opus
Trail Wise!
New Orleans until further notice...
Posts: 15
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Post by opus on Feb 1, 2018 12:19:45 GMT -8
Hello all!
I am new to this forum and relatively new to backpacking. I have been on two multi-day hikes in the Pisgah Range, and I have gained a great deal of experience and knowledge from my companions. I have chosen a section of Pinhoti for my first solo hike, and I have some questions:
1. I am going in late-March and I am wondering about the reliable water situation. My map from the Dept. of Agriculture says there is no reliable water in section 5, but the Pinhoti website says otherwise. Any recent info?
2. Alltrails lists this section as "hard." Is it too much to handle for someone going on their 3rd overnight?
3. Any hints or warnings I should be aware of?
Thanks in advance, and I can't wait to share in this wonderful pastime with all of you.
Opus
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Post by ashepabst on Feb 2, 2018 9:01:09 GMT -8
hey opus, welcome to the forum. I don't think we have too many Alabama posters lately. schlanky ? Whiteblaze has a fairly frequented Pinhoti forum. and Hammockfoums has a bunch of Bama folks. ...just a heads up in case you don't get many hits.
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opus
Trail Wise!
New Orleans until further notice...
Posts: 15
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Post by opus on Feb 2, 2018 9:15:06 GMT -8
Thanks. I will check them out. Hopefully I can find an answer before March. If not, I guess I will have to pack light for the water.
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Post by hikingtiger on Feb 2, 2018 11:38:27 GMT -8
You rang? 1. I am going in late-March and I am wondering about the reliable water situation. My map from the Dept. of Agriculture says there is no reliable water in section 5, but the Pinhoti website says otherwise. Any recent info? I'd trust the website. Of course, things fluctuate with the weather, but I've been in May (Turnipseed up to Little Caney Head down to Adams Gap) and everything was flowing very well. March is early enough that you shouldn't have any issues finding water. Difficult to say without knowing you. Your overall fitness level is more key to "hard vs easy" than how many nights you've spent outdoors. As the Pinhoti page says, your attitude will determine your fun level (especially in the rocky spots) more than anything. I presume you're doing this in two days (one night). The distance isn't bad, DST will have kicked in so you'll have a little more daylight, so you won't have to rush. Enjoy the views and report back when you're done.
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opus
Trail Wise!
New Orleans until further notice...
Posts: 15
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Post by opus on Feb 2, 2018 12:40:54 GMT -8
Thanks for the info. Our avatars are nice touch of serendipity. Bloom County and Calvin and Hobbes are two fine comic strips.
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schlanky
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Lead singer, driver of the Winnebago
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Post by schlanky on Feb 6, 2018 10:19:00 GMT -8
It has been several years since I've hiked that section, so I'm a bit foggy about parts of it. The things I remember: some steep sections and the rock garden will slow you down a bit, and there are few opportunities for water. Historically, parts of this stretch were not as well maintained (or easy to follow) as other parts of the Pinhoti, but that may be different now. That time of year, you should usually be able to find at least a trickle in some of the seasonal water sources listed by Pinhoti Trail Alliance, but you'll have a long dry stretch from mile 6.6 to 13.8. From a scenery perspective, I think you'd do better on one of these loops that are near the section you're looking at. www.pinhotitrailalliance.org/loop---pin-chin-sky..htmlwww.pinhotitrailalliance.org/loop---cave-odum-pin..htmlHowever, both of these will have a LOT more people than you'll find on section 5. On a nice weekend, there will be a whole lot of folks on the trail, both dayhikers and backpackers. The Pin-Chin-Sky loop is definitely the harder of the two loops. The Cave Creek/Nubbin Creek/Odum/Pinhoti loop would be a nice overview to the area. For a first solo trip, I'd say that may be more suitable than section 5 or the other loop. And this loop would put you on one of the most scenic sections of the Pinhoti (See section 6, mile 6.0-11.3) www.pinhotitrailalliance.org/section-6..htmlSolo doesn't have mileages on his links for one of the loops, but the basics are that from the Cheaha Park Trailhead, Cave Creek Trail is four miles long and then it hits Nubbin Creek Trail* for two miles up to Odum Trail. You'd turn right on Odum and go about a mile (guessing that distance), then you'd reach what's known as "The Big Trail intersection" with the Pinhoti---See section 6, mile 6.0-11.3 for the rest of the loop back to the trailhead. (* On the map, it looks like it's all Cave Creek Trail up to the Odum, but when you reach Nubbin Creek Trail, Cave Creek Trail ends. The junction is at the midway point of Nubbin Creek Trail. Going left goes down to a trailhead. Straight is your route up to Odum Trail.) Cave Creek is pretty easy. Nubbin Creek has a big climb--steep but not rocky. Odum is pretty easy. The Pinhoti section is rocky in parts and steep in parts, but the rewards are well worth the work. Regarding me: I tend to be very cautious. If your heart is set on section 5, pack as light as you reasonably/responsibly can and figure you may need to go a little heavier on water since there aren't that many opportunities.
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opus
Trail Wise!
New Orleans until further notice...
Posts: 15
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Post by opus on Feb 6, 2018 10:32:53 GMT -8
Thanks for the advice. I am open to all suggestions regarding Pinhoti. I have blocked out 4 days for this trip so I am not terribly limited by time and I do not have my heart set on any particular section. I will look into that loop. It sounds like a good trip.
Opus
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Post by hikingtiger on Feb 6, 2018 11:14:16 GMT -8
The Cave Creek/Nubbin Creek/Odum/Pinhoti loop would be a nice overview to the area. For a first solo trip, I'd say that may be more suitable than section 5 or the other loop. And this loop would put you on one of the most scenic sections of the Pinhoti (See section 6, mile 6.0-11.3) Agreed.
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schlanky
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Lead singer, driver of the Winnebago
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Post by schlanky on Feb 6, 2018 11:31:20 GMT -8
Hmmm, the loop I recommended may not have enough miles for four days. However, I see in the other thread that you're from Louisiana. You could plan to drive on day 1 with either a short hike in to start the loop, or car camp at either Cheaha State Park or Turnipseed Camp and hit the trail the next morning. You could make out and back side trips from the loop on the Pinhoti out to Heaven at mile 4.4 (also in Section 6 from the link above) and/or on the unused-in-your-loop portions of Nubbin Creek and Odum, and then take it slow through the fun parts of the loop. If you want to have a relatively leisurely trip mileage-wise with more time to hang out in camp, this would work. It would also give some built-in time to work out kinks of being on your first solo trip. And you could plan a short day on day 4 with the long drive home ahead of you. The Pinhoti/Chinnabee/Skyway loop is also doable in that time frame, but I don't know that I'd recommend it for a third overall trip/first solo trip. I usually hike that loop in one night, sometimes two, but unlike your logistics, my drive on either end of the hike is only an hour and a half. That loop has three or four wet crossings (definitely not doable after big storms). There are some steep sections. There are rocky sections. There are steep AND rocky sections (See section 6 from Adams Gap up to Heaven). Route finding on Chinnabee Silent Trail between Turnipseed Camp and the intersection with the Pinhoti can be dicey, as well as mile 3.8 to 4.4 on the Pinhoti. My gut feeling is maybe consider the Cave Creek loop this March and take your time to really enjoy it and save the Pin Chin Sky loop for later. Maybe hikingtiger has some thoughts. ETA: Didn't realize hikingtiger had already posted while I was typing.
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opus
Trail Wise!
New Orleans until further notice...
Posts: 15
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Post by opus on Feb 6, 2018 11:41:30 GMT -8
My plan was to take my sweet time on my first solo and get used to all of it. The only trips I have taken thus far are with groups but even then I have tried to get as much time alone as possible.
I really appreciated your recommendations and I am seriously looking at the Cave Loop for March.
Do you have any other recommendations for the south? My only experience has been in the Pisgah Range the last two years and I am looking for similar experiences. I don't mind a tough trail, and I am no adverse to rough conditions.
Thanks
Opus
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Post by hikingtiger on Feb 6, 2018 13:01:10 GMT -8
Check out the Sipsey Wilderness area. Great place for backpacking. Just keep an eye on the weather as water levels in the river can go from low to Biblical in a few hours as it's a drainage for a good sized area.
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bamabill
Trail Ready!
section hiker
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Post by bamabill on Feb 19, 2018 15:20:20 GMT -8
Compared to other parts of the Pinhoti, Porters Gap to Adams Gap is actually kind of easy. Fear not!
And yes, trails in the Sipsey Wilderness are good, and easy. Be ready to take off your shoes and wade across creeks. Enjoy those Sipseys (Cherokee word for yellow poplar) and the hemlocks, and the weird tobacco leave bushes...
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opus
Trail Wise!
New Orleans until further notice...
Posts: 15
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Post by opus on Dec 4, 2018 11:29:10 GMT -8
Hello All!
Well, I never was able to make my solo trip to Pinhotti, or to anywhere for that matter, as family problems, and life in general, made it impossible. I have finally been able to carve out some time in March to make a trip, and I have settled on the Skyway Loop.
Does anyone have any recommendations/suggestions for that trail? Anything I should know regarding the location and the time of year? I will have at least 3 days to enjoy myself and I want to make the best of it.
Hope everyone else is doing well out there.
Opus
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Post by hikingtiger on Dec 7, 2018 6:39:11 GMT -8
I've only done the part from Turnipseed up to Little Caney Head then down to Adams. You have some better views than we did (late May). Like the Pinhoti Alliance website says, there aren't many places to put a tent between Adams and the top of Stairway. If you hammock, you can stop anywhere you want.
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Post by greymouse on Dec 23, 2018 18:24:38 GMT -8
I haven't hiked the Pinhotti trail since 1982 so no help here. If Alabama is your thing then you might want to try the Walls of Jericho or Sipsey Wilderness In the Bankhead National Forest. We'll be in Sipsey next month. Perfect for a solo hike with great waterfalls and a big tree.
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