Students Pointed to the Trail

Georgia Tech's student newspaper The Technique; The South's Liveliest College Newspaper fills its readers in on destination trips students might want to take. (Spring Break already?) Under the 27 January 2012 headline "Seeking thrill on a college budget" Lauren Thompson outlines cost-saving tips for a trip to Florida, or one to North Carolina for white water rafting and hiking. The hiking part reads:

As soon as your body has recovered from the rafting trip, go for a hike. The Appalachian Trail (AT) runs right along the Ocoee River and offer a great place to explore the local flora and fauna. The AT snakes all the way from Georgia up to Maine, allowing hikers to hike until their heart’s content. Pack a tent, food, sleeping bag and other essentials and hit the trail. Hiking the trail is free, so if your budget is tight, skip the rafting and spend the weekend hiking. Although the initial purchase of camping and backpacking gear can be pricey, hiking is always free and the gear can always be rented from a local outdoors store or here at ORGT.

Yeah, skip the rafting.