squirrels. In the spring, travelers may see trilliums, fire pinks or mayapples – just a few of the wildflowers common in the area. Extremely fortunate hikers may even get a glimpse of a black bear.
The five-miles are rated as “moderately strenuous” meaning some climbs may tax those unaccustomed to exercise. However, small children, such as Natalia, frequently make the trip unaided by parents, and septuagenarians commonly cruise into the Hike Inn lobby with big smiles on their faces.
As the Hike Inn emerges into view, smiles are in order. Guests are greeted by a friendly staff member who gives a quick rundown on basic rules and services. Most visitors go immediately to their room which is equipped with bunk bed, heat, electric fan and plenty of hanging pegs. Then after resting a little, most guests take the 5:00 p.m. facilities tour to get clued in on the secrets of this environmentally advanced facility.
They learn that the Hike Inn is managed by Appalachian Education and Recreation Services (AERS), a nonprofit offshoot of the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club, on behalf of the Georgia State Parks. Named after regional naturalist and wildlife photographer Leonard Foote, the Hike Inn features a display with the late Mr. Foote’s photos, awards and his old wicker backpack. Foote is thought to be part of the inspiration for cartoonist Ed Dodd’s famous Mark Trail character.
A marvel of sustainable design, the Hike Inn’s four major buildings are built on pilings to minimize the footprint. The lobby and bunkhouse building sports a cozy common area with ceiling fans to enhance summer breezes and a wood stove to generate winter cheer. Twenty bunk rooms accommodate two guests each with room for a child on a floor sleeping pad. With bed linens, towels, soap, shampoo and even hair driers provided, all a guest needs to bring is a change of clothes, rain gear, a camera, water, snacks and toiletries. Some carry a book, although the inn has a library of nature-related books.
Next to the bunkhouse is the bath house where hot water receives a boost from a roof-mounted solar system. When nature calls, there are plenty of odor-free composting toilets. Hike Inn management has learned that people are skeptical of indoor composting. One guest commented that it sounded like “indoor outhouses.” To combat this skepticism every effort is made to keep the toilets clean and sweet smelling. The result? Guest comment cards consistently rate these facilities highly.
Guests also learn about other environmental components such as a rainwater catchment system for watering plants or the army of red wriggler worms used to dispose of waste. This vermiculture system allows worms to convert food, paper and fabric into worm poop (known euphemistically as “castings”) which is marvelous plant fertilizer.
To conserve energy there is an array of photovoltaic solar panels donated by BP North America. Manufactured by BP Solar, the panels supplement conventional electricity.
This emphasis on sustainability has made the Hike Inn one of only five hotels in Georgia to be certified as a Green Hotel by the Greenseal Corporation. The Hike Inn also received “Gold” designation from the U. S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. The National Wildlife Federation designated the Hike Inn as a certified Wildlife Habitat.
After the tour, guests head for the dining hall which serves dinner and breakfast family style. The multi-course dinner is followed by a “weigh-in” of food left uneaten on plates. Diners are encouraged to reduce waste by taking only portions they will eat. Breakfast features generous portions, providing the carbs for the hike back to the trail head and the reunion with the beloved family cars.
Next to the dining hall is the Sunrise Room which faces – not surprisingly – east. There, guests gather at all hours to play board games, hear after-dinner presentations or peruse the Hike Inn library. The Sunrise Room looks out over a collection of granite slabs known as Star Base, a sort of sylvan Stonehenge designed to track the sun across the seasons.
Star Base and the many of the other features of the Hike Inn are part of its guiding mission: Education. AERS Board President Bob Almand says that using recreation to encourage enviromental education has been at the core of the entire project. “Before we opened in 1998, people such as Hillrie Quin, Roz VanLandingham, Nancy Shofner and the late Joe Boyd – all veterans of the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club – put untold hours into researching and building this dream,” says Almand. “We think this combination of fun and education make the Hike Inn one of the finest back country lodges in the world, a real credit to the Georgia State Park System.”
According to General Manager Eric Graves, ideas for the original concept came from wilderness inns such as the Appalachian Mountain Club’s hut system in New Hampshire and the famous LeConte Lodge in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. “After borrowing some of the best features of existing lodges, we emphasized integrating sustainable and practical technology into the facility to make it an environmental showcase. It’s a great teaching tool.”
Most guests pick up on the educational emphasis, and staff is trained to fit it in to their relationship with visitors. Staffers are courteous, laid back and patient with the odd array of problems and requests that come their way. There is an unwritten rule that employees should be simultaneously unobtrusive and everywhere at once, juggling cooking, tours, merchandise sales, and expertly answering questions about local flora and fauna. Occasionally, they are guilty of a little leg pulling such as telling guests that the frantic call of a pileated woodpecker is a “North Georgia Monkey.”
Most employees live on site and enjoy life in the middle of a relative wilderness.
“Living here has its challenges, but we enjoy it,” says Education Manager Sandy Straw. “The reward is in seeing our message get through. Our goal is for visitors to leave with a higher appreciation for nature and our place in it – especially the kids. When we get at-risk kids up here from time to time, we really enjoy seeing the impact on an individual who has rarely left an urban environment.”
Susie Schott says her family enjoyed the communal feel of the place. “We liked eating family style and meeting the other guests,” she recalls. “It was kind of like going back to summer camp and taking the kids with us.” When Natalia and Rafer return in future years, perhaps the rest of their world will have caught up with the environmental standards of the Len Foote Hike Inn. Until then, it will continue to be a place for families to have so much fun they don’t realize they’re learning.
Side Bar
The Len Foote Trail begins in Amicalola Falls State Park, 14 miles northwest of Dawsonville via Georgia Highways 183 and 52. Call 1-800-581-8032 for reservations. Visit www.hike-inn.com for information about check-in and appropriate attire for the season. Weekends book early, so consider making reservations 11 months in advance. Weekdays are a great time to visit to get discounts and to avoid crowds. Although Spring and Fall are the most popular seasons, the Hike Inn is surprisingly cool in the Summer and delightful in the Winter.
Long distance hikers are welcome to stop by the Hike Inn to fill water bottles, have a hot beverage and get snacks (when available). Camping is not allowed on the property, but “work for stay” can be sometimes be arranged at the manager’s discretion.
Richard Judy is a 1973 Maine-to-Georgia thru-hiker and a Life Member of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. His son, Dan, hiked from Maine to Georgia in 2000, and his daughter, Laura did the same in 2004. Richard is an AERS board member and occasionally gives after-dinner talks about the history of thru-hiking on the A.T.