Hiking and Backpacking News

Input sought for new gun range
Andalusia Star-News
Area hunting and shooting enthusiasts will be glad to know there is a plan under way to construct a new outdoor shooting range in the Conecuh National Forest. However, locals may be disappointed to know it may move to a site 15 miles further from the ...

Boing Boing
"My Favorite Museum Exhibit": Butterflies eating a piranha
Boing Boing
In fact, you can watch a real-life example (with a less-threatening fish substituted in for the piranha) in a video taken in Alabama's Bankhead National Forest. The good news: The butterflies are not really carnivorous, per se.

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Shelby County Reporter
World championship coming to OMSP
Shelby County Reporter
By WESLEY HALLMAN / Sports Editor Shelby County will have a ton of first-time visitors May 19 when Oak Mountain State Park hosts the second-annual International Triathlon Union (ITU) Cross Triathlon World Championships. If the past is any indication, ...

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PARA calendar
Tuscaloosa News
11, at Bankhead National Forest. Instructor is Mark Harrison. Cost is $35. Indoor Community Garage Sale: 7 am-1 pm Feb. 18 at Miller Center and March 9 at the McAbee Center. Fee is $20 for vendor booth. Free admission for shoppers.

Multiple arson fires Tuesday in White Plains
Anniston Star
by Brian Anderson Multiple arson fires broke out near White Plains Tuesday night, according to a release from the Shoal Creek Ranger District of the Talladega National Forest. The US Forest Service and Alabama Forestry Commission responded to the fires ...

Multisport: XTERRA to host 2012 ITU Cross Tri World Championships
RunnersWeb
February 1, 2012 (Honolulu, HI) -- The International Triathlon Union (ITU) has selected TEAM Unlimited/XTERRA to produce the 2012 ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships at Oak Mountain State Park in Pelham, Alabama, on May 19.

tri2b
ITU: Cross-WM in Alabama
tri2b
Das WM-Rennen führt über 1,5 Kilometer Schwimmen, 30 Kilometer MTB und einem 10 Kilometer langen Geländelauf im Oak Mountain State Park. Neben der Elite kämpfen auch die U23, Junioren, Altersklassen sowie Handicap-Athleten um Edelmetall.

Cyclists on way back to area for time trials
The Daily Citizen
The Snake Creek Gap Time Trials will return to the rocky Pinhoti Trail this Saturday. This will be the second in a series of three mountain bike races put on by the Northwest Georgia Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association (NWGA-SORBA); the races are ...

Forest Service to burn 1075 acres in Cleburne Co. today
Anniston Star
by Star staff People near Dugger Mountain may see lots of smoke today and tonight as the US Forest Service plans to burn 1075 acres of the Talladega National Forest. The burn area, about 4 miles northwest of the Mt. Pleasant area in Cleburne County, ...

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Teams take plunge for Special Olympics
Shelby County Reporter
28 Law Enforcement Torch Run Polar Plunge as they hit the frigid water of the Oak Mountain State Park beach. Temperatures hovered around the high 40s and low 50s during the event, which was organized by the Alabama Law Enforcement Torch Run ...

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msnbc.com
Weather Service Documents 10 Tornadoes in Alabama
Insurance Journal
The Maplesville tornado destroyed the sanctuary of the Historic Ephesus Church, tore apart trees in the Talladega National Forest and damaged homes and business just north of downtown Maplesville. The weather service had previously documented eight ...
Maplesville tornado rated EF-2Clanton Advertiser
Weather Service: 10 Twisters Documented in AlabamaClaimsJournal.com
Texas and Alabama tornadoes and Oklahoma drought updatesTulsa World (blog)

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USA TODAY
Weather service: 10 tornadoes hit Alabama
USA TODAY
It also tore apart trees in the Talladega National Forest, toppled a radio tower and damaged homes and businesses just north of downtown Maplesville. The deadliest twister in the storm outbreak was an EF-3 that struck in St. Clair and Jefferson County, ...

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Weather service: 10 twisters documented in Alabama
WAFF
It also tore apart trees in the Talladega National Forest, toppled a radio tower and damaged homes and businesses just north of downtown Maplesville. The deadliest twister in the storm outbreak was an EF-3 that struck in St. Clair and Jefferson County, ...

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Maplesville tornado rated EF-2
Clanton Advertiser
The tornado tracked northeast into the Talladega National Forest, where hundreds of trees were snapped or uprooted. Along Perry County 9, the sanctuary of historic Ephesus Church was destroyed and the building's roof and steeple were partially blown ...

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ALDOT to repave US 31 through Pelham
Shelby County Reporter
-Held the first reading of a motion to enter into a contract with Shelby county to secure sponsorship rights to the 2012 International Triathlon Union world championships at Oak Mountain State Park. If the motion is passed during the council's next ...

Day Planner
Times Daily
Winter Hike, led by Charles Rose, today, Parker Branch Falls, Bankhead National Forest's Sipsey Wilderness. Four-mile, fun hike. Free. Limited group size. Registration required. Registration/details: charles@freshairfamily.org or 256-366-1937.

Hiker released from hosptial
The Decatur Daily
A woman who spent a chilly night in Bankhead National Forest after getting lost during a hike was released Wednesday after spending two nights at Huntsville Hospital, a hospital spokeswoman said. Merilyn Dabbs, 72, of Huntsville suffered dehydration ...

About 600 without power in Pelham
Shelby County Reporter
17, a company representative said at about 9:25 pm The outage came after inclement weather and high winds in the area, and is mostly affecting customers along Shelby County 33 between its intersection with Shelby County 52 and Oak Mountain State Park, ...

Woman Found Alive In Bankhead Forest; Flown For Treatment
WHNT
Rescue crews have found a 70-year-old woman who had been missing in the Bankhead National Forest in Lawrence County. She is alive, and was flown to Huntsville Hospital for observation. Merilyn Dabbs was found around 10:45 am Monday. ...
Searchers find lost hiker in national forestGadsden Times
Search continues for woman lost in BankheadMoulton Advertiser
Searchers find lost hikerThe Decatur Daily

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JSU breaks new ground with intern student from UGA
Jacksonville News
The projects, facilities, and natural areas McCutchen will be involved with include the Little River Canyon Center, Talladega Mountains Natural Resource Center, Talladega National Forest, the Chief Ladiga Trail, Mountain Longleaf National Wildlife ...