PTA Site Map / www.pinhotitrailalliance.org
The Pinhoti Trail
A Southeast Region Appalachian Trail Connector
The Turkey Track ~ 2009
Detailed activity calendars for the individual trail clubs can be viewed at
their websites. Please follow the trail club website links on column 2 of
the PTA Site Map page.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
December 22 ~ Ultralight Hiking
A new page on Ultralight Hiking has been added to the website with links to gear and food
pages. The link is on the upper block of the Site Map.
December 7 ~ Hunting Season
A new page has been added to the website that includes links to the Alabama and Georgia
state hunting websites and there is also some general info that may be helpful. The link is
on the upper block of the Site Map.
November 23 ~ Trail Summits
A new page has been added to the website identifying the 14 named summits on the
Alabama section of the Pinhoti that are on the states highest 100 list. The link is on the
upper block of the Site Map.
November 11 ~ Pinhoti Wildflowers
The previous Wildflower page has been replaced. The link is still on the upper block of the
Site Map. There are 104 photos so far on 15 pages and have been subdivided into three
categories: Color ~ Spring ~ Fall. These pages will provide easy identification to some of
the common, local species. There are plenty of great books on this subject to fill in all of
the details, Adze has a whole herd of them : )
September 29 ~ Hurricane Creek Bridge
Section 13, mile 166.0, just south of Salem Church Road. The Alabama Trails Association
has completed a new bridge to replace the old suspension bridge that was damaged by high
water and floating trees.
August 6 ~ Pinhoti Wildflowers
A new link has been added to the upper block of the PTA Site Map for a collection of
wildflower photos Adze and I have taken on the trail since 2006. These may help you with
identifying some of the common species found in this area.
July 14 ~ Rebecca Mountain
I just received an update from Mike Leonard of the Conservation Fund concerning the
1100 acre Evergreen Tract on the crest of Rebecca Mountain. As planned, the Forest
Service has purchased this tract from the Conservation Fund and the Pinhoti Trail
corridor through here is now protected by the USFS. Good job. Thanks to all involved!
July 12 ~ Kent Evans
After 5 years as District Ranger for the Talladega Ranger District-TNF, Kent is
relocating to his home state of Texas this month where he will continue his career with
the Forest Service ~ 32 years and counting! He has put in a lot of time and energy on
behalf of the Pinhoti while he was here. His biggest impact was in raising the local
communities awareness level of the trail and the many benefits of spending time
outdoors. He also oversaw the Pinhoti Trail construction across Horn Mountain in Section
4, trail construction across Rebecca Mountain in Section 3, a major land purchase on
Rebecca Mountain and the restoration of the Horn Mountain CCC Picnic Shelter. Thanks
for everything and best of luck in the future!
June 8 ~ Trail Condition Posting
All of the separate Trail Condition templates that were on each of the individual trail
guide sections have been consolidated onto one Trail Condition page. The link to this page
can be found on the upper block of the Site Map.
May 20 ~ Woods Trail & Road Walks
A Trailbed page has been added to the website describing which sections of the Pinhoti
Trail are in the woods and which are on the roads. The link is on the Site Map page in the
upper block.
May 19 ~ Buffalo Field Campaign
A BFC page has been added to the PTA website. The link is on the Site Map, Column 2,
under Special Interest Sites. The BFC page has an interesting short essay from one of
their members and there is a link to the BFC website at the bottom of the page.
May 13 ~ Rebecca Mountain
Courtesy of Mike Leonard ~ Continued progress on the Pinhoti.
In the last week or two, the Conservation Fund closed on the 1100 or so acre Evergreen
Tract on the crest of Rebecca Mountain at the south end of the Talladega National
Forest (Section 3).
We expect the U.S. Forest Service to buy it from the Fund by early June. This means
that the final and southernmost portion of the Pinhoti in the Talladega National Forest
can be built along a dramatic ridge crest route.
$550,000 of the $1,500,000 cost was covered by private funds from a conservation
donor based in N.C. That private money had much to do with the U.S. Forest Service
making it a high priority project.
May 12 ~ Mothers Day Tornado (08)
Section 8 ~ Trail mile 103.3 ~ AL 281 Crossing
Courtesy of Lesley Hodge ~ USFS
The Pinhoti has been re-constructed (by the Forest Service) along Hwy 281 where last
years Mothers Day tornado hit (this is the central portion of the Alabama side of the
Pinhoti that was closed last May for a good long while).
May 12 ~ Bull Gap Trailhead
Courtesy of Lesley Hodge ~ USFS
The new trailhead parking area at the southern terminus of Section 4, Bull Gap, has been
completed by the US Forest Service. Thanks Guys! Here are a couple of photos:
one / two / three
May 11 ~ Pinhoti History
Look for several new entries that have been added the Trail History page. The Trail
History link is located on the upper block of the Site Map page,
Information about such things as the first sections of the Pinhoti, the Cheaha Wilderness,
extending the Talladega National Forest boundary and land acquisitions were recently
provided to me by North Carolina attorney Michael Leonard, whose Pinhoti activism over
the last 30 years has, among many other things, included testifying before the US
Congress on behalf of the Pinhoti on several occasions.
April 13 ~ Burns Trailhead
I visited the Burns Trailhead today and met a FS Ranger and 3 prisoners from the county
jail who were dismantling the two chimneys. There was nothing left of the log cabin but a
pile of ash. I worked with the ranger back in 2006 on the Horn Mountain CCC Shelter
restoration project, but I don't recall his name. He said that everyone in the FS is upset
about the loss of this historic landmark. He also said the Shoal Creek Ranger District is
accepting donations to help build a kiosk explaining the history of the homesite. Please call
Lesley Hodge at her office: USFS office in Heflin ~ 256-463-2272
April 6 ~ Trail Condition Posting
The Trail Condition templates have been completed for all 31 Pinhoti Trail sections. These
can be found on each of the etrail guides located in column 1 of the Site Map page. They
will mainly be used by the maintaining trail clubs to keep track of where and when basic
maintenance tasks have been done - blowdown removal, cutting back brush, painting
blazes. This information may also be of use to others in the trail community, in a limited
sense.
Please send me an email from the "Contact" link on the upper block of the Site Map page
if you would like to have the mileage, task and year of your clubs work trip listed here.
April 5 ~ Horn Mountain CCC Shelter
A new page has been added to the website. This is a photo essay of the CCC Shelter
restoration on Horn Mountain back in 2006. The link is on the Site Map, 4th column under
"US Forest Service".
March 19 ~ AL Road Crossing Directions
A link to the page with driving directions to all 33 Pinhoti Trail road crossings in Alabama
has been placed on the Site Map, 1st column under "Northbound Trail Guides".
March 12 ~ Pinky Burns Cabin
Here is a quote from The Anniston Star, Thursday, March 12 -
"Pinky Burns' cabin, a Rabbittown landmark since the late 1800's, burned to the ground
Tuesday night ( Mar. 10) and the three suspected to be responsible for it are being held
at the Calhoun County jail, according to the Sheriff's Office."
"The log cabin's two chimneys are all that remain of the building, which belonged to Pinky
Burns, a locally famous trapper, hunter and storyteller who lived there until his death in
1999 at the age of 81."
The cabin was located at Pinhoti Trail mile 136.1 ~ Burns Trailhead.
March 1 ~ Alabama Section Thru Hike
A link to the Alabama Section Thru Hike page has been added to the upper block of the
Site Map page. This is a planning page for folks who may be considering a good long hike to
clear out the cobwebs.
February 24 ~ Bluffton History
A Bluffton History page has been added. The link is on the Site Map, 3rd column under
The Pinhoti Trail. Bluffton is in Section 13, trail mile 166.1 ~ Salem Church Road Crossing.
This area was a iron ore mining boom town during the 1800's and 1900's.
February 22 ~ Horn Mountain Fire Tower
Section 4, mile 44.2. The Fire Tower on Horn Mountain has been accepted into the
National Historic Lookout Register. Here is a copy of the application sent in by Thomas
Kaufmann, Area Representative, Alabama Forest Fire Lookout Association. This link is on
the Site Map page, 4th column under US Forest Service.
February 18 ~ Trail FAQ's
A new FAQ page has been added to the site. The link to this page is in the upper left hand
corner of the Site Map. Back in 2006 when I did the online interview with Backpacker
Magazine, I remember thinking what a great FAQ page it would make. Guess I forgot all
about it until last night : ) Anyway, it's just an edited version of the interview with
updates added for the trail changes that have occurred since then.
February 9 ~ Road Crossing Signs
A link to the new Road Crossing Signs has been added to the Site Map in the 3rd column
under the Pinhoti Trail heading. These metal signs are being made now and will be placed
this year at all road crossings and shelters in the Shoal Creek Ranger District; north
from the South FS 500 Trailhead / US 78 up to the High Point Trailhead / US 278. The
info on the signs was compiled by Tom Coffield of the Appalachian Trail Club of Alabama.
The signs are being provided by the FS. Thanks Guys!!
February 2 ~ Site Map Update
Several new links have been added to the upper block of the Site Map page:
Trail Glossary, Trail Users and Trail Marking. These links, except for the Trail Users
page, have always been in the lower blocks of the Site Map page. Putting them in the upper
block just makes them more convenient. The Trail Users page is already in the Pinhoti
Trail Pocket Guide and I decided to put it on the web site after getting a report from
the ATCA this past weekend of mountain bikers riding the trail between Shoal Creek
Church and Coleman Lake. I also spotted 4 bikers on the trail at the US 431 Crossing
yesterday. I'm not trying to tell folks what to do or what not to do, this is just fair
warning of the consequences for those who may not know.
January 28 ~ snailtrail Guides
The full text versions of the Alabama section trail guides have been updated and are back
again. The links are called "snailtrail" guides and are located on the left column of the
Site Map page, under "Trail Guides". These guides have hundreds more trail landmarks
than the 2 page "etrail" guides and hundreds of links and photos. I really do have plans to
make snailtrail guides for the Georgia sections but my mind just isn't in that zip code this
winter :< )
January 1 ~ Pinhoti Trail Pocket Guide Update
The 2009 edition of the Pocket Guide is now available. The only info update in this edition
is the listing of the new trail shelter in GA, the ATA Shelter, just completed in Section
13 at mile 172.0, 0.8 miles north of the AL/GA state line. This is the second shelter built
by the Alabama Trails Association in this section. You may want to pencil in a weekend to
visit or revisit this section if you haven't been up there in a while.
There has been a lot of new trail building on the southern end of the Pinhoti in Section 3
on Rebecca Mountain but there is nothing to put into the guide book yet. Keep checking
back here for updates on this project.
PTA Site Map / Top of Page ^-^
The Pinhoti Trail
A Southeast Region Appalachian Trail Connector
The Turkey Track ~ 2009
Detailed activity calendars for the individual trail clubs can be viewed at
their websites. Please follow the trail club website links on column 2 of
the PTA Site Map page.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
December 22 ~ Ultralight Hiking
A new page on Ultralight Hiking has been added to the website with links to gear and food
pages. The link is on the upper block of the Site Map.
December 7 ~ Hunting Season
A new page has been added to the website that includes links to the Alabama and Georgia
state hunting websites and there is also some general info that may be helpful. The link is
on the upper block of the Site Map.
November 23 ~ Trail Summits
A new page has been added to the website identifying the 14 named summits on the
Alabama section of the Pinhoti that are on the states highest 100 list. The link is on the
upper block of the Site Map.
November 11 ~ Pinhoti Wildflowers
The previous Wildflower page has been replaced. The link is still on the upper block of the
Site Map. There are 104 photos so far on 15 pages and have been subdivided into three
categories: Color ~ Spring ~ Fall. These pages will provide easy identification to some of
the common, local species. There are plenty of great books on this subject to fill in all of
the details, Adze has a whole herd of them : )
September 29 ~ Hurricane Creek Bridge
Section 13, mile 166.0, just south of Salem Church Road. The Alabama Trails Association
has completed a new bridge to replace the old suspension bridge that was damaged by high
water and floating trees.
August 6 ~ Pinhoti Wildflowers
A new link has been added to the upper block of the PTA Site Map for a collection of
wildflower photos Adze and I have taken on the trail since 2006. These may help you with
identifying some of the common species found in this area.
July 14 ~ Rebecca Mountain
I just received an update from Mike Leonard of the Conservation Fund concerning the
1100 acre Evergreen Tract on the crest of Rebecca Mountain. As planned, the Forest
Service has purchased this tract from the Conservation Fund and the Pinhoti Trail
corridor through here is now protected by the USFS. Good job. Thanks to all involved!
July 12 ~ Kent Evans
After 5 years as District Ranger for the Talladega Ranger District-TNF, Kent is
relocating to his home state of Texas this month where he will continue his career with
the Forest Service ~ 32 years and counting! He has put in a lot of time and energy on
behalf of the Pinhoti while he was here. His biggest impact was in raising the local
communities awareness level of the trail and the many benefits of spending time
outdoors. He also oversaw the Pinhoti Trail construction across Horn Mountain in Section
4, trail construction across Rebecca Mountain in Section 3, a major land purchase on
Rebecca Mountain and the restoration of the Horn Mountain CCC Picnic Shelter. Thanks
for everything and best of luck in the future!
June 8 ~ Trail Condition Posting
All of the separate Trail Condition templates that were on each of the individual trail
guide sections have been consolidated onto one Trail Condition page. The link to this page
can be found on the upper block of the Site Map.
May 20 ~ Woods Trail & Road Walks
A Trailbed page has been added to the website describing which sections of the Pinhoti
Trail are in the woods and which are on the roads. The link is on the Site Map page in the
upper block.
May 19 ~ Buffalo Field Campaign
A BFC page has been added to the PTA website. The link is on the Site Map, Column 2,
under Special Interest Sites. The BFC page has an interesting short essay from one of
their members and there is a link to the BFC website at the bottom of the page.
May 13 ~ Rebecca Mountain
Courtesy of Mike Leonard ~ Continued progress on the Pinhoti.
In the last week or two, the Conservation Fund closed on the 1100 or so acre Evergreen
Tract on the crest of Rebecca Mountain at the south end of the Talladega National
Forest (Section 3).
We expect the U.S. Forest Service to buy it from the Fund by early June. This means
that the final and southernmost portion of the Pinhoti in the Talladega National Forest
can be built along a dramatic ridge crest route.
$550,000 of the $1,500,000 cost was covered by private funds from a conservation
donor based in N.C. That private money had much to do with the U.S. Forest Service
making it a high priority project.
May 12 ~ Mothers Day Tornado (08)
Section 8 ~ Trail mile 103.3 ~ AL 281 Crossing
Courtesy of Lesley Hodge ~ USFS
The Pinhoti has been re-constructed (by the Forest Service) along Hwy 281 where last
years Mothers Day tornado hit (this is the central portion of the Alabama side of the
Pinhoti that was closed last May for a good long while).
May 12 ~ Bull Gap Trailhead
Courtesy of Lesley Hodge ~ USFS
The new trailhead parking area at the southern terminus of Section 4, Bull Gap, has been
completed by the US Forest Service. Thanks Guys! Here are a couple of photos:
one / two / three
May 11 ~ Pinhoti History
Look for several new entries that have been added the Trail History page. The Trail
History link is located on the upper block of the Site Map page,
Information about such things as the first sections of the Pinhoti, the Cheaha Wilderness,
extending the Talladega National Forest boundary and land acquisitions were recently
provided to me by North Carolina attorney Michael Leonard, whose Pinhoti activism over
the last 30 years has, among many other things, included testifying before the US
Congress on behalf of the Pinhoti on several occasions.
April 13 ~ Burns Trailhead
I visited the Burns Trailhead today and met a FS Ranger and 3 prisoners from the county
jail who were dismantling the two chimneys. There was nothing left of the log cabin but a
pile of ash. I worked with the ranger back in 2006 on the Horn Mountain CCC Shelter
restoration project, but I don't recall his name. He said that everyone in the FS is upset
about the loss of this historic landmark. He also said the Shoal Creek Ranger District is
accepting donations to help build a kiosk explaining the history of the homesite. Please call
Lesley Hodge at her office: USFS office in Heflin ~ 256-463-2272
April 6 ~ Trail Condition Posting
The Trail Condition templates have been completed for all 31 Pinhoti Trail sections. These
can be found on each of the etrail guides located in column 1 of the Site Map page. They
will mainly be used by the maintaining trail clubs to keep track of where and when basic
maintenance tasks have been done - blowdown removal, cutting back brush, painting
blazes. This information may also be of use to others in the trail community, in a limited
sense.
Please send me an email from the "Contact" link on the upper block of the Site Map page
if you would like to have the mileage, task and year of your clubs work trip listed here.
April 5 ~ Horn Mountain CCC Shelter
A new page has been added to the website. This is a photo essay of the CCC Shelter
restoration on Horn Mountain back in 2006. The link is on the Site Map, 4th column under
"US Forest Service".
March 19 ~ AL Road Crossing Directions
A link to the page with driving directions to all 33 Pinhoti Trail road crossings in Alabama
has been placed on the Site Map, 1st column under "Northbound Trail Guides".
March 12 ~ Pinky Burns Cabin
Here is a quote from The Anniston Star, Thursday, March 12 -
"Pinky Burns' cabin, a Rabbittown landmark since the late 1800's, burned to the ground
Tuesday night ( Mar. 10) and the three suspected to be responsible for it are being held
at the Calhoun County jail, according to the Sheriff's Office."
"The log cabin's two chimneys are all that remain of the building, which belonged to Pinky
Burns, a locally famous trapper, hunter and storyteller who lived there until his death in
1999 at the age of 81."
The cabin was located at Pinhoti Trail mile 136.1 ~ Burns Trailhead.
March 1 ~ Alabama Section Thru Hike
A link to the Alabama Section Thru Hike page has been added to the upper block of the
Site Map page. This is a planning page for folks who may be considering a good long hike to
clear out the cobwebs.
February 24 ~ Bluffton History
A Bluffton History page has been added. The link is on the Site Map, 3rd column under
The Pinhoti Trail. Bluffton is in Section 13, trail mile 166.1 ~ Salem Church Road Crossing.
This area was a iron ore mining boom town during the 1800's and 1900's.
February 22 ~ Horn Mountain Fire Tower
Section 4, mile 44.2. The Fire Tower on Horn Mountain has been accepted into the
National Historic Lookout Register. Here is a copy of the application sent in by Thomas
Kaufmann, Area Representative, Alabama Forest Fire Lookout Association. This link is on
the Site Map page, 4th column under US Forest Service.
February 18 ~ Trail FAQ's
A new FAQ page has been added to the site. The link to this page is in the upper left hand
corner of the Site Map. Back in 2006 when I did the online interview with Backpacker
Magazine, I remember thinking what a great FAQ page it would make. Guess I forgot all
about it until last night : ) Anyway, it's just an edited version of the interview with
updates added for the trail changes that have occurred since then.
February 9 ~ Road Crossing Signs
A link to the new Road Crossing Signs has been added to the Site Map in the 3rd column
under the Pinhoti Trail heading. These metal signs are being made now and will be placed
this year at all road crossings and shelters in the Shoal Creek Ranger District; north
from the South FS 500 Trailhead / US 78 up to the High Point Trailhead / US 278. The
info on the signs was compiled by Tom Coffield of the Appalachian Trail Club of Alabama.
The signs are being provided by the FS. Thanks Guys!!
February 2 ~ Site Map Update
Several new links have been added to the upper block of the Site Map page:
Trail Glossary, Trail Users and Trail Marking. These links, except for the Trail Users
page, have always been in the lower blocks of the Site Map page. Putting them in the upper
block just makes them more convenient. The Trail Users page is already in the Pinhoti
Trail Pocket Guide and I decided to put it on the web site after getting a report from
the ATCA this past weekend of mountain bikers riding the trail between Shoal Creek
Church and Coleman Lake. I also spotted 4 bikers on the trail at the US 431 Crossing
yesterday. I'm not trying to tell folks what to do or what not to do, this is just fair
warning of the consequences for those who may not know.
January 28 ~ snailtrail Guides
The full text versions of the Alabama section trail guides have been updated and are back
again. The links are called "snailtrail" guides and are located on the left column of the
Site Map page, under "Trail Guides". These guides have hundreds more trail landmarks
than the 2 page "etrail" guides and hundreds of links and photos. I really do have plans to
make snailtrail guides for the Georgia sections but my mind just isn't in that zip code this
winter :< )
January 1 ~ Pinhoti Trail Pocket Guide Update
The 2009 edition of the Pocket Guide is now available. The only info update in this edition
is the listing of the new trail shelter in GA, the ATA Shelter, just completed in Section
13 at mile 172.0, 0.8 miles north of the AL/GA state line. This is the second shelter built
by the Alabama Trails Association in this section. You may want to pencil in a weekend to
visit or revisit this section if you haven't been up there in a while.
There has been a lot of new trail building on the southern end of the Pinhoti in Section 3
on Rebecca Mountain but there is nothing to put into the guide book yet. Keep checking
back here for updates on this project.
PTA Site Map / Top of Page ^-^
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