Highlights of Cheaha

A weekend backpacking trip with a friend I haven’t seen in years. The Pinhoti Trail and Cheaha State Park are Fireflo’s home turf. Our trip featured highlights of the state park, wilderness, and forest service land surrounding Alabama’s highest peak.

Rolling waves of green fading into blue.

We’d last hiked a section of the Pinhoti Trail during a crazy winter thunderstorm. Our final water crossing of that trip remains the most difficult one I’ve ever done. I considered going back to finish that section of the Pinhoti this trip. But we decided to opt for places with more waterfalls and views.

Exactly what's needed on a hot July day.

The scenery proved to be just as pretty as anything in the southeast, but with less people.

Rock gardens.

Cascades.

Wildflowers abound on the Chinnabee Silent Trail. Why “silent?” It was built by Boy Scouts of the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind.

Lilies

The Pinhoti Trail is part of the Great Eastern Trail and connects the to the Appalachian Trail by way of the Benton Mackaye Trail. In contrast to the busy AT, the tread was narrow in places and we saw no one.

This bit of the Pinhoti was overgrown. But at least there were no brambles!

Fireflo had previously hiked all these trails before but not in summer season or outside of the drought. While cooling off in one stream, we came upon a swimming hole she’d never noticed before.

A warm-up swim.

Then, one of the best swimming holes of the year.

We set up camp near a shelter and watched the rainstorm roll through from our protected perch in the pines.

Building clouds.

In between storms. Notice the moat around the shelter.

Gleeful to have a comfy place to hang out for the evening, share stories, and watch fireflies, before retreating to cozy hammocks.

***
At 5 AM, I woke up suddenly to shouting, "BEAR! BEAR! BEAR!"

Before I was even half-awake, I lept from my hammock and started yelling and banging my poles and running towards Fireflo's hammock, fully prepared for a fight.

Whatever it was had run off though. Apparently, it had brushed into Fireflo's hammock. She heard it panting. In retrospect, it could have been a fox or coyote.

After the rain.

We looked for tracks around camp and thought there might be some small paw prints, but nothing definitive.

What was plentiful were butterflies. I was glad for a relaxed itinerary so there was plenty of time to watch them.

Southern cloudywing sipping nectar from a buttonbush.

We also spent time exploring Cheaha State Park.

No visit to Cheaha State Park is complete without a trip up the CCC tower to the highest point in Alabama. The lasting legacy of the CCC never fails to astonish.

The Doug Ghee Accessible Trail had great views and lovely lichen and mosses along a surprisingly long boardwalk.

We topped off the trip with ice cream from the camp store! Once again, I'm really impressed with the botanical diversity and incredible scenery of Cheaha. It was such a treat to share it with someone who knows the hidden jewels of this area!

More info

Fireflo's Pinhoti Trail Journal
Pinhoti Trail Alliance
Cheaha State Park