Cheaha Wilderness Adventure - Day 1

Brent and I were so excited to go on a weekend backpacking adventure to Cheaha State Park in AL.  The drive from Huntsville to Cheaha only took about two and a half hours, driving on Hwy 431.  My parents came into town to watch the kids while we were gone.
Early Saturday morning, we loaded the packs into Brent's jeep and headed off for Cheaha.  We ate a large breakfast at a Cracker Barrel along the way.  Once we arrived at Cheaha State Park, we parked at the Cheaha trail head parking lot and shouldered our packs to begin our trip.

We started at Cheaha trail head and took the Pinhoti Connector trail which connects Cave Creek trail to the Pinhoti next to Hwy 281.  Of course, the connector trail would immediately go UP...and up...and up the ridge.  All of the trails in this area are covered with rocks of all sizes and lots of beautiful white quartz.  After hiking up the hill a short distance, we connected with the Pinhoti Trail and began to hike south along the ridge.

Let me just say, I renamed the trail.  From this day forth, the section of the Pinhoti from Cave Creek Connector trail head to AL 281 shall be now as Trail of Many Rocks.  I'll explain why.
The Pinhoti Trail follows the ridge line, up and down the ridge as the elevation changes.  It even crosses several peaks.  This section of AL is covered in rocks.  Lots and lots of rocks.  You must step over, on, beside, and even climb over these rocks.  They come in all sizes from tiny little gravel size chunks under your feet to huge boulders that are bigger than most SUVs.
Brent thoroughly enjoyed all the rock climbing...me, not so much.  I'm so clumsy that I had to pay so much attention to where I placed my feet that I missed most of the scenery along the trail.  However, I will recommend the trail if you want to see some excellent vistas and you are looking for a challenge.  This trail is definitely rated a  4...difficult!

We followed the Pinhoti Trail along the ridge until we came to a rocky outcrop with a campsite beside it.  If we weren't only about a mile into our loop, we would have camped there.  It was gorgeous.  The view faced west, so if you camped there, you could sit along the ledge and watch the sun set over the distant ridges.  I really want to return to this section of the Pinhoti one day so that I can camp on this overlook.

A campsite on a ridge along the Pinhoti Trail.

After enjoying the view, we hiked along (mostly up) until we reached Hernandez Peak.  The last 50 feet or so to reach the peak are brutal.  Let me repeat...BRUTAL.  At least I didn't have to go very far.  See the pictures below.

The Pinhoti Trail going up to Hernandez Point.

Brent, waiting for me at the top of Hernandez Peak.

Hernandez Peak.

Brent waiting for me to finish taking pictures. 

After passing Hernandez Peak, we crossed the boundary into Cheaha Wilderness.  We continued traveling along the Pinhoti, passing several beautiful overlooks from the ridge.  The hike after Hernandez Peak was a moderate hike with lots of rocks.

Cheaha Wilderness plaque to mark the boundary.

View from the Pinhoti.

Brent enjoying another overlook on the Pinhoti.

I tried to get in as many pictures as I could since I'm usually the one behind the camera. 

Yet another beautiful overlook.  I could sit here for hours. 

Brent, standing on the above overlook.  The pine tree behind me, out of sight. 

After resting for a few minutes at Hernandez peak, we hiked along until we reached the side trail that goes to McDill Point.  We turned right and proceeded down the trail, which is only a quarter mile in length.  Just down the trail, we came across the wreckage of an old aircraft.  See this post for details on the wreckage.

1972 Crash of a Mooney M20C aircraft - near McDill Point.

After examining the aircraft for nearly half an hour, we walked to McDill Point.  The plan was to hang out there for a while, but someone was camping on the overlook, so we just snapped a couple of pictures and continued back to the Pinhoti.

View from McDill Point.

We hiked along the Pinhoti until we found a large campsite situated on the side of a ridge.  It was a decent campsite.  We've seen better, but out of the three in the immediate area, we choose the one with the flattest ground to set up the tent and a large log for sitting.  It also already had a pile of firewood available, most of which was cedar.    Brent and I set up the campsite.  We stopped so early that once the campsite was set up, we didn't have anything else to do!  We decided to take a nap in the tent.  After about an hour of napping, we woke back up and began to prepare dinner and some tea.  While dinner "cooked" and cooled (which takes about 20 minutes), we talked about the future and where we see ourselves in one, five, and even ten years.

Once dinner was ready, we tried eating outside, but the bugs were swarming so bad that we retreated into our tent to eat in peace.  Afterwards, Brent started the fire, which produced enough smoke to chase most of the bugs away.  We sat around for several hours talking and enjoying the view of the stars and beautiful full moon.  We also played a couple of hands of gin rummy, in which Brent beat me profoundly.

After playing cards, we retired to our sleeping bags in the tent.  I slept soundly the entire night.  Brent didn't sleep as well as me.