Trail report--------Bull gap to Wormies pulpet

[stevebo]

  I just got back from an overnight backpacking trip to Horn Mountain.  I parked at Bull Gap trial head, and hiked on the Pinhoti until I got to heath cliffs.  The trail was in great condition, and I really enjoyed the hike---a truly beautiful area!  From heath cliffs, I got on the forest service road (FS 600?)  and hiked to the fire tower/CCC park and spent the night.  I thought the CCC park was pretty neat, but camping within ear shot of the fire tower on a really windy night is not a good idea---------very noisy!  (loose metal clanging in the wind, tower creaking and popping etc)   This section of the trial is really dry----Id like to send out a really big thank you to "Star gazer"  for setting up a water drop for me at fire tower---------THANK YOU!  It was really nice of you guys to do that for me!   
  The next morning I continued hiking up the road to wormies pulpit.  (this is during the week, so there were no cars/jeeps on road.  Im not sure I would do it on a weekend)   Last fall I hiked from Porters gap to Wormies pulpit, so this hike means I completed this seciton of the Pinhoti!   From Wormies, I hiked back on the Pinhoti towards bull gap.  This section, between Wormies pulpit and heath cliffs was very pretty , but had several large blowdowns across the trail.  Also, If you are on Pinhoti trail, as far as I could see, there is no approach trail to the fire tower/CCC park.  (unless you follow the power lines up the hill to where they lead to the fire tower)  It would be really easy to miss the fire tower from the hiking trail.  )  So, if you had a water  drop at the tower, and are on the trail........... ......good luck!  In the process of climbing thru a really nasty blowdown, I managed to break one of my treking poles-----there was a large head sized rock on the edge of the trail--up hill, about a foot above the trial where they cut the trial into the hill side.  I set my pole down, climbed thru the blow down, and barely touched the rock--it rolled down the hill, and hit the top of my pole and snapped the handle off!  It was one of those freak accidents that you couldnt duplicate if you tried a thousand times!  Anyway, I continued hiking towards heath cliffs, and then caught the forest service road back to bull gap trial head.  (walked most of the way back in the pouring rain and mist.)   So, I did a figure 8, combining the Pinhoti and the forest service road.  Total milage---somewhere around 20.  It was a pretty neat trip---I enjoyed the hiking, saw lots of lizerds, small birds etc----spooked a couple of deer, lots of turkey tracks in the mud puddles on the road etc.  The trail was well marked , very clean, and even the forest service road dident have much litter on it.  I thought it was a very beautiful area, and will definitely return soon!

[vapor]

thanks for the report. i also hiked this section a couple of weeks ago & realized i had gone a bit too far before realizing i had already passed the fire tower that i was hoping to check out. the cliffs, with the exception of graffiti, were indeed a nice place to lookout. we saw lots of lizards as well.

[squidbilly]

Thanks for the report Steve, it sounds like you had a nice trip. Except for breaking the pole of course. Maybe you can use it for something else though. The thinner section might yield some nice toggles for the whoopie slings.  When you left Wormies Pulpit and took the Pinhoti uphill, did you notice the nice campsites at the top of the hill?  I almost stopped there when I did this section in January. I pushed on and hung near Kenny's camp.