gasiorv
I'm a new world samurai, and a redneck nonetheless
Supporting Member
Ride of the Month Winner
Everybody has a different idea of Epic, so my Epic may not be the same, etc.... but it sounds like your definition includes driving your TJ over a distance with no top and also involves fishing. So plan around that. Now you have to figure out if you want to do your trip on pavement staying in hotels, as much dirt and gravel as possible while boondocking out in the wilderness, by yourself, or with others, etc.... You live in a great area for Epic adventures, you are close to so much wilderness. Talladega national Forest, Cohutta and Big Frog, Georgia Traverse, Nantahala, etc.... all of these provide great paved road and also back road adventures, there is also some great fly fishing up in Nantahala.
There is so many youtube videos of overlanding in all these areas, also routes mapped in OnX, etc.... just search Talladega 600-1 and 600-2 and you will find all kind of info on overlanding through Talladega National Forest. You could go from NE Alabama down through Chocco, talladega, Tuskegee on mostly all back roads, even picking up some forest service roads or you can take the Cheaha Skyway. The Georgia Traverse is well mapped and documented.
You first must determine what you consider to be epic, sleeping in a tent on the side of the mountain with an awesome morning overlook may be epic for one and someone else's nightmare as they can't sleep all night, dread the thick morning dew all over their gear, wake up with back pain, etc...
I can tell you the by yourself or with others is a good question to think about. I do a lot of solo mt bike trips and I love the mt bike part of it, but I don't really care for the nights at camp by myself. I am generally OK when the days are longer and I am able to be active longer during the day, riding all day, then travelling to the next location and getting to camp at 8pm. That just leaves a few hours before bed. But in winter with shorter days and getting to camp at 5pm, now that is three more hours of being by yourself with not much to do but read and watch downloaded Netflix movies and I really don't care for that much time alone by myself.
There is so many youtube videos of overlanding in all these areas, also routes mapped in OnX, etc.... just search Talladega 600-1 and 600-2 and you will find all kind of info on overlanding through Talladega National Forest. You could go from NE Alabama down through Chocco, talladega, Tuskegee on mostly all back roads, even picking up some forest service roads or you can take the Cheaha Skyway. The Georgia Traverse is well mapped and documented.
You first must determine what you consider to be epic, sleeping in a tent on the side of the mountain with an awesome morning overlook may be epic for one and someone else's nightmare as they can't sleep all night, dread the thick morning dew all over their gear, wake up with back pain, etc...
I can tell you the by yourself or with others is a good question to think about. I do a lot of solo mt bike trips and I love the mt bike part of it, but I don't really care for the nights at camp by myself. I am generally OK when the days are longer and I am able to be active longer during the day, riding all day, then travelling to the next location and getting to camp at 8pm. That just leaves a few hours before bed. But in winter with shorter days and getting to camp at 5pm, now that is three more hours of being by yourself with not much to do but read and watch downloaded Netflix movies and I really don't care for that much time alone by myself.
