Toting on the Pinhoti

I met Bradley Jones and Ben Deason at the Pine Glen Campground early on Saturday morning to begin a two day backpack of Section 10 of the Pinhoti trail. This section begins at the campground and travels northeasterly to Burns Trail head near Pinky Burns' cabin. The total distance is approximately 16.5 miles and is considered moderately difficult.

Curbie had not been out lately so she was ready to go and have a good time. The weather was cool and a little overcast when we began. Once we found the trailhead we were off to see the wizard.

The first day we hiked around 10 miles and camped on a creek in Chipmunk Canyon. Along the way we went through some hardwood bottoms, along Lake Sweetwater and Coleman Lake, some pine ridges and then into the canyon. What we did not realize at the time was Saturday was opening day of deer season. We realized that when we walked under a tree stand with a deer hunter sitting in it. I wore a yellow hiking shirt but we did not have hunter orange on which we should have. I will try not to make that mistake again.

We ran into a very large Boy Scout troop camped at Lake Sweetwater. They were just getting things ready to backpack in the same area that we were going so we moved on out to get ahead of them. We spent some time exploring Shoal Creek Primitive Church and went past the Laurel Shelter.

The camping spot in Chipmunk Canyon was very nice with a great running stream next to the spot. Filtering water was very easy and Curbie could have all she wanted. I slept under the stars in my hammock that evening. The only wildlife that I heard was a pack of coyotes racing through the woods but I did not spot them. The moon was so bright that it was casting shadows on the trees up the hill from my hammock.

The next morning was a 6 mile hike to the end of the trail. It was a very interesting hike from a topography standpoint. We started in the bottom of the canyon and then gained a lot of elevation as we came out of the canyon. There were several blowdowns along the trail that I had a little trouble with. I find myself forgetting I have trekking poles and they get stuck in the limbs.

When we got to Choccollocco Lake we took a nice long break on a pine ridge overlooking the lake. This was a very pretty place and the ground was covered with pine needles making for a nice resting area. The Boy Scouts caught up to us at this point allowing Curbie to have some fun with the kids.

As I got started back on the trail I heard loud wing beats and looked up in time to see a turkey flying into the woods above my head. What a pretty sight.

The Pinhoti Trail is a true gem for the state of Alabama. It travels from Sylacauga to the Piedmont area and then continues into Georgia. The Georgia section connects to the Benton/McCaye trail which then connects to the AT at Springer Mountain. I am going to continue working on the different sections of the Pinhoti until I complete the trail.

It was a nice weekend and a good warmup for the main prize-Big Bend National Park.

New Ground to Break`

Over the last couple of months I have been in contact with some younger guys in Birmingham who are into backpacking in a big way. I posted some trip reports on Backpacking Alabama which is a site on Facebook hosted by one of these guys. As time has progressed we have now planned a trip to the Pinhoti Trail in the Talladega area. I have only liked an initial section of the Pinhoti so I am very interested in this weekend's trip.

We have had some rain in the Alabama area over the last week so I am hoping there is some water in the creeks so that we do not have to carry much. The weather looks like it is going to be very nice with cool nights, warm days and clear skies. I am sure that Curbie the wonder dog is ready to go.

I will bring a small digital camera on the trip and bring back some pictures of the area we will be hiking on. The leaves are changing and hopefully there will be some color left to see.

The Road Takes a Short Detour

We all have people who were great influences on our lives. This weekend I will along with many of my family members pay homage and honor to one of the most profound influences on my life, my Dad. Dad will be 90 years old on November 4. Since I have to be out of town that day Emily, her husband David and I will be going to Baton Rouge this weekend for the first birthday party Dad has ever had. Karen will not be able to attend because we do not have anyone to keep the dogs (this fact made Dad a little sad because he loves to talk to Karen).

Dad was always an outdoorist, he loved to hunt, fish, walk in the woods, bird watch, animal watch, just anything attached to being outdoors he loved. I guess that is where I got my love for outdoors and the activities that I enjoy doing. He did them at a time when not everything was hi-tech and there were still many places you could go and not be stopped by fences. For that I will always be jealous. But for passing on his love of outdoors to all the boys, I am forever grateful.

Sometimes life is not fair and there are times when the world seems to be closing in on you, but one thing remains constant-you can always go for a walk in the woods and things do not seem that bad anymore. But I digress. Many of the grandchildren and great grandchildren will be at their house Saturday to honor the man that we all love so much. Even though he and I do not always see eye-to-eye (mainly because as Karen says "you are Jimmy Keith") I always have respected Dad for his uncompromising outlook on life.

So Dad, get prepared for the onslaught of kids, grandkids and mostly those precious great-grandchildren that we come to see the great man on Saturday and may God bless.