Pinhoti/Cheaha, AL Weekend

“DDX is leading this little trip Jan 13-15.
Skully & Goose are thinking of joining us.”

“Me? No I'm not. I'm Stovestomer's Troll.”

“If my wife and I aren't in NC that weekend I'll try to drop by. I don't know if I can hike for the weekend but I can possibly meet up Sat. Another possibility depending on the campsite Sat night would be for my son and I to hike in. I'll keep watching the thread.”

“Where are you thinking of campint Sat night? There are some campsites along the silent trail but I don't recall any in the bottom couple of miles. There are some before the Loop trail and Silent join. I don't recall where though. It's been about 2-3 years since I hiked the loop trail. I do recall a stream crossing that's nice and flat maybe a mile or 2 before joining silent trail. Sorry I don't have any more details on it.”

“So when will you all quit doing the same small section over and over and do, oh, say the Pine Glen...Coleman lake section?

Chocolocco Corridor/Jacksonville (NORTH of I-20).”

“That's the next section I'd like to do. I hear it's really nice. The big advantage of the Cheaha area is loops. I usually just dayhike over there alone which is why that's all I've done.”

“I've done that section above I-20 up to the parking area on 500. :D”

“I'd like to join this trip if Mrs. Bateaux and work will allow it. I'm off that weekend but would still need to try and switch some schedules around for monday at work.”

“So it's just me and stove so far. Hiking up brokeback mountain...”

“I'm still watching. Where do you think you'll camp Sat night?”

“Dayhiker one of us has to make this trip to prove that DeoreDX is not something Stovie created in his basement. Stovie is an electrical engineer. Telling everyone he is making stoves down there may only be a front!”

“I agree. If I'm in town that weekend I'll plan on getting over there. It's only an hour for me.

If I don't make the trip then maybe I can catch some of you for lunch or supper on Sunday. THere is a great catfish place just off the interstate. It's a local dive with great food.”

“I'm guessing if you park at adams gap and hike towards the lake you'd run across us after 2-4 miles Saturday night.”

“Oh... the Lake parking lot was closed when we went there a couple of weekend ago.”

“I just checked the distance. It is 473 miles to Cheaha and a little over 7 hours. It is probably my closest mountain. Dang it is time to move. I am going to try and take vacation for thursday night and go back to work monday night. I should be able to know if I can make it by tommrow night. I haven't had a trip since Katrina ran me home from Wyoming.”

“Could you send a copy of the applicable section map to the email address listed in my profile?

If the answer is yes then thank you. If the answer is no then I'll just ask SS which is the same person anyways (apparently) so it's no big deal.”

“Could you send a copy of the applicable section map to the email address listed in my profile?


ditto”

“LOL, I need a map also.
I am not DDX.
Neither is he my troll.

DDX is still a troll, just not my troll. ;-)”

“see section seven of the linked page....

http://www.alabamatrail.org/hikingAL/Pinhoti/PinhotiI.htm”

“Navigate this site.....click the links on the left of the home page...

When did Alabama get a Coleman Factory Outlet? Where is it?

COLEMAN FACTORY OUTLET
1705 SOUTH MCKENZIE ST
FOLEY , AL
36535-6535

Dang Stovie, just the other side of Mobile Bay for you!

(See the Gallery).

http://www.alabamatrail.com/pages/1/index.htm
last edited: 12/28/05 12:45:03 PM”

“My map is in my friend's car and he won't be back to work until next Tuesday. But... I do have the photocopy we drew on when we were planning the route. I scanned that in and I'll e-mail that out. I'll get a better copy next week when he returns to work. You can sorta make out the dotted line trail just barely :D LOL.”

“Aren't you guys gonna be suprised when Gemini shows up and reveals herself as the owner of this troll.”

“OK, that would be funny.”

“Let me know if that e-mail went through. I got an error message the first time... so you either got it once, twice, or not at all.”

“Got it but havn't opened it yet.
It will take me a long time to download on my dialup.

Gem ain't gonna show.
This trip isn't 'high adventure' enough for her. ;-)”

“*and*

It's legible in between the coffee rings and grease stains!


Thanks, I was having trouble visualizing the route. This'll help.”

“Got it, and can even read it!

SuperTroll, that Coleman Outlet has been there in Foley a long time. They used to be in the Factory Outlet Mall there.
But this year moved into their own building about a mile north of the Outlet Mall.
There prices are about the same as Wal-Mart except ever now and then you can get a good buy.”

“Alright, I'm going to join this excursion. I'm trying to find a backpacker from Louisiana to join me. It is amazing how odd people think it is to drive almost 1000 miles to sleep two nights in the woods and walk yourself silly up and down hills.

At this point, I am the lone Trailtalker from Louisiana. Any lurkers out there from the mid-south?
last edited: 12/30/05 7:33:09 PM”

“Who else is gonna sign up for this trip? I don't want to be the third wheel on Broken Back Mountain with Stovie and DDX. I have taken vacation from work Thursday night so if Mrs. Bateaux will allow it I may head up Thursday and do some dayhiking Friday. I need to get there early to get maps. I have two guide books but they are pretty vague.”

“What length dayhike do you have in mind? There is a 8 and a 13 mile loop that both start from the TH that's about 1/4 mile from the entrance to the state park. The state park has some nice vistas including one from an old fire tower.”

“All I can say is Alabama has some crappy Gear Stores.
On the drive up to Sipsey Thursday morning I stopped in four different gear stores to try and buy a map of Cheaha.
First was Dicks, then the gear store in Hoover Mall, then the one on top of the hill at Cahaba Heights, then Alabama Outdoors.
None had a map of this section of the Pinhoti for sale.
I even stopped in Alabama outdoors in Tuscaloosa.”

“I'm looking at my atlas and looks like the closest route from Montgomery is up Hwy 9 to Lineville.

Where do I go from there?”

“SS - you need to take I20 until the 431S exit east of Oxford. It's about 30 minutes from the exit.

I may have a digital version of these maps. I'll check at the office on Wed.”

“All of the Atlanta REIs have sections 1-5. And that's it. We'll probably be getting there Friday morning and try to scare up a map.

So are you guys planning on staying Sunday night and driving back on Monday? If so, where? G00SE and I were thinking of maybe staying at the shelter and then hiking out Monday morning. Thoughts anyone?”

“All i have is 1-5 electronically. The store at the state park has all of the maps. That's where I've bought mine in the past. I could email a pdf at 8.5x11 but I don't think it will all fit on one sheet.”

“skully - the shelter is 1 mile from the TH and has a falls nearby. It's a nice area. About 2 miles before you get to the shelter is a place called Devils Den. Yall should try to hit that area for lunch. The whole area is really pretty.

Devils Den directions:
if parked at the lake or coming in from the Loop Trail (the direction you'll be coming from) hike the Silent Trail for about 1/2 mile and come to a wooden bridge. As you look left/up canyon you'll see some falls. This is Devils Den. Continue hiking about 200 yards and it will be on the right.

I'm not sure if you'll pass the Silent Trail marker so I'll give some background on this. Talladega is a nearby town that has a school for the deaf and blind. A local Boy Scout trip from the school built the entire 6 mile trail in the early 70's.”

“I plan on heading back to Auburn Sunday. You heading through Auburn or going through the big ham Stove? Trying to decide when I need to leave. The park store has all the maps so unless you just have to have on in advance you can pic one up there easily.”

“Want to meet at the Cheaha State Park store Friday?
I don't know where the trailhead is but I can find the State Park.”

“Sounds good to me. What time you plan on getting there?”

“SS - I'll make you a MS Road and Trip planner and email it to you. The TH is about 5 miles past the SP and on the same road.”

“I'll leave my house about 8ish or so.
Stop at Waffle House for a bite. It will take me about 3+ hours to get to Mont. don't know how long from there, but I would say a couple more hours.
Let's see what time Walkabout and Bat want to meet.”

“So it sounds like I have enough time to play a round of golf in the AM before heading up to Cheaha :)”

“SS - after Montgomery are you going through B'ham or Auburn? If B'ham, I can give you a shortcut to skip B'ham. This shortcut will also take you through my town. Let me know if you're going that way and maybe we can meet for lunch.”

“I did a MS travel planner and used 73 interstate and 65 4 lane divided. The route came through B'ham and was 373 miles and 5.5 hrs. If I did 65 on 2 lane (us 231 or 431) it had you taking 231N out of Mont and going into Talladega. I wouldn't recommend that route becuase the route to the park is poorly marked and extremely curvy (20 mph stuff for about 10 miles). I'm surprised it isn't showing 431 out of Auburn.

I forced it to do 431 and got 361 miles and 5:29 on travel. I think the reason it didn't have this listed first is because I had 50 on non divided highways.

Looks like whichever way you go will only vary 10 minutes one way or the other.”

“Has anyone set a place and time to meet on Friday? I have no problem with meeting in the parking lot of the hunting camp but need to know the time and place everyone wishes to meet.One more question,if something should happen that I cant meet on Friday,where will the camp site be on Saturday? I hope to be there Friday but will be out of town until Friday and may not be able get there before dark so could wait until Saturday morning.Looking forward to the hike.By the way ,if anyone wishes to stay over until Monday,I will be up for another night.”

“Problem has arisen,friends from out of state called and said they would be in the area Saturday and will be spending the night.I have no idea when they will leave but since Monday is MLK holiday,I might run up Sunday if anyone is staying over.”

“So we're meeting at Ranger station/Store/Entrance to the state park on Friday. About what time do you guys think you will be there? It's about a 1.5 hour drive for me... I have the day off. Stove said it was a ~6 hour drive for him. So he should be there about 2-3ish counting a lunch break and gassing up etc. Trailhead is a short 2-3 minute drive from the state park entrance/store. Where we are camping Friday night is just an hour hike (~2 miles) from the trail head at Turnipseed. We plan on hiking past Adams Gap and once past adams gap north towards Lake Chinnabee (sp?). Since I don't know of a good camping spot on that section of trail so I was thinking past adams gap we'd just hike until we want to stop or find a good spot to make camp. If there is a better alternative I'm all ears :)”

“DDX, I'm looking more likely for this but it would be with my son. Is that ok? He's 5. If we go we'll park at Adams on Sat and hike in about 2 miles to setup camp. If that's a problem let me know. I totally understand if there is a prob with kids in camp. He'll likely go to sleep around 8 - 8:30.

SS - the lunch invite on Fri is still open.”

“I have no clue as to the route.
At one time, DDX said we were doing a figure 8, I think.
My little buddy is always welcome as far as I'm concerned, but this is DDX's trip.

dayhiker, thanks for the lunch invite, but I think I'll drive up the backroads from Mont.

Last weather report called for a shower Fri night or afternoon. Be ready for rain. Supposted to be pretty nice Sat.

DDX, please send me a readable scan of the route. I now have a fast internet connection, 3Mbps.”