Tuesday 3/21/00 20 miles/1471 total. 86 trail days. 1 miles north of SR 148 on CR 18 to 4 miles northeast of Porter Gap Trailhead on the Pinhoti Trail. We were up early packing. Betty packed for her drive to Naples and I packed for the Pinhoti Trail hike. Betty made arrangements to park the RV in a secure lot until she returns. We had breakfast at a Hardee’s in Alexander City and Betty decided to delay her departure until I hiked to the Pinhoti trailhead at Porter’s Gap. I thought the distance was 10 or 12 miles and would take no more than three hours. Wrong! It was 16 miles and I was really clipping to make it in four hours. While transferring info from one map set to another, I had advanced the day’s start point by about five miles. Each day when I finish hiking, we physically note or mark that point. In this case, I had tied a lime green surveyor’s ribbon (tape) on a bush plus I correctly marked it on the map. However, that evening, I incorrectly marked the next set of maps, so my calculations were five miles short of reality.
While on this extended hike, I met Polly Mcgeehee, out for her morning walk in the country, with her two dogs. We walked together and chatted for about a mile. She became a “fitness walker” five years ago when walking enabled her to stop taking her blood pressure medicine. She is older than I am and sets a good pace.
As I hiked through Coleta Valley and passed the Hatchet Creek Trading Post, a man with a long beard and hair hailed me. He was Tom Hess, known as “Mountain Man”. He said Eb Eberhart, “Nimblewill Nomad”, had camped at his place on his thru-hike two years ago. I told him Eb had given me some assistance in planning my hike and that I hoped to meet him when I was near his home in Georgia. Tom and another guy, “Griz”, offered to let me camp there, but I had to move on.
Finally, I met Betty waiting at Porter’s Gap Trailhead with my heavy pack. We ate lunch, took some pictures and she departed for Naples and I started northeast on the Pinhoti Trail. I had packed enough gear and food for five days. The pack weighed in at 43 lbs. That is still 13 lbs more than Eb’s recommendation. He said he would give me a word of advice, “thirty”! I have not yet achieved that goal.
The Pinhoti Trail is beautiful, gentle, mountainous trail twisting and climbing in a hardwood forest. I seem to have overtaken Spring. There are few blossoms or leaves here, but looking closely some buds indicate that changes will take place shortly. After about five miles I spotted a level knoll above the trail and chose it as home for the night. Lipton’s “Spiral Pasta in Cheese Sauce with Herbs” never tasted so good.
Wednesday 3/22/00 12 miles/1483 total. 87 trail days. 4 miles northeast of Porter’s Gap Trailhead on the Pinhoti Trail to 1 mile north of Adam’s Gap on the Pinhoti Trail.
Packed up, had a couple of Breakfast Bars, brought the journal up to date and was on the trial at about 8 AM.
The trail is very rocky and full of dead leaves in most places. This makes for unsure footing and takes more time than when the pathway is clear. So far, the “ups” have out done the “downs”, so the trail is gaining elevation. Last night’s campsite was at about 1300 feet. About 9:30 AM, I found a spring fed stream and filled three quart bottles. The “Pur” water purification unit that I use seemed to spoil already clear water. It adds some iodine which darkens the water and gives a medicinal taste until it is aerated. A forest ranger, Jerry Sanderson, helped Betty mark my maps with water sources.
The lack of foliage on the trees provides good panoramic vistas. It’s a good feeling to be in the mountains. The trail is more difficult when toting a heavy pack up steep inclines; but it still feels great!
Just past Clairmont Gap, I stopped for lunch. A sweat soaked shirt and damp socks and boots were hung out to dry. Lunch consisted of a cheese cracker pack and some nuts and raisins. The warm sunshine and cool breeze nearly put me to sleep.
After passing Adam’s Gap, I found a level spot on a ridge, about 200 feet above the trail. This would be home for the night. The tent goes up first, then dinner. Between the two chores, I called Betty to make sure she made it to Naples without troubles. While she drove 700 miles, I hiked about ten. However, I bet she didn’t enjoy her dinner as much as I enjoyed my simple red beans and rice.
Thursday 3/23/00 12 miles/1495 total. 88 trail days. 1 mile north of Adam’s Gap on the Pinhoti Trail to Cheaha State Park. About 10PM last night the wind started blowing and by 2AM it was about 20mph. A couple of days ago, when packing, I considered not bringing a tent. A light nylon tarp and a better (lower temperature rated) sleeping bag are lighter then a tent and a light bag. Glad I went with the tent. The wind was still whipping across the exposed ridge line at 10AM this morning.
By 6:30AM, I was packed and on the trail. It is a good feeling being in the mountains and the woods as the day comes alive. Even the climbs seem easier. Since yesterday afternoon, I have been hiking in an area of the Talladega National Forest, that has been declared a “Wilderness Area” by Congressional mandate. No motorized vehicles nor power equipment are allowed in this Cheaha Wilderness Area. Also, no mountain bikes nor horses nor pack stock. In order to retain a wilderness atmosphere, they warn you that the trails will not be marked. However, they proved to be easy to follow; they did cause me to check the map more carefully and more often. It is a beautiful area with impressive views of vertical rock escarpments in the distance. Then a few miles later the trail is on those same rocks.
While slowly working the switchbacks up to the Odum Point Saddle, I met Steve Gronemeyer on his way down. Steve is about my age and is from Largo, FL. He likes to hike in more varied terrain than Florida has to offer, so he has been driving from place to place and backpacking several days at each location. Being from south Florida, we consider terrain which varies by a few feet, hilly and anything that varies by a thousand feet or more, we consider mountainous. The elevation in this area ranges from 1100 feet to 2400 feet.
Steve and I talked for half an hour about important backpacker subjects; like how to reduce pack weight, maps, water sources, etc. Steve likes to do some bushwhacking on his trips and had just intercepted the Pinhoti Trail near Odum Point. Bushwhacking is hiking cross country, ie. not on a trail. It is a more interesting way to hike, but usually takes more time and always more energy than hiking on trails.
About noonish, I stopped at a trickle of a stream to refill my water bottles. As I was about to depart, the little stream looked so good, I filed a collapsible water bag. Moving away from the stream and the trail, I had a very refreshing bath.
By mid-afternoon, the trail entered Cheaha (pronounced: Chee-ha) State Park, losing it’s “Wilderness Area” status. The familiar Pinhoti trail markers reappeared. The Pinhoti Trail is blazed with white metal, diamond shaped, markers about 4 inches by 3 inches. A single large turkey track fills the diamond. These are loosely tacked to trees, occasionally, along the trail. The name “Pinhoti” comes from two Creek Indian words, pinwa – meaning turkey and huti – meaning home. Hence Pinhoti is “turkey home”. The Creek and Cherokee are said to have fought over the use of this area. Both Indian nations used some of these same trails. Also, DeSoto came through this area in his explorations.
About 4PM, I arrived at the State Park entrance, checked into the motel, had dinner at their restaurant, and washed my clothes, which by now were quite aromatic.
Friday 3/24/00 16 miles/1511 total. 89 trail days. Cheaha State Park to 1 miles south of US431 on the Pinhoti Trail. Cheaha State Park has a country store, motel and restaurant. The view from the dining area is spectacular. It overlooks nearly the whole area of the Talladega National Park I have hiked. The many rock escarpments stand out clearly.
At 5:30AM, the coffee was brewing in the motel lobby. Leon Marrow was on duty. He, also, is “retired Army”. We had lots of stories to swap, over a couple of cups of hot coffee.
The air was cool and the first few miles flew by quickly. The terrain is not as rugged as it has been the past couple of days; not as much rock and less climbing. A wild turkey flew across directly in front of me and less than 50 feet up the trail. It was a magnificent looking gobbler. When I see a single game bird flush in a crossing manner, I am reminded of a pleasant hunting trip in Nebraska. My dad, my brother, Jim, and my brother-in-law, Randy Davis, were in the weeds one cold morning. A rooster flushed and crossed in front of Randy and I, he downed it. Before I could congratulate him on the nice shot a second rooster was up and Randy got it and had never taken the gun from his shoulder. I took two more hunting trips to the corn state before I was able to get a double.
In some lower areas, the Dogwood and Redbud are blooming. Often, I will be looking down into a ravine and see these beautiful white and purple spots in the otherwise brown and gray forest. At several stream crossings, I have seen fresh boot tracks in the wet sand or mud. They could have been made by either a turkey hunter or a hiker. Since they have been on the trail for several miles, my guess is a hiker. Most stream crossings consist of stepping from rock to rock. But one crossing was wider and knee deep, I pulled off my boots and wore my “Hawaiian Low Quarters” (flip-flops).
In the afternoon, the miles seem to get longer, the pack heavier and the hills steeper. Today, I wanted to put in a few extra miles so that I could finish early tomorrow. Betty and I plan to meet at the point where the Pinhoti crosses US 78 and I want to make sure I am there before she arrives.
It takes me about an hour to set up camp, cook and eat dinner, wash up, and put everything away for the night. It is dark here just a few minutes after 6PM, so I usually start looking for a suitable campsite at about 4PM and by 4:30 I stop being picky about the location. This afternoon, I planned to hike until 5PM. Unfortunately, at that time, I was on the side of a very steep hill. At two ravines, the little streams poured over rocks for 30-50 feet making spectacular waterfalls. The trail was only a foot wide and ran along the hillside for over a half mile. Then, the whole area had burned recently and was charred; not a good place to unfold your kitchen and bedroom. Just a few minutes before 6PM, I saw a little portion, along a swampy stream, that had not burned. It was not a good site being in swamp with no view, but, this time of year the bugs aren’t a problem and since it was almost dark, the view wasn’t important. It was almost totally dark when I had everything squared away. The Lipton pasta with herb and cheese sauce was great.
Saturday 3/25/00 9 miles/1520 total. 90 trail days. What a “clammy” camp!! By morning everything in the tent was damp. I think this was due to a combination of factors: the night was cloudy and more humid than usual, there was no breeze and my clothes and gear were still damp with sweat when I tossed them inside. Anyway, I stuffed everything into the pack, had a couple of “very berry” oatmeal bars and was on the trail before 7AM.
Lee Ridley was camped by a stream about two miles north of where I had camped. Lee is a senior in Civil Engineering, at Auburn University and is on spring break. He started the Pinhoti Trail at Porter’s Gap, 3 days before I did and is slowly unwinding in nature’s solitude, before returning to classes. He was concerned that as a graduating senior he still doesn’t know what he wants to do in life. Heck, I’m nearly a senior citizen and I’m not sure what I want to do either. Hope we both get it figured out before we have to leave the trail.
Later, at least seven deer exploded out of a stream bed about forty feet below me. Three or more ran on down the stream and four very quickly climbed the very steep hillside in front of me. It looked like “Snowy River” in reverse.
The last few miles dragged, but I arrived at US 78, our meeting place, before 1PM. It would be several hours before Betty arrived, so I found my own grassy knoll beside the short ramp leading from SR 281 to US 78, and hung out all my wet gear to dry, while I caught this journal up to date. Two forest rangers checked on me. Lonnie and Vonnie (really) were interested in my impression of the Pinhoti Trail. Of course, I had nothing but praise for both the Pinhoti and for Talladega National Forest.
A carload of youngsters pulled up and yelled out of the car window. They asked if I had seen the “Rainbow Bus”. After pleading ignorance, they told me it had to do with some hippie, campout, reunion nearby. They said they thought I might be part of the old group that was gathering. Thinking about this after they left, it seems they assumed the old bearded guy in the middle of noplace, sitting in the sun wearing nothing but running shorts, and writing in his little book, was a hippie. Just to complete the setting, my camping gear was strewn over bushes to dry, all along behind me, and I was sitting on the ground leaning against my pack. As soon as their car was out of sight, I quickly repacked my gear, put my shirt on, and tried to act a little more “respectable”. I have never, ever been mistaken for a hippie before, not in the sixties, nor any other time; my wife maybe, but not me. Later, we were told by some local folks, that every year at this time, several thousand “ex-hippies” gather someplace in this general area. They all camp in a large woodsy commune.
Just as I was getting my act together, Lee Ridley arrived and we talked while we waited for our separate rides. We compared notes on hiking gear, camping techniques, and camp food. Both of us were wearing Vasque, “Sundowner” boots. Lee has been wearing the same type since he was 15 years old and is on his fifth pair. I bought my first pair last summer in Minnesota.
Betty arrived after her 12 hour drive, I introduced her to Lee, and we went to pick up the RV. Lee seems like a nice guy, but I’m not sure he is very smart. He could have spent spring break partying on the beach, instead he is solo camping in the mountains wondering about his future. We wish him the best!!
Betty: During my 12 hour drive, I had lots of time to ponder past experiences. As I was rolling up the Interstate, surrounded by 18 wheelers, I remembered a time about 33 years ago, when Chuck, Susan, our daughter who was about 3 months old, and Boots, our Boston Terrier, were on a trip out west. We were driving a Volkswagon beetle which had no power and we were traveling across the plains states. Chuck was drafting trucks to keep our speed up. We were in the process of drafting a big 18 wheeler, when all of a sudden we fell out of the draft zone. Well, needless to say, we were left way behind, and slowing fast. All of a sudden, the truck slowed down and we began to gain on it. Just as we closed the gap, a big hairy arm came out the window of the truck, and motioned for us to get on up there. We hadn’t realized, but he was deliberately letting us stay in that draft zone.
I received an e-mail message from Rodger Warren, asking if we would be near Newnan, GA., where he has two brothers. In checking the map, I realized the trail wouldn’t go through Newnan, however, when I was taking a shortcut from I-75 to I-20, I drove right through the middle of Newnan. What a beautiful, southern town. I drove down a street lined with beautiful, old antebellum and Victorian houses. It’s another place to which I would like to return and spend some time visiting its four historic districts.
Sunday 3/26/00 11 miles/1531 total. 91 trail days. US 78 on the Pinhoti to FR 531 near Highrock Lake. Last night we retrieved the RV from storage at Wind Creek State Park and made it about ten miles to Alexander City, when the urge overwhelmed us. We parked in a shopping center parking lot; the pizza and beer were great. This morning, it was 10AM by the time we drove to Coleman Lake Campground, a National Forest site. Then, Betty dropped me on the trail and hurried back to Heflin, AL to attend 11AM services.
Betty: I went to 11AM services at Heflin Baptist Church. The music, the message and the people were all great. Heflin is a neat little town on the northeast edge of Talladega National Forest.
Chuck: Today I was wearing the new pack which is replacing my old favorite, mid-sized mountain pack (2400 cubic inches). Since Betty will be meeting me at the end of the day, I no longer need to carry a tent, sleeping bag, camp stove, etc. The net weight is about 25 lbs lighter. I felt as if I had wings on my feet. Fairly gliding along the trail, I was making good time; over 2.5 miles per hour, compared with less than two, with the heavier pack. The terrain had less elevation change, which also helped. The miles flew by “without a bit of ease” (quote by Coach Andy Lorensen).
The elevation here averages about 1200 feet and some of the trees show a green hint of what will soon be leaves. Also, small wild flowers are popping out of the forest floor; crested Dwarf Iris, Spring Beauty, Showy Orchis and many more. Our niece Tiph, who accompanied us on the Colorado Trail, loves mountain flowers. She plans to join us on the AT; hope she doesn’t miss the flower show.
Betty managed to find the pick up point miles back through a lot of winding forest roads.
Betty: While I was driving out to pick Chuck up, an old beat up car coming towards me, stopped and the driver rolled down his window. “Are you looking for the Rainbow Group?” he asked. I said “No”, and he asked if I knew where they were camped. I told him I didn’t, he wished me a good day, and drove off with his car load of passengers. As I drove up to where I was to meet Chuck, two more cars pulled up asking about the Rainbow Group’s whereabouts. Later, in talking with a forest ranger, he told us they are camped not too far from Coleman Lake. Evidently, it’s quite a peaceful gathering and the forest service doesn’t give them a hard time.
This may be a good place to explain my part in all of this, since I’ve had lots of questions about what I do when I’m “waiting” for Chuck. Chuck is certainly “fit” enough that he could have taken off with his large pack on a trip of this magnitude and completed it without any assistance. We both have been on backpacking trips through the Rocky Mountains and in Europe, but I didn’t want to do the trip with a pack, and we decided that we could still enjoy the trip together, as a team, Chuck backpacking and me doing logistics, which would enable him to complete the trip quicker and much of the time with a small day pack. Also, we’ve evolved into taking turns on deciding what we want to do, and this is Chuck’s year. So what do I do? I find sites for the RV, get maps for areas that are coming up, drop Chuck off in the morning and pick him up in the afternoon, sometimes jog, walk the dog, do the laundry, buy groceries, cook, clean, update the journal, and yes, I always have a good book with me and “wait patiently” at the pick up point when I am there early. The sites we camp in have been extremely peaceful and beautiful, and always have trails for leisure walks. Map reading comes easy to me, and I don’t mind driving back on country, or forest roads – in fact – it’s quite beautiful and I enjoy it. Once a month, I time my trips back to Naples to coincide with the Philharmonic’s Pops and sometimes with the First Presbyterian Concert Series performances, which I also enjoy. This trip back was the last pops performance for this season. Helen, Chuck’s mom, has already ordered our tickets for next winter’s First Presbyterian Concert Series, and we’re looking forward to it, and the Pops.
Monday 3/27/00 10 miles/1541 total. 92 trail days. FR 531 near High Rock Lake to Coleman Lake Trailhead.
Not my day! About 6AM, I was returning from the shower house and stepped on a small rusty roofing nail. The type with a head the size of a half dollar. It went through my shower shoe and into my right foot about 3/4 of an inch. Betty washed it with hydrogen peroxide and alcohol then put a salve and band aide on it. It rained in the morning so we drove to both State and National Forest Ranger offices. They had lots of info, but not maps of the area we will be in next week.
By the time I got on the trail it was 1PM. Met two backpackers from the University of Alabama, their spring break is just starting. “Blazin Wind” hiked half of the AT last year. He and Richard Wear were anxious to move on, they still had several miles to go before dark; me too.
At the Laurel Trail Shelter, I checked the register. Jon and Dan Leuschel had left me a note on 3 March. They are moving fast and doing well. We will send them an e-mail with our location and answer some of their questions.
The last few minutes before reaching the trail head, I was hurting. Later, all my bones hurt, and my joints. The fever made me think it was complications from stepping on the nail. However, in the middle of the night I was running from both ends. Probably the flu.
Tuesday 3/28/00 0 miles/1541 total. 93 trail days. Rest Day.
The only hiking I did was the eight feet from the bed to the bathroom; repeatedly. It has been about 25 years since I’ve had the flu (or been really sick) and I don’t care for it much.
Betty read, typed the journal, went on a run and a long walk.
A wasted day for me!
Wednesday 3/29 0 miles/1541 2nd rest day. Trail Day 94.
Chuck is still recovering from the flu. Coleman Lake is very nice. We have a site with water, electricity and sewer hookups. There is a walking/running path around the lake that Levi (the Schnauzer) and I have been enjoying. I’m driving into Heflin today to see if I can find a computer hookup. If not, I’ll wait until we get to the campsite in Rome, GA where I already know there is a modem.
As I was sitting here typing this, I was looking out the window at the kids riding their bicycles, and it seemed like this would be a good place to talk about the RV. Over the years, we’ve done a lot of backpacking, hiking, canoeing and all of these involved tent camping. This is the second year we have owned an RV and I appreciate it more and more. As I was driving back to Naples and stayed the night in the motel in Ocala, I paid $60 for the night and that was with the discount. In the RV, we stay in some commercial campgrounds which normally run between $15 and $20 per night. The commercial campgrounds have more amenities than dry camping or state and national parks,(near or in town, laundry room, shoppette, swimming pool, etc.) Often we stay in National Parks or Forests, State Parks, or National Historical Sites. Their fees run between $8 to $15, depending on the amenities. There are a few that may be more expensive, but not as a general rule. Most of the national and state parks/forests have been beautiful and have lots of room for children and adults to explore. Most have bath houses, the sites generally have water and electricity and some have sewer. They often have playgrounds, and many have lakes. Now the beauty of the RV is that it has holding tanks and it has it’s own generator. So we can adapt to most any condition. We can stay on a site that has water and electricity for three to five days and use our holding tanks for the used water and sewage. We can also “dry camp”, which is what we do when we mention we’ve been staying in a parking lot, or on the side of the road. When we dry camp we pay nothing. Wal-Mart is good about letting people dry camp for a night and we always get permission and also do our shopping there. Many truck stops also allow dry camping and we buy our gas at those. When we “dry camp” we use our holding tanks for used water, we use the fresh water in our fresh water storage tank for our showers, and cooking. We have a bank of four batteries that provide 12 volt power for the lights, water pump, etc. We also have a small inverter that will convert power for the computer and the cell phone chargers. If we need 120 volt electricity for the TV, AC, or Microwave, we can turn on the generator, which runs on gasoline and automatically charges all the batteries through the on-board converter. Our refrigerator can be run on electricity or propane, and our range and oven are both operated on propane. So it really is home on the road, very complete and comfortable. As I woke up early this morning and it was raining outside, I thought – This sure beats a tent!
Chuck: The fever, nausea and deep aching have subsided, but the diarrhea has not and lower abdominal pain has intensified. Too weak to be on my feet more than a few minutes at a time; hiking is not even a consideration. Betty continues with TLC!
Thursday 30 Mar 00 0 miles/1541 3rd Rest Day. 95 Trail Days.
Some better, but still having acute lower abdominal pain and diarrhea. After researching the pertinent references available in the RV, we have concluded that this affliction might not be the flu, but rather “Crypto”. Cryptosporidiosis is caused by drinking water contaminated with cryptosporidium, a microscopic parasite and is somewhat “common” in backcountry water sources. Symptoms begin 2 to 7 days after drinking contaminated water and are listed exactly as I have experienced. This little “crypto” culprit is so small (2-5 microns) that it must have slipped through my little water filter. Also, neither chlorine nor iodine are totally effective; my filter uses iodine. When I get my wits about me again, I’ll call the manufacturer to see what their experience with crypto has been and what recommendations they may have to offer. Over the years, I have used this filter before drinking water from some pretty questionable sources without a problem. As a side note, “Crypto” caused the largest outbreak of waterborne diarrhea in U.S. history: Milwaukee, 1993.
There is no reliable antibiotic treatment for “crypto”, so I’m treating the symptoms by drinking lots of fluids to prevent dehydration, and taking a “shot” of Pepto Bismal every few hours to ease the abdominal cramps and diarrhea.
The day was spent resting, but I did feel enough better to eat a few bites and read some. Betty went for a long walk and continues to care for the “sick, lame, and lazy”.
Friday 31 Mar 00 8 miles/1549 Coleman Lake Trailhead to FR55. 96 Trail Days.
The sun was shining this morning. I was feeling almost half-human and guilty about a three day hiatus. We decided on a short hike to test the recovery process. The trail was eight miles long and not difficult. Kicked up two wild turkey and saw that the emerging wildflowers were not deterred by my absence. I was noticeably weak and light-headed. It was good to see Betty waiting as I approached our meeting point on Forest Road 55.
During the afternoon, I read and rested, Betty read, then walked around Coleman Lake.