Pinhoti

[GeneralLee10]

Ok so I'm working in Alabama for a bit and decided I would go for a Hike. I was going to have enough time for a one night out and back trip. So I picked the section that starts at USFS 500 by the railroad tack. The Park Ranger was very nice and let me park up buy the Office so i did not have to worry about the work truck. Cool I say now time to go, I make my way to the Lower Shoal Shelter nice Hike seen some wildlife and neet views. Upon my arrival to the Shelter I cam across the most nastiest think ever. Someone thought it was cool to crap right under the bench top you cook on. And also tried to cover it up with leaves how stupid and lazy can a Human be. I did clean up the paper and put it in the fire pit but No Way was I gonna pick up that turd LoL! Now if this happens on a regular basis no wonder the Shelters are not a good choice to sleep in.

[Mountain Dog]

I've hiked the Pinhoti frequently and I have never seen what you saw. I guess the trail is not immune to trashy people. Maybe the next time they will squat in some poison ivy.

[take-a-knee]

I was hiking behind a couple on the Coosa Backcounty trail who thought it was kosher to squat in the middle of the trail, take a whizz, kleenex your cooter dry and drop the kleenex in the middle of the trail.

[Strut]

Tried to post a reply earlier but lost it somewhere. Sorry you had a bad experience on the Pinhoti. This is NOT common on the Alabama portion of the Pinhoti Trail. I live very near the trail and have hiked portions of it hundreds of times and find the trail and shelters to be nearly pristine, especially north of I-20 and away from roads. The northern sections are lightly used and I only run into other hikers a couple times a year. The shelters are well-maintained and usually very clean. I love this trail for the incredible solitude and beauty it offers.

With that said, let me relate what I found this week on the Pinhoti. I did a quick overnight trip from Jackson Chapel Trailhead in Georgia to High Point Trailhead east of Piedmont, AL. I passed two shelters (Spring Creek & Davis Mountain) and one tent platform. There was an unusual amount of litter at these places and at one remote creek crossing, mostly wrappers from food items usually used by backpackers. As there was a light rain, I decided to stay at a shelter for the first time in over 20 years of hiking. When I arrived at Davis Mountain Shelter, I looked INSIDE and saw a large pile of toilet paper in the corner! I did not investigate further but set up my tent a little ways off.

I'm SURE this is just a COINCIDENCE, but I noticed the same trail names in registers at both shelters and written ON THE FURNITURE in the Davis Mountain shelter, all entries/graffiti dated very late May & very early June. They were northbound from Cheaha to Maine so that would also put them at the location in your photo.

I apologize if anyone is offended by my tirade, but that type of behaviour really disappoints me. There is no way to really know who did this so I didn't mention any names. SO LOOK OUT WHITEBLAZERS.......THEY'RE HEADED YOUR WAY. Maybe they'll learn some manners on the A.T.

Strut

[Frosty]

Tried to post a reply earlier but lost it somewhere. Sorry you had a bad experience on the Pinhoti. This is NOT common on the Alabama portion of the Pinhoti Trail. I live very near the trail and have hiked portions of it hundreds of times and find the trail and shelters to be nearly pristine, especially north of I-20 and away from roads. The northern sections are lightly used and I only run into other hikers a couple times a year. The shelters are well-maintained and usually very clean. I love this trail for the incredible solitude and beauty it offers.

With that said, let me relate what I found this week on the Pinhoti. I did a quick overnight trip from Jackson Chapel Trailhead in Georgia to High Point Trailhead east of Piedmont, AL. I passed two shelters (Spring Creek & Davis Mountain) and one tent platform. There was an unusual amount of litter at these places and at one remote creek crossing, mostly wrappers from food items usually used by backpackers. As there was a light rain, I decided to stay at a shelter for the first time in over 20 years of hiking. When I arrived at Davis Mountain Shelter, I looked INSIDE and saw a large pile of toilet paper in the corner! I did not investigate further but set up my tent a little ways off.

I'm SURE this is just a COINCIDENCE, but I noticed the same trail names in registers at both shelters and written ON THE FURNITURE in the Davis Mountain shelter, all entries/graffiti dated very late May & very early June. They were northbound from Cheaha to Maine so that would also put them at the location in your photo.

I apologize if anyone is offended by my tirade, but that type of behaviour really disappoints me. There is no way to really know who did this so I didn't mention any names. SO LOOK OUT WHITEBLAZERS.......THEY'RE HEADED YOUR WAY. Maybe they'll learn some manners on the A.T.

StrutI'm not offended. I just amazed at the stupidity and arrogance of someone who will vandalize a shelter by carving their NAMES into the wood. I understand the policy of WB not to post names and stuff, and it is a good policy, but someone is going to take of picture of it and put it in their trail journal.

But I guess if someone doesn't care if they vandalize a structure someone built for their use, they wouldn't care if everyone knew who they were.

I remember a few years ago those two hikers who posted in their own journal about pissing inside the Springer shelter becasue it was too cold to step outside, leaving trash in Low Gap shelter, and begging on the street in Helen saying they needed money for their thruhike.

It's hard for me to grasp.

[brooklynkayak]

Upon my arrival to the Shelter I cam across the most nastiest think ever. Someone thought it was cool to crap right under the bench top you cook on.

Yes, the trail can be like the real world.
I don't remember what the psychologists call this behavior, but there are people with this compulsion in all walks of life.
It's kind of like the rude drivers that seem to love pissing other drivers off.