"Hey what's that river that runs through Birmingham called,” my Atlanta based girlfriend asked. A friend of a friend had read an article that made her think of me via my friend.

"Well, there's really only one that I know of," I commented, feeling sure she was speaking of the Cahaba.

"The one with all the eco diversity or something," my friend replies. The Cahaba indeed.

Our little Alabama jewel has graced the July (or is it August?) issue of the Smithsonian in an article entitled: The Cahaba: A River of Riches. Written by Michelle Nijhuis; photographs by Beth Maynor Young.  The tagline reads, "An unsung Alabama waterway is one of the most biologically diverse places in the nation, home to rare flora and fauna."

Want to know what the average hiker/backpacker can do to help educate the public about the value of

special places?  Upon the arson of the 1800's era Pinky Burns cabin on the Pinhoti Trail near Dugger Mountain by three local teens, the Forest Service's own suggestion is to donate to a fund that they,

Calhoun County, and Jacksonville State University have going to erect an informational kiosk at the trailhead to inform hikers/visitors and locals of the history of the Burns cabin and land.  In this way, the cabin's loss will be memorialized with pictures, a history, and perhaps "ignite" a renewed respect for these treasured links to our past.  If you'd like to help, you can send a donation to:

Okay, in order to show how little is really publicly known about Sipsey/Bankhead, I'm going to put up a list of areas I think we could stand to know a little more about. I'm going to do the same thing for Talladega NF. As most of you know, I'm not a fan of secrets on public property, and I only support them in a handful of sitations, like culturally significant artifacts, dangerous locations, or where I'm specifically asked to keep a secret. I know the Wild South project may be clearing up some of this, but not knowing if, how, or when they might release that data, I'm just making note of areas that I think are areas we could use to know more about. It may be years before I visit some of them, but it may give you ideas for hikes. All of the areas I've selected are areas I suspect might hold interesting features like waterfalls, wildflowers, etc... There are other areas that are lesser known that aren't including because they don't get my spidey-sense tingling.

     Well we are headed directly into the dog days of summer and it is beginning to show. It is just plain hot out there. Many of you have given up the hiking trails for cooler, less buggy pursuits such as canoeing and kayaking. I would like to take this opportunity to encourage all of you to get involved in your local waterways organizations that help preserve and protect our many scenic rivers and creeks. We will have more on that after the jump. I will also be covering way to get ready for the upcoming fall season. I know it may seem like a long way off but it will get here sooner than you think. I would also like to welcome a new partner to AlaTrails  who will be bringing with him a great deal of experience and information.