Home Nature We’ve Made It To Georgia! Days 10–12 on the Pinhoti

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We’ve Made It To Georgia! Days 10–12 on the Pinhoti

April 12, 2025

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Day 10: Choccolocco Shelter to Oakey Mountain Shelter

With the on and off rainy drizzle Sparks and I hiked through today, the humidity I expected to feel along the entire Pinhoti seems to be here in earnest. I was dripping sweat with all the quick climbs and descents we experienced throughout the day — over 3000’ of elevation change. Not nearly as much as we’ve hiked in a day before, but a decent amount for this trail so far. And while I’m definitely keeping up a quick clip, I’m not in the same trail shape that I was in August of last year.

Good morning, world

Not a whole lot to note today. Well, actually, I’m sure there was a lot to note. But I was distracted again by heat rash and being covered in pollen most of the day. I had every intention of noticing where my mind would wander whenever I felt uncomfortable, but in the moments of itchiness or exertion, that intention fell by the wayside.

Tempting…

Sparks and I made it to Oakey Mountain Shelter. Unlike the AT, the Pinhoti shelters so far have haven’t had much in the way of good (flat, not rocky or rooty) tenting space, but I made it work!

Sparks wants to check out a coffeeshop in Piedmont and we both need to charge some devices, so we’re meeting Brandon, Elevated Grounds’ owner, a few miles into the day tomorrow morning. Earlier today, I was honestly feeling frustrated with the thought of having to get off trail for a few hours, but after reflecting further, it’s comforting to know we’ll both have fully charged batteries and Garmin inReaches while hiking the rest of the way to Cave Spring — especially since Sparks and I typically hike separately throughout the day, meeting up every couple hours until we reach camp. On a busy trail like the AT, it wouldn’t be such a big deal to have a dead battery on the last day or two heading into town. But oftentimes, we don’t see anyone besides each other on the Pinhoti.

So, while Piedmont feels a little bit out of the way, I’m staying positive. And realllllly looking forward to an iced mocha in the morning and packing out a yummy lunch for the afternoon!

Trail pad thai and pollen legs

Day 11: Oakey Mountain Shelter to Hawkins Hollow Shelter

Sparks and I woke up and walked a couples miles to a road crossing so Brandon could pick us up. We were early, but so was he, so it worked out great. Near the end of our morning hike to the road crossing, we walked a short while on the Chief Ladiga Rail Trail — a 33-mile paved trail in Alabama. Together with the Silver Comet Trail, it forms a 95-mile continuous non-motorized path that’s apparently quite popular for bike trips.

On our way to Elevated Grounds, Brandon’s cafe, he shared the concept of “My Pinhoti” with us. It reminded me of all the times I heard “hike your own hike” on the AT last year, but since the Pinhoti is relatively new and gets far less foot traffic than the Appalachian Trail, it really is kind of choose your own adventure — especially when it comes to the upcoming road walks.

Brandon also mentioned Alabama is having a record pollen year. No surprise there.

Sparks and I were the cafe’s first customers. We plugged in our batteries, ordered breakfast, and took in our surroundings at the Christian coffeeshop. Elevated Grounds is connected through a short hallway to a bike shop, so it made a lot of sense when two bike groups rolled up.

I was talking with a group of two women about their bikepacking trip when someone from a larger group nearby came over to chat after overhearing I’m from Michigan. Her name is Jess, and she’d spent time in the Detroit area before moving east. Jess was biking with a group that happened to pass through the same rail trail we’d hiked on that morning! It made my heart feel full that all of us were getting out there and prioritizing our passions. I loved learning about all the different adventures these women were experiencing. And here we all were, meeting and exchanging stories at a seemingly random cafe in Piedmont, Alabama.

REAL FOOD

10:30am rolled around, which was Sparks’ and my cue to pack up so Brandon could shuttle us back to trail. He dropped us back where the trail would weave through a privately-owned ATV park.

We were very glad we packed out some sandwiches from Elevated Grounds.

Though the park was definitely interesting, the dirt paths were steep, hot, and rugged with deep ruts that were annoying to maneuver around. We saw one off-road vehicle (honestly, I don’t know the names for all of these vehicles — just learned what ATV and OHV stand for on this trip — but they sure do look fun) when we stopped for a short break by a bumblebee-overrun shelter to cool down. They cruised on after a quick wave.

I didn’t get any photos of the annoying parts of the trail in the ATV park. This road was nice.

A few hours later, the air around me feeling awfully humid and thunder rolling in the distance, I climbed down a ladder and turned around to see a really nice shelter. To my understanding, Hawkins Hollow Shelter is owned by the ATV park, but it didn’t seem like the vehicles could drive right up to it like the shelter we’d passed earlier in the day. It gave us some peace of mind knowing we’d probably have a quiet night.

Vermont who?

I gave myself a bird bath in the creek next to the shelter and set up my tent, making sure it was a solid pitch because a storm is expected to sweep through in the early morning hours. Sparks and I ate dinner together in the shelter while it sprinkled outside, then hunkered down for some rest.

Finalllllly getting the hang of this trekking pole tent thing. Really liking Gossamer Gear’s The One so far!! Thanks for letting me try it out, Jensen. 🙂

Day 12 Hawkins Hollow Shelter to The Hearn Inn (Cave Spring, GA!)

Sparks and I crossed into Georgia today!!! I was surprised by the range and power of my emotions as I walked across that state border. Crossing back into Georgia on foot after stepping out of it the same way on my AT thru-hike last year was… something else.

We came across a shelter not long after the border crossing, and stopped to eat a snack. I mentioned to Sparks how proud I felt to be back in Georgia and we reflected on some AT memories. While we were chatting, something buzzed over our heads. I looked up just in time to see a hummingbird darting away!

In that moment, I thought of my Gramma Vel. It kind of felt like she was saying she was proud of me, too.

The hummingbird also made me smile because it’s my trail-namesake.

Pre-border crossing, we were happy to find a random trash bin in the ATV park.

Final Alabama miles!

For the final three or four hours of our hike into Cave Spring, the skies opened up and stormed down on us. While my Outdoor Research Helium rain jacket has been great for light rain or short downpours, it was no match for the hours and hours of pouring rain today. Though I doubt any rain jacket balances waterproofness with breathability perfectly for a sweaty gal like me. Anyway, I missed my poncho a lot.

Discomfort aside, the rain seemed to help the pollen settle into the ground, and the everything smelled so good. Hiking through the forest in the rain, surrounded by claps of thunder with yellow flower confetti underfoot, I focused on the smells of wet earth, pine, and honeysuckle that wafted through the air around me. I wished I could bottle it up for later.

Yellow flower confetti

As soon as we made it to town, the rain stopped and the sun beamed down on us while we walked on a curvy road to historic Hearn Inn in Cave Spring. Callie, the caretaker, told us how to get inside and arrived shortly after we arrived to greet us. We’d be the only guests tonight.

My long, hot shower felt amazing after the rain.

In classic Hummingbird fashion, I just noticed I had been carrying a rock in my pocket all the way from Northern Michigan! Fingers still pruned though the storm moved on hours ago.