Pinhoti Trail   Dec 3 - 5, 2009
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Day 1	Burns Trailhead to Oakey Mountain Shelter	Daily mileage: 15.2	Trip mileage:  15.2
Day 2	Oakey Mountain Shelter to Davis Mountain Shelter	Daily mileage: 11.8	Trip mileage:  27.0
Day 3	Davis Mountain Shelter to Jackson Chapel Trailhead	Daily mileage: 11.2	Trip mileage: 38.2
Day 1
Chicken Feathers and I agreed to meet in Rome, GA between 7:00-7:30am at McDonald's. We then made our way to the Jackson Chapel Trailhead to drop off my vehicle. A lot of hikers are encouraged to leave their vehicle in Cave Spring, GA while hiking for multiple days, but that option didn't work out for me. I contacted City Hall in Cave Spring and they told me to call the police dept about where to leave my vehicle. I called the police dept and they told me to call the fire dept about where to leave my vehicle. I called the fire dept and they told me to call city hall about where to leave my vehicle. So I grew tired of this and decided to simply leave my vehicle at the Trailhead and take my chances. The Trailhead is at the intersection of Jackson Chapel Road and a private jeep road used by hunters. There is space for a couple of vehicles, but make sure you don't block the gate, as a hunter arrived as we were dropping off my vehicle. We then make our way to the Burns Trailhead, which is about a 45 minute drive. We arrived at Burns Trailhead and quickly ready our gear for the hike. There used to be a log cabin at this Trailhead and former home of Mr. Pink E. Burns. This dwelling was destroyed by arsonists a few years ago. There is a plaque at the start of the trail embedded in a large boulder. I snapped off a couple of photos and we began hiking. Our goal today was to hike 15.2 miles to the Oakey Mountain Shelter. We had plenty of time to complete this hike, so we were in no hurry. I brought Shadow along for this hike. He's the latest addition to the family. He's an Australian Cattle / German Shepherd mix. I'm still building up Shadow's endurance, so I wanted to make this a relatively easy trip. Our hike begins with a 700' climb, though it is graded well and not strenuous. There are some nice views from Rocky Top 6 & 7 on Dugger Mountain. We passed several large blowdowns across the trail. One blowdown was huge and laid along the trail, while another blowdown virtually blocked the trail. A short time later we arrived at North Dugger Flats, which follows and crosses a creek for the next 1/2 mile. This looked like a great spot to take a break, have a snack and wait for Chicken Feathers. Chicken Feathers arrived a short time later and we continued to the North FS 500 Trailhead. There is parking for 2 vehicles approximately 50ft down the road. We soon arrived at a sign for the North Dugger Mountain Shelter. I took the side trail to see this shelter and snap some photos. Chicken Feathers decided to continue on the trail, and we would catch up with him later. This is a nice shelter. Sleeps 4-6 people, has cooking platforms on both sides and a picnic table. The water source is back at the FS 500 Trailhead 1/10th of a mile back down the trail. I snapped of a few photos while Shadow took a break near the picnic table. We left the shelter and continued on our hike. We passed some incredible views along the next mile or so and saw a lot of turkeys. We then descended to the Terrapin Creek Watershed and dam. The trail crosses the dam, where there are signs of hunters use this spot as a base camp. We were only a few miles from our destination, so we continued on to make camp before nightfall. There was an unmarked road crossing, where we thought the shelter might be. So I dropped my pack and descended the road for about 150 yards, where it leveled off and there was no sign of a shelter. So I climbed back up, grabbed my pack, and we continued. Everything had been well-marked up to this point, so we figured there'd have to be a sign or marker for the shelter. A short while later we crossed another old road, and there was the sign for the Oakey Mountain Shelter. This is another nice shelter, which sleeps 4-6 people, has a cooking platform on one side and a picnic table. The water source is 4/10ths of a mile further up the trail. We dropped our packs and I started gathering fire wood. This shelter must not get much use because there was a ton of wood within close proximity of the shelter. We would not have an issue with having a fire for the evening. I then set up camp and then we headed down to get water. The water source is a good flowing creek. We topped off our fluids and I let Shadow 'camel up' further down the creek. We went back to camp, built a fire, cooked dinner and hung out around the campfire for a few hours. Chicken Feathers turned in before me, so I grabbed my book and read by the fire until I was ready to crawl into my sleeping bag.
Day 2
I had a great night of sleep. It was peaceful and just enough wind for background noise. We broke camp around 8:30am and had originally planned to camp at the Hawkins Hollow Tent Platform, but decided we would pull up short and stay at the Davis Mountain Shelter. It was calling for rain/show/wintry mix for tonight and tomorrow morning. We figured it'd be better to stay at the shelter. Less than an hour into our hike, we came upon the Chief Ladiga Rail Trail. This rail trail connects with the Silver Comet Trail, which goes all the way back to Atlanta. We followed the Chief Ladiga Trail for 1/2 mile, crossing the Terrapin Creek Bridge, then we turned off into the woods. There are several road crossings on this stretch including Maxwell Gap / CR 70, which is a paved 2-lane road. We continue on and begin a 700' climb up to Rocky Top 8 and the Robert R. Ferguson Memorial Plaque which is set in a rock pile on the side of the trail. We decided to take a short break at this spot, as we had an incredible view while we snacked and rested. Shadow and I hiked on ahead and would wait for Chicken Feathers at the High Point Trailhead / US 278. We arrived at the Trailhead and dropped our packs. There is room for 20+ cars at this Trailhead and US 278 is a very busy road. It would be an easy hitch into town from here. I propped up my feet and took a short nap. Shadow was curled up next to me and he too took a nap. It was about an hour later when Chicken Feathers arrived. The trail follows US 278 for 3/10ths of a mile, where it turns up into the woods at an ATA Section Dedication Marker. We continued our climb and soon entered the Pitts 1, where the trail winds through open pit iron ore mines. Once we passed through the Pitts, we descended to a flowing creek, which I would find out shortly is the water source for the Davis Mountain Shelter. I figured there was a water source at the shelter but that is not the case. We worked our way up the Davis Mountain switchbacks and soon arrived at the Davis Mountain Shelter. Another nice shelter, which sleeps 4-6 people, has cooking platforms on both sides, a picnic table, 4 wooden stools, a wooden bench, a fire ring, and charcoal grill. There's even a bag of charcoal and lighter inside the shelter. I dropped my pack and started collecting fire wood. As with the last shelter, there was a ton of wood within a short distance of the shelter. Shadow thought it was play time. I would throw a piece of firewood up from a small ravine and he would grab it and drag it back to me. So I stopped and played fetch with him for a short while until he was ready to rest in camp and let me collect wood. Chicken Feathers showed up a short time later. I worked my way a 1/4 mile on up the trail to see if there was a water source. No luck. So I went back to the shelter, grabbed my purifier and hiked back down to the creek a 1/2 mile down the mountain. I topped off water for me and Chicken Feathers, and then let Shadow 'camel up'. We headed back to the shelter and it was time for dinner. I gave Shadow his first - Evo dog food and a foil pack of chicken breast. I was having Creamy Chicken Rice. While my dinner was cooking, I went about building a fire. The temperature was dropping and you could feel a cold front moving into the area. We were situated on a ridge and you could see the clouds moving in from a distance. We could also hear and see headlights on US 278, which carries a lot of traffic. As with the night before, we ate dinner around the fire. Later in the evening, Chicken Feathers turned in and I grabbed my book to read by the fire. Shadow was curled up a few feet away by the fire, sleeping soundly. It would be a few hours before I finally turned in for the night.
Day 3
We woke up to snow this morning! woo hoo! Not much... maybe a half inch or so. But I'll take whatever snow I can get down here in the South. Shadow loves the snow and he was having fun running around in the snow. We played fetch for a few minutes and then it was time to break camp and make our way to my vehicle. The snow continued to fall for the first couple of hours of hike this morning. Some spots had up to two inches of accumulation. Visibility was maybe a hundred yards. So I wouldn't be getting many photos today. Without the views and the cold temps, I put my head down and simply hiked. Shadow was loving this stretch. He had an extra hitch in his giddy up, and was energetic as ever. It was beautiful hiking through the snow and ice covered trees. It was quiet, calm and relaxing. We saw virtually no animals or birds on this stretch. We did pass a hunter's ATV parked on one of the many road beds we crossed. I never saw the hunter nor did I hear any gunshots. We eventually arrived at the Hurricane Creek Bridge. I was glad to see it had been rebuilt. Several bridges in the past have been washed away, and I wasn't up for wading across this creek. We crossed the bridge and decided to take a break here, and wait for Chicken Feathers. Chicken Feathers arrived a short time later and needed to top of his fluids. We continued on and crossed several roads and road beds. We saw a hunter's vehicle parked at the end of one of the road beds, though we never saw or heard anyone. Before long we reached the Hawkins Hollow Tent Platform. This is a wooden tent platform, with room for two tents, a picnic table and a fire ring. It was situated next to a flowing creek. This is definitely a spot I'd like to come back and camp. The next few miles were a little tougher. The snow was melting and my pants and such were getting soaked. My feet were cold and the wind was picking up. So I picked up the pace and soon arrived at the Alabama / Georgia State Line. There is a wooden marker as well as a couple of flags to mark the state line. The trail is a little tricky here. It is the only spot so far on the Pinhoti where I couldn't tell where the trail continued. So I zigzagged a short distance down the hill and picked up the trail. We arrived at the ATA / Spring Creek Shelter a short time later. This is the only shelter on the GA Pinhoti. I decided to wait here for Chicken Feathers. I dropped my pack and took Shadow over to the creek and let him get his drink on. We went back to the shelter, where I dug out my sleeping pad and sleeping bag, and curled up inside the shelter, where I planned to read until Chicken Feathers showed up. Turns out he was only about 45 minutes behind me. He arrived and we both changed into some dry socks. I had forgot to pack my low gaiters and water was getting down into my shoes and soaking my socks. We were less than two miles from the car, so we packed up and headed off to complete this trip. As we were hiking, I saw a herd of deer off to my left - must've been 7 or 8 deer paralleling the trail. Its amazing how quietly they can move through the forest. I slowed my pace and simply watched them make their way down the hill side. They silently faded into the background. We soon passed through The Pitts 3 and I knew the Trailhead was just down the trail. We arrived at the Trailhead and I was relieved to see my vehicle had not been vandalized or stolen. I jumped in my vehicle and threw on some clean, dry clothes and cranked the heater. Chicken Feathers arrived a short time later and loaded up his gear and made our way back to the Burns Trailhead. I left my driving directions in his truck, so we had to rely on our memory to get there. Fortunately, between the two of us, we made it back with no issue. On the drive there, we passed the cutest little Beagle walking down the road like it was on a mission. It had a collar, so I figured it belonged to one of the homes in the area. If it didn't have a collar, it would have been the fourth member of my dog pack. :-)