I went into this section hike knowing three things. I knew from previous experience my gear would perform, which gave me confidence. I knew it would be a physical and mental challenge, which I have been preparing for and looking forward to. I also knew it would be hotter and drier than normal, but I decided to go anyway.
Before I go any further, I have to say three things up front. USE THE FAROUT APP! I can’t stress that enough. There aren’t many trail intersections, but the FarOut App kept me on trail with minimal searching more than once. Before you leave, make sure the map in downloaded for offline use. This trip would not have been as successful or enjoyable if I hadn’t used the FarOut App. Second, the biggest “THANK YOU!!!!” ever goes out to the volunteers that maintain the trail. The Pinhoti Trail is well maintained with minimal blowdowns, nicely maintained actual trail bed, and well-marked using the blue blazes and flagging tape when needed. Lastly, and maybe most importantly, thank you to the Pinhoti Outdoor Center! Your shuttles, support, and picking me up when I wasn’t on the schedule is GREATLY appreciated.
This experience was a personal test as it was my longest backpacking trip to date by over 10 miles and my first solo multi day trip. I took videos and edited them using my phone for the first time, so that helped keep my mind busy. The trail was very quiet (I didn’t see any other hikers on the trail), and I had minimal cell phone reception, but I never felt unsafe.
During my 3-night trip, most of the things I used performed exactly as expected without an issue. This includes the FarOut app and all of my major gear such as my hammock, tarp, quilts, water filter, socks, shoes, backpack, headlamp, stove, etc.
I also learned a few small things about things I carried. I learned that the headband on my headlamp glows in the dark – that was a nice surprise the first night! The last night I inaccurately estimated the distance between two trees and my tarp ridgeline was too short by about two feet. I was tired and my hammock was already set up and adjusted. I learned that my pack hanger can be used to extend my tarp ridgeline – so that’s nice to know. While the road walks aren’t a lot of fun, they actually weren’t as miserable as I expected, but I did both of them early in the morning. I would expect doing the road walk portion in the afternoon to be much worse as the road would also give off heat in addition to be being hot and exposed in general. At the last minute I decided to carry a cooling cloth to soak in water and put around my neck and I think that really helped me stay cooler. I confirmed that KT tape is great for blister prevention when you feel a hotspot. I ended the trip with zero blisters!
There are several items I carried on this trip that I never used and if I had to repeat this trip in the same conditions, I would not include them next time. This includes ALL of my stuff to stay warm. I took too much, and I never used any of it. This includes handwarmers, fleece toboggan, thin gloves, thin thermal pants, buff, and I wore the long sleeve shirt once so all of that would stay home. I never used my rain jacket, but I would carry it anyway. I can also use it to stay warm and it is in a “Here I am, come get me” bright orange if it was ever needed for that. I took 8 oz of denatured alcohol for stove fuel but averaged only using an ounce a day. I could easily have carried a few ounces less. I never used my “mug” in my cook kit, my cork massage ball, my sunglasses, and I accidently took two pair of glasses. I quit using my stuff sack for my top quilt after the first night. Just leaving all of the above-mentioned items would have reduced my pack weight by over THREE POUNDS!
I always try to reflect and think about what I would personally have done different after a trip. Here is what I would do differently if there was a “do over”. I would leave the above-mentioned items at home. I didn’t take ANY candy, and the sugar boost on some of the climbs would have been helpful and just enjoyable in general. I had a small sample of sunscreen in my first aid kit, but started applying it too late and my neck got a little sunburned, so I would have carried more and applied it earlier. During future backpacking trips on the Pinhoti, I will aim for daily mileage in the 15-mile range – especially in the next section between Bulls Gap and Cheaha State Park. Lastly, and probably most importantly, I would positively, absolutely, and without a doubt, make sure my water bottles are securely attached to my pack.
Speaking of water, I’ll address my decision to quit a day early when I ran low/out of water. I will admit my situation was all my fault and I don’t blame anyone or anything. I tried too much with too little and it was 100% my decision. I could have carried more water from Shelton’s Creek, made a water drop at Trammel Trailhead, or asked for assistance before I started over Rebecca Mountain. I did none of those options and I paid the price.
Should I have continued when I found water at White Gap? In hindsight, probably so. But this was a learning experience and I lived to hike another day. I ran out of water on top of Rebecca Mountain because I didn’t carry enough. I knew I was getting more and more dehydrated, but staying in one spot would not help my situation. I was fully aware of my situation and saw it slowly develop throughout the afternoon. My only choice was to get to water whatever it took, and the closest water was in front of me. Toward the end of the day, I was only sipping water when I realized I quit sweating. I hadn’t felt the need to urinate in HOURS. I was moving slower and resting more often. Was that smart? No. Did I have a choice short of a rescue operation? No – and it wasn’t THAT bad of a situation that I needed someone to come get me.
So, why did I quit? Reflecting back now, it was simply inexperience. I aim to be a self-sufficient backpacker – I dislike beggars on the trail, so I was trying to be self-supported. In my mind, water drops were for emergencies only and I considered my situation at White Gap a “near emergency” because I didn’t have any water left, so I didn’t have another option. Since I considered the water cache for emergencies only, I really didn’t drink enough Friday night because I wanted to be considerate of others behind me. Silly me – I could have refilled the water drop after I got off the trail!
I spent Friday evening and night sipping water. During the night I still had cramps, not feeling great, and was still really thirsty when I woke up on Saturday morning. During the same time, I spent hours considering what I should do – continue or stop while looking at FarOut to determine the exact minimum mileage I needed. There was a water drop in 3.3 miles at Bulls Gap then the next reliable water was 14 miles North of Bulls Gap at Dry Creek.
My plan Friday night was to get up early Saturday morning, get to Bulls Gap and spend time getting fully hydrated. From there, I was going to carry both of my 1 Liter bottles and Gatorade bottle full of water in addition to my full 2 Liter bladder attached to my filter. That would give me over 4 Liters of water carrying capacity for the next 14 miles. That was doable in my mind.
Saturday morning, I realized that I had lost one of my 1 Liter bottles during the previous day. That reduced my water capacity to 3 Liters. That greatly changed the situation. Knowing I was still slightly dehydrated from the previous day and thinking I only had a 3 Liter water capacity for 14 miles, I made the decision to stop. Taking the chance of making it wasn’t worth the risk of NOT making it.
The 3.3-mile hike to Bulls Gap was way more challenging than it should have been, and I consumed all of the water I had with me with the mostly downhill hike. The shuttle driver picked me up and we were talking about what happened during the drive back. He mentioned that I could have simply taken one of the gallon jugs of water and used it for water storage during the dry spell. I hadn’t even thought of that as a possibility. My inexperience made me believe the water caches were for emergencies only, and not to be used freely as a water source. Using an empty plastic jug for extra water storage was beyond my comprehension at the time. If I had fully understood the use of water caches at the time, I would have used the water cache at White Gap and Bulls Gap differently and would have continued my hike.
This trip was a test for me, and when I grade myself, I passed – but I didn’t Ace the exam, either. My inexperience and bad decision or two changed the outcome of the trip and I give myself a grade of “C- to B+”.
This was the longest I had been alone in the woods and my longest continuous hike ever. I was dropped at the southern terminus Wednesday afternoon about 2 pm. I did not see another section/thru hiker the entire time on the trail. In fact, the only other people I interacted with were the staff at Dollar General and someone out walking close to their house by Trammel Trailhead. The Pinhoti is a great trail and if you are looking for solitude, this is a great trail for it. I really enjoyed hiking without seeing anyone and it was really peaceful and helped me think about things without being distracted. I never even listened to music during the trip. I hiked 43.4 miles with over 5900 ft of elevation gain over three nights/four days and ended the trip with no blisters or gear malfunctions. I think all of those are positives.
I DID make a few bad decisions. I tried to do too much with too little and made some bad decisions as a result. Some of those bad decisions were knowingly (not taking enough water over Rebecca Mountain) and unknowingly (not using the empty jugs for water storage). After those decisions were made, at least I realized the effects of those decisions and made the choice for safety instead of taking a chance.
Now it is time to take my new knowledge and experience to start planning my next section hike of the Pinhoti Trail when it is cooler weather and when there is more water. My current plan it to start at Bulls Gap and hike to Cheaha State Park over a long weekend a distance of 43.9 miles over some very challenging terrain with lots of elevation gain.
bad biscuit 