Pinhoti/Cheaha, AL Weekend

“If it's ok for us to come is camping 2 miles from Adams ok for Sat night? Beyond that point and it's just random pine forest. I recall one or two stream crossings, but they are pretty close to the tie in to Silent Trail.

I'm thinking he and I can hike in fairly early and have time to setup camp and gather some fire wood.”

“Bateauxdriver is still coming, I hope.

I'll be at the Park Store getting a map by 2:30 Friday.

Anyone heard from Scully and Goose?”

“SS - from the park continue in the direction you came in from. As you descend you'll see a road to the right. Continue straight, but this lets you know you're getting close. You'll then come to a dirt road from the right and a parking area on the left. You can park here or you can turn left and actually enter Turnipseed. There is a fee to park in the Turnipseed hunters camp. You're not visible from the road here.”

“Of course the 5yo can come. You weren't expecting some hedonistic brokeback mountain trip from me were you? :D

Good... we will hike on Saturday until we run into Dayhiker who will have camp set up and have a big pot of something good to eat ready for us ;-) That'll make like 8 miles of hiking on Saturday... I hope the old man can handle that... ;) That'll leave an easy 6 miles back to the car at Turnipseed.

It's not my trip... it's SS's! I'm his troll remember?”

“Hey guys I'm still planning on coming. Lots of hurdles have gotten in the way but I'm still jumping. I've already worked 36 hours of overtime for the year with no end in sight. Our Choclate Lab "Buster" died Friday and that shook the family up as well. I'm off today and will try and get my stuff together today. I'm working Tuesday through Thursday night. I'll be driving up Friday morning when I get off at 5 AM. I should be able to reach the park store by 2:30 PM and have to pull over for a quick nap or two. I tried to get off Thurday night but no once can cover me. I should be ok though because I stay up over 24 hours all the time with shiftwork. The cold hard ground will feel like feathers Friday night.”

“DDX - I'll see if I can think of some food to hike in.

bateux - I'm 5 minutes off I20 and about 1 hr from the TH. Let me know if you'd like to meet for lunch. Are your boys coming on this one?”

“Lol... you don't have to hike any food in TiH... I was just joking. Though having fire wood gathered when we get there would be great :D”

“Well, I couldn't help but think some good food would be good. Nothing comes to mind off hand. I've hiked in dutch ovens before but won't on this one since I'll be carrying all of my son's stuff.

I wonder about cutting up some beef tips and taking some celery, potatoes, carrotts, etc and boiling it over the fire for about an hour.”

“If I can get free, do you welcome an infrequent southeast visitor?”

“You mean 'hiking' isn't a troll?
Of course, come.”

“Yeah, G00SE and I will be there. I'm not sure what time though, we have a stop to make in Hotlanta on the way.”

“skullcap - the route up might be fairly tricky in the dark. You could probably make it though. Once you leave the parking/camping area there won't be another one until you reach the group after 2 miles.”

“Going up the mountain where we are making camp is nothing but rock hopping for long stretches. Definitly not something you want to do in the dark especially if it's covered in leaves like it was in early December.”

“I'm thinking noonish therefore it'll probably be closer to 2 or 3. If we get there after dark it'll just be me and the dog hiking and I'll need help disposing of the body.”

“Well wait until 3:00 to take off up the mountain. If you stragle in late there is a parking area on 281 by Turnipseed hunter's camp that the trail passes right by. You don't actually turn into the hunter camp to park. It looks like this:



Just hike past the hunter's camp and head straight up the trail towards the pinhoti. We'll be at the intersection of the pinhoti and this trail.”

“Stovestomper... nope not a troll. though my behavior may sometimes appear trollish.
not as used to web talk as most of you are.

it would be great to get out in the southeast with some folks who know their way around... or at least which critters to watch out for. do you have ticks here at this time of year?

Still not sure if I can get free for the trip but thanks for letting me know i will be 'welcome'.

Will let you know”

“Ddx thanks for the photo, I will know who to look for. So cool to see so many trekking poles out there too.”

“Just look for my Yellow hiking hat.

”

“cool. do not have photo here to send. will let u know if i am free to come”

“Oh Man! This is gonna be a great trip!
I'm getting pumped up!”

“Should I use the Cloudburst, Europa, or just use my Tarp?”

“I'm using my HS TarpTent.
I figure a good chance of a shower Friday afternoon.”

“You going to let Goose come hike too? ;-)”

“scully, I promise to not have to bum syrup for my pancakes this time.

Now watch me leave the syrup at home again.”

“Reece has now gotten 2 bad conduct grades in a row. He's going to have to shape up the rest of the week for me to take him hiking.

If he tanks the week I'll leave a message on SS's cell phone on Friday.”

“He'd better shape up or me and him will come to fistacuffs!!!”

“My money is on Reece. ;-)”

“I sure hope so. I want to hit this trip. It'd be a shame to have one 1 hr away and not go.”

“I was refering to Reece and DDX in 'fistacuffs'. LOL”

“A Sabre Liner Training Jet is missing between Chattanooga and Pensacola...that route takes the jet over the Talledega National Forest and Mt Cheaha...You guys keep the ol' eyes open this weekend...

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/01/11/missing.aircraft.ap/index.html
last edited: 1/11/06 7:51:06 AM”

“On a side trail there is a downed plane. It's pretty eery to walk by.”

“4 hr flight from Chattanooga to NAS and they won't release the flight path? Hmm, me thinks they were doing some major zig zagging.

Sunday we ate lunch at a restaurant by the local airport. People will actually land their private planes and then taxi to the front door of the restaurant. As we're leaving one of those huge double rotor Army choppers was coming in. We stopped to watch. It landed about 100 yards from us, lifted off, hovered, went down runway about 1/2 mile or so, and landed again. We left and were driving around looking at houses (we're in the market) and it kept circling the airport. It must have been on a training mission too. Ft Rucker is a few hours south of us. Pretty cool. The kids loved it.

I sure hope the crew of that NAS jet is ok, though it doesn't sound promising if they didn't even have time to make a distress message.”

“form a corridor where pilots routinely practice what's known as NOE or Nap-Of the Earth flight training, utilizing Visual Flight Rules (VFR). They may well be to the west of the direct flight route I mentioned before.”

“On the first TT trip I ever did we were camped on the bluff above East Bee. A jet was low and fast over the hill we were on. He must have been just under Mach because we didn't hear him coming. Scared the crap out of us. Must've been training out of Columbus.

A buddy from hs was a F15 pilot and now does the AC135 gunships. I can't recall what he was in but he buzzed my in laws house once. They got a kick out of it.”

“So I've settled on the Cloudburst... do I want to take the Ospry Aether 45 or the Equinox Kathadin?”

“Shoot, I'm taking the big tent and the big pack. I'm only hiking 4 miles though and carrying a ton of kids stuff.”

“The Kathadin, just because I want to check that pack out. ;-)”

“SS - you'll probably croak when you see me with a 5000 ci pack.

Reece just needs to pull through and act good today. My wife helps out in his classroom about every other week and she's helping out Friday. He'll be a little angel in front of her. They big question mark is the substitute. I can't recall if he's having a sub today or tomorrow. Subs always bring out the "best" in little kids.”

“Well I hope you make it DH so we won't have to hunt down a nice place to bed down Saturday night :D

Kathadin it is!”

“I think we'll probably make camp by 3. Yall will probably be hot on our heals or even catch us.”

“SS - you'll probably croak when you see me with a 5000 ci pack. - dayhiker

LOL
You should have seen me with my old external a couple of weeks ago in the Sipsey with toph, Karo, and walkabout. I had it packed and stacked. Even took my bear can. I had to get down and crawl under some of the blowdowns. The top of my pack kept hitting everthing overhead.”

“What is an "old external"?”

“Weather is gonna be GREAT!!!!

From weather.com for Anniston:

Fri
Jan 13 AM T-Storms
60°/32°
80% chance of rain (morning)

Sat
Jan 14 Mostly Sunny
53°/29°
10% chance of rain

Sun
Jan 15 Partly Cloudy
57°/40°
10% chance of rain”

“I hope you got Friday off Stove! :D”

“Hee hee hee...
boss still hasn't approved my leave chit, but have no fear, I'll be on the road tommorrow.
(I think he's just being lazy in doing his job)
He has no reason to disapprove it.”

“Have fun guys I'm not going to make it. My bags are packed and I'm pumped to go but, I have too many problems on the home front. Dangit, in a few years I be able to do what the heck I want.

Bateaux”

“Sorry to hear that Bateaux... Maybe next time!”

“Oh crap, Bateauxdriver.
Maybe Sipsey later this year.”

“Sorry to hear it. Yep, maybe Sipsey in March then.”

“Almost packed!”