Chinnabee Silent Trail
I hiked the Chinnabee Silent Trail yesterday on an out and back trip. I started at 6 am to beat the oppressive heat of the day and pulled into Lake Chinnabee campground around 9 am. The trail was well marked and maintained other than a couple of trees across the trail. I did notice that some hikers were cutting across some switchbacks which irritated me. Since the area close to the campground see a lot of swimmers there was some garbage around the campsites.
I saw a young couple at the Cheaha Creek shelter having breakfast and I assumed spent the night in the shelter. I enjoyed the Cheaha Falls area and Lake Chinnabee was very picturesque. The National Weather Service had issued a heat advisory so after hydrating at the campground and having a snack I headed back across the trail arriving at the trail head around 11:30 am. Since I was new to the area I spent the rest of the day finding trail heads at Adams Gap, Nubbin Creek, Porter Gap and High Falls Trail.
In the fall when the weather is more favorable I plan on doing the Pinoti Loop Trail as an overnighter.
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I was there...
What a small world it is, I happened to be cruising the net and reading this post when all of a sudden it dawned on me that there's a good chance that I was one of the individuals you were speaking of. My blonde haired girlfriend and I left our hustle and bustle we call home and set out on a short hike the afternoon before looking for this shelter on the mountain. We dreaded the hike due to the weather report stating it would be a scorcher but once we entered the Talladega mountain area, we were very suprised and relieved to feel the temperature drop atleast 10 degrees from what it was at home. The hike was nice and the shelter was decent. Besides the shelter being vandalized by written profanities, it was a comfortable place to sleep. We ended the day with a natural river shower pouring from the root system of a tree overhanging the river. Upon waking early the next day, we were suprised and greeted by a friendly older gentleman and his dog. He went as quick as he came, and we left there soon after. The hike back was nice and short, way too short. We were in no hurry to rush back to the insanity of Birmingham. So instead we spent the rest of the day cruising the backroads just enjoying the cool mountain air.
Curbie the Wonder Dog
Yes, that was Curbie and I that came by the shelter. I am glad you enjoyed your trip.