Official Dedication of Alabama's Pinhoti and Appalachian Trail Link 3/16/2008

[Magic City Matt]

Cheaha State Park -
Official Dedication of Alabama's Pinhoti and Appalachian Trail Link. Ceremony marking a 23-year effort to complete Alabama's link to the Appalachian Trail and the fulfillment of Benton MacKay's 1925 vision of extending the original trail north to Maine and south to Alabama. 2-3 p.m.

All the info the that weekend is here:

http://hikealabama.org/conference.htm

[BigWaveDave]

Matty, Is anyone planning any kind of hiking event/get together that weekend? Sounds like a good time I think I might plan on being there for the weekend. Let me know.
Bigwave

[lawnmowwer]

New member. I will be interested in a B-pack if it comes around.

[Grounded]

I just went to the BP 101 seminar in Spanish Fort this weekend. In Alabama Hiking Trail Societies news letter I picked up, they are having a big to do. Gov. Riley ribbon cutting and a three day weekend of hiking and camping for their 6th Annual Conference.

[lawnmowwer]

Cool beans. Thanks for the info. I will talk to some local Scout troops and see about a trip. If anyone here want to go let Me know. I will try to get somthing going.

[Cuffs]

All the info the that weekend is here:

http://hikealabama.org/conference.htm

I think that if you are going to take the information directly from another website, you need to either properly credit that site or provide a direct link to the full information...

[Magic City Matt]

Sorry for that Cuffs. When I edited in all the calendar data to get it up and going I left out the link.

My fault.

Let me know if you find anything else. When I was first starting this site I was so busy getting code edited and everything else I may have left out a few details..

[Cuffs]

In my humble opinion, having a ceremonmy such as this will only give the public the false opinion that the effort to link these trails is finished.  It isn't.  There is a lot of work and a long way yet to go.

Where are these trails are not linked? 

[Big Dumb Admin]

I don't know the reality of the actual connection, But I wonder if this event will help bring some recognition to our need to be connected to the AT. Perhaps it will help further the cause. I really don't see how it can hurt.
 Lesley and I plan on attending. If nothing else it will be a rare opportunity to see people from all of the hiking clubs in close quarters. When was the last time that happened?


Matthew

[Joshua Szulecki]

I'm just curious, WTH did they end the AT in GA, when the A's end in AL?

(ps. sorry, got carried away with the abbreviations)

[Lesley]

My guess is the 70's and 80's had a lot to do with it.  The last time any major trail marking was done was in 1971. Disco probably  took over the hippie movement. I personally would love for the head of the AT to move to our home state, you know where the foothills of the Appalachians actually begin,  but even if it does I doubt anyone will acknowledge it's here. People will still start in GA out of tradition.

[Rob]

I don't know about that Lesly, there are alot of "purest" out there who will want to take every step of the A.T. Not to mention those that want to be among the first to hike the extra miles........... .. Just a thought. Happy Trails

[Cuffs]

Jaybird, you are correct in the fact that there are 2 road walk sections in GA.  1 is approx 20 miles and the other is approx 30.  The land purchases are works in progress with the current land owners.

The GA Pinhoti club has blazed the entire route (woods and road) from the AL/GA line to the BMT.  The AL portion of the Pinhoti is fully blazed from Flagg Mtn to the AL/GA line. 

This event was originated by the man who originally envisioned the Pinhoti, Mike Leonard.  He only went forward with it, once the blazing was done, so that any hiker could foreseeably hike the entire distance.  Road walks are pretty much fact-of-life on long trails.  The AT, PCT, CDT, ECT, GET, XI, JMT... they all have road walks.  The trail is finished.  The effort to make it a woods trail will be ongoing.

Also, it is not a plaque that is being put in, its a monument.  And, it will be on the Pinhoti not at Cheaha. 

The "movement" to connect the PT and the FT is also complete.  Yes, it involves road walk, but with builders and developers buying up every last remaining bit of land, theres not much choice. 

You seem to have a passion for this, I challenge you to come out and be a part of the building process, trail maintenance and see for yourself, just how difficult it is.  I see more people are talk these days and let other people do the work...

[lawnmowwer]

 My Scouts decided to do a trip We missed due to weather earlier in the year. 

[Magic City Matt]

It would appear that we are all very passionate about the Pinhoti.
Would it be impossible to just say "you have your way of helping and I have mine"?
You do realize that the core of what you are both saying is "I am very involved in this trail and I support it by doing <fill in the blank>".
I see where both of you are coming from and understand completely. But let's try and put aside our differences and just be happy that we have the trail at all.
I really fail to see how a bit of ceremony will hurt even if the project is ongoing.  No one is going to prevent the maintainers from doing their job. It's not like the government is going to cut all teir funding. There is nothing there to cut. I am fairly confident that none of the clubs are going to just say "All right, that's it, all done".
Like I say we are all very passionate about this trail and all have our own role in helping keep it going, but arguing over a get-together to celebrate it's connection to another trail even if it is only ceremonial only divides us further.

I will defend both of your rights to say whatever you like on this board but that is just my 2 cents.
Continue if you like.

[Magic City Matt]

Matt, you mean you will defend the right to express any views on this board, right?  Cuffs last post that you deleted wasn't a view.  It was a personal attack.  If that is allowed I will no longer be a member of this discussion board.

Apparently there was another post that was here that I am not aware of. I haven't deleted anything.

The rule is no abusive language.

I give members the right to delete their own posts for just this reason. People get hot and say things they don't mean.

I will not endorse personal attacks, but being on this board is the same is walking on the street. Somebody may decide they don't like your face and they may tell you. You don't have to like it and you have the right to say whatever you want back but there is nobody moderating it 24/7.

I will only step in if the situation becomes abusive. I would expect the same of the moderators. Everyone should try to defend the right to free speech. It is our duty as Americans.

I am by no means siding with anyone here but unfortunately I just didn't see what was posted.

If I have to I can create a knock around board and members can go in there and have it out if they like. I would prefer these things be kept to PMs though. If the situation becomes abusive there is a button you can hit that say report to admin and I will handle it.

Be good to each other you guys.

If anyone else has anything to say about this subject they can PM it to me.Otherwise let's get this thread back on topic.

Matthew

[Lesley]

I am just excited the trails are linked at all, and it's generating hiking interest in our fine state. Even if I'm a misplaced Georgian I always felt the AT should run the length of the actual mountain chain that it was named after. I look forward to seeing some of ya'll next weekend.

[Chris]

I was up there for the AHTS conference and I was at the dedication. Most people I have ever seen on the Pinhoti! 

Though as has been said before there is still a long way to go before completion.

[Mountain Dog]

If you are really interested in the status of the entire Pinhoti then order the Pinhoti Trail Pocket Guide from www.pinhotitrail alliance.org  This Guide lists all sections of the entire Pinhoti and identifies them as road or woods walks.  It also privides directions to the trail heads you would use if you were sectioning the trail.  I have no affiliation with the club but I love the Pinhoti and have found the information in the Guide to be invaluable.

[Chris]

Ya, I looked over Solo's pocket guide and it was a very neat.

[kayak karl]

i'm new here,  hi. found alot of info here in the last 1/2 hour. i know there is alot of road hiking, but thats the way it goes. maybe if alot of people start walking those roads, the locals will want to stick us in the woods . nothing worthwild comes quick.