Hike Inn Receives Fulcrum Lifetime Achievement Award from Southface

The Len Foote Hike Inn, a backcountry lodge in the North Georgia mountains, recently won a Fulcrum Award from Atlanta-based Southface for Lifetime Achievement. “For 19 years, the Hike Inn has welcomed guests and students who, during their stay, encounter a wide range of sustainable practices they can replicate at home such as zero food waste at mealtime, composting and water reuse,” according to Southface Executive Director Andrea Pinabell.

Southface also highlighted the Hike Inn’s Above the Grid project, a 45 KW (AC) solar photovoltaic system using 158-340-watt (DC) solar modules on three ground-mounted solar arrays with four 11,400-watt inverters, allowing the Hike Inn to receive nearly 70 percent of its energy from solar while greatly reducing its carbon footprint.

“Our mission at the Hike Inn is to protect Georgia’s natural resources through education and recreation,” said the organization’s Executive Director Eric Graves. “We are honored to receive this award from Southface, because we so highly respect their commitment to sustainable energy and environmental excellence.”

“We heat water in our bath house with solar power,” Graves said. “We use worms to compost our minimal food and office paper waste. We collect rainwater for our native plant garden. Our Outside School program encourages outdoor recreation and environmental education for young people.”

According to Graves, the Hike Inn is dedicated to providing a memorable experience to more than 9,000 visitors per year. Guests hike five miles through the Chattahoochee National Forest wilderness from Amicalola Falls State Park in Dawson County. The trail crosses through old-growth forest, over ridges, across pristine streams and through beautiful rhododendron tunnels. At the inn, guests enjoy rustic private rooms, solar-heated showers and clean composting toilets. The Hike Inn also serves dinner and breakfast and provides evening educational programs.

The Hike Inn’s Above the Grid project was funded by a grant from the All Points North Foundation and a loan from the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority. The system was installed by Radiance Solar. For more information about the Len Foote Hike Inn, please visit www.hike-inn.com.

Contact: Eric Graves at (404) 693-4453