Southbound or Northbound

[fungi]

My dad and I are getting ready to hike a section of the Pinhoti in about a week from now.  He has plans to hike a good part of the AT in the spring starting at springer mt. and I thought this would be good practice for him.  I had planned to start at Coleman Lake and hike south to Adams Gap. 

If it was you, would you go south like planned or would you start and Adams Gap and go north, and why?   Keep in mind, our packs will be the heaviest starting out and he is 77 years old but in really good shape.

Thanks for your input!

[blisterbob]

I will just offer a few things to consider and you might be able to make a better decision.
The toughest climb on that entire section is northbound a mile or so from Adams Gap.
The first 10 miles southbound from Coleman Lake is an easy hike along lakes and streams,
so the first day southbound would not have the ridge top scenic views, but my personal
preference would be to save the best for last and the very best views are from Cheaha
to Adams Gap.
The USFS has closed a short section of the Pinhoti from Sweetwater Lake to Pine Glen
and temporarily re-routed it on FS 500 for 1.5 miles.
Two hikers I talked to last week said a ranger told them it would be OK to stay on the
trail through this area.
Either way you go, it is the perfect time.
Peak colors and most of the annoying insects are gone.

Good luck,
bb

[Mountain Dog]

I agree with blisterbob.  1st you'll have more water than if you start from either the south or north ends of the alabama Pinhoti, 2ond you can use shelters similar to where he will probably camp on the AT, 3rd the climb up to Cheaha is not a killer but it will test his ability to maintain pulls for a long time,  4th the lodge/restaurant/store is a good place to bail or to rest up if he wants to go further as well as to get a good greasy meal and resupply, and I think Coleman is a reasonable safe place to store a vehicle.  BTW,  77 is on the upper range of ages on the AT but by no means the oldest he'll see if he hikes a major portion. 

[Mlsherrod]

I Hiked a good portion of Pinhoti this summer between Coleman Lake Trailhead & the US 431 crossing (North Bound), that turned out to be my favorite section to hike so far.  It is by far the easiest I've found on the Pinhoti, there is ample water, shelters & road crossings should there ever be an issue.

However, I would bypass Horseblock mountain, I had to blaze a trail to the Indian cave and the footing is a narrow shelf that was hidden under very thick brush & brambles.  You should be able to walk along the road there and just by pass that portion of the trail.  I also discovered the summer time is a terrible time for that section, had more than my share of ticks (found 10-20 on me per hour).