Section 13 Trail Closure - UPDATE 12-07-10

[Solo1]

Trail clearing continues. The trailbed is pretty much roughed in and it's good enough to hike through without accidentally ending up in east Texas : ) Reblazing has begun also, using the standard light blue coloring. We will continue with the light blue blazes throughout the section until all the dark blue is replaced.

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Hey Guys!

More timber harvest in our neck of the woods.....

Here is an info link which will also include future updates:

PTA

[jaybird]

What goal did the landowner (former State Representative Gerald Willis) have in granting a conservation easement across this section of his property if the trail corridor is not going to be respected?  After the next big rain, Hurricane Creek will turn into a river of mud.
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Alabama Code, Title 35, Chapter 18
Conservation Easements

(1) CONSERVATION EASEMENT. A nonpossessory interest of a holder in real property imposing limitations or affirmative obligations the purposes of which include retaining or protecting natural, scenic, or open-space values of real property, assuring its availability for agricultural, silvicultural, forest, recreational, or open-space use, protecting natural resources, maintaining or enhancing air or water quality, or preserving the historical, architectural, archaeological, paleontological, or cultural aspects of real property.

[squidbilly]

It's hard to say what his goals were since I don't know Mr. Willis or the circumstances leading up to his granting the easement.  A better question would be: What can we do about it?

I hiked section 13  last April and remember the part around the Davis Mountain Shelter as mostly clear cut with just a few trees here and there. Other areas along the main logging road had "lanes"cut out leaving an alternating rows of trees and clear cut. The only part forested was the hillside above Hurricane Creek,and the part near 278. If they cut that it really would be disastrous for the creek.

They're going to further trash this mountain for what, if not money? Just so I can receive more junk mail I don't even want.

[vapor]

I finished up section 13 on 11/23/10 & also noticed the forested wasteland near Davis Shelter. We were able to navigate easily but it was indeed a sad site. We hiked a total of 45 miles this trip & when we got to the last mile of section 13 near Jackson Chapel trailhead things got a little squirly as there was no longer a trail. It did rain heavily on us the last 3 miles so perhaps we got off trail but we followed blue markers that lead us to our car. So my question is are these blue markers old or is the last mile of the trail being rerouted as we were definately bushwhacking from tree to tree. Also there was no trailhead sign at Jackson Chapel possibly because most of the land here is private property and the owner doesn't like anyone around?

[ednotmilkman]

I lost the trail after crossing the GA line too, but this was back 2 years ago and it was getting dark so I figured that had more to do with it than the trail itself.  I ended up bushwhacking 1/4 mile in the dark with my GPS  through planted pines to get to the trailhead where I had marked a waypoint when I dropped off my shuttle vehicle.

[buck]

After reading about the difficulty a couple of you had hiking the Georgia side of the Pinhoti I was a little concerned about trying to complete the trail my next hike and have my wife pick me up at the Jackson Chapel Trailhead. Wasn't sure if I would be able to find the trailhead if the trail were still poorly marked. I was hoping to complete these last few sections in the next month so I rode over to the Jackson Chapel Trailhead to mark it with my GPS in case I had to bushwhack from the Alabama side. I was glad that I walked down the trail after marking the trailhead with my GPS. In fact, I walked well over a mile and can report evidence of very recent trail maintenance - noticed a freshly cut log that once laid over the trail. The blazes looked as if they had been repainted just recently. Also, the trailhead sign looks practically new

[squidbilly]

Wow, that sign is new.  That's nice.  When I was there last spring, there was no sign, just a small gated pull-off on a dirt road through a pine plantation. If it weren't for the milage posted on the Pinhoti website and the blue blaze I might not have found it.

[blisterbob]

Pinhoti section 13 update;
Mon. 2/6/12 6:00 AM, 42 degrees, cloudy
High Point to Jackson Chapel
 Good News, besides the new trail signs, this complete section has been recently re-blazed
Even coming off the State line to the Jackson Chapel TH, there's no excuse for getting off the trail.
The thing that I did not expect in this area that doesn't get near the number of hikers as around
the Cheaha SP is the path is beaten down so that you wouldn't need trail markings to find your way.

It was cloudy all day so the Sun didn't burn off all the moisture to allow for the terrific long distance
views, so shadowsue said we'll just have to come back on a sunny day.

On a scale of 0 to 10
Terrain difficulty               7
Trail obstacles                 3
Trail navigation difficulty  2
Water availability            5
Shelter/ campsite            9
Scenic vistas                   9
Wildlife                            1 (deer)
other people                   0

2:00 PM, 56 degrees, Jackson Chapel TH
12.8 miles, 8 hrs.
bb&ss

[Firedog]

Hey guys, we have that on the calendar.
http://www.alatrails.com/...dex.php/topic,3037.0.html
Come join us on Feb 25th.