My Pinhoti Hike Set for late Sept 2024

[NuttyHiker]

Hi Y'all! I am in the process of researching everything I can about the Pinhoti Trail. My trail sister and I are planning to start late September this year. We do plan to hike all the way to Springer before heading home for a couple of months and then coming back for a 2nd attempt at an AT thru-hike. We are part of the original class of 2020 that had to get off. Glad to finally be getting out there to try again 5 years later.

Anyway....

As far as the Pinhoti Trail goes what is the weather like around October time frame (temperature wise) and it looks like hunting season starts around mid October. Does that sound right?

[Gambit McCrae]

Hello! And welcome to WB :)

The Pinhoti Oct 1st is still going to feel like summer with the most major change happening at that time being the decrease of humidity.

True statement about hunting season, I would just wear blaze orange and not worry about it.

To give some insight, I staged for 4 days out of Rome, Ga for 80 miles of trail around October 12th. I was on the Cave Spring, Ga road walk during part of this trip and the heat was pretty not fun.

[NuttyHiker]

Thanks for the reply! That is good to know. I was going to bring some blaze orange as I knew I would probably be hiking at some point during hunting season (I am a hunter myself) but didn't know exactly when it started there.

As for "summer like temps" are we talking 90's during the day and like 70's at night or hotter/cooler than that? I am from Central Texas so our summers are triple digits almost every single day ranging from 110-120 with like a 5000% humidity lol. I do carry a trekking umbrella with me for rain and sun (again I am in Central Texas with no tree cover when I hike in the summer and that umbrella is a must haha) so hopefully that will help on the road walks if it's a sunny sky out.

I am also finding that water sources are typically dried up that time of year or harder to come by? Do you by chance know of any sections where they are the worst, so to speak?

I was going to bring all my gear (even winter) but it's pretty much dialed in and obviously won't be able to actually give it another test run. I think I will just take my summer/fall gear instead and save some weight.

[Slugg]

Likely highs in the 80s with lows in the 60s/50. You might get some awesome, primo days in the 70s in October. Depending on your pace it could cool off towards the end of your hike…or not :) Enjoy, the Pinhoti is a great trail.

[Tennessee Viking]

Taba just published his very detailed trail guide from his 2023 Pinhoti hike
thru-hiker.us

Bama section - It can be hot and humid to stormy to cool nights

[xMagnolia]

The Pinhoti Outdoor Center can help you with all your planning questions. The trail has a strong community and there are usually water caches in the dry months. The Pinhoti Trail Alliance has a FB page where you can find tons of information.

Charlotte

[Dan Roper]

October is a transitional month in this part of Georgia and Alabama. The weather can be perfect or on the hot side or quite cool. The past few years we've had some low 40s or colder in late Septmber. Usually you will have some quite hot days, possibly as much as around 90 with no clouds and low humidity.

Water and road walks are the biggest issue, mainly in Georgia. There are long stretches without trailside water, so you have to know how to get it. Either by caching or by going off the Pinhoti to reliable sources - for instance, James H. Floyd State Park has reliable water at the Marble Mine waterfall. That's about 1.25 miles downhill, pretty steeply.

European hornets and yellow jackets can be an issue into September but gradually become dormant late in the month. No fun to encounter them. The European hornets especially seem to be increasing in recent yars with some tough encounters. I had a bad on on the Pinhoti north of Snake Creek Gap in August 2022. And there was a warning sign placed at the High Point Trailhead about a trailside nest in the fall of 2023.

I live close to the Pinhoti and would much prefer to thruhike in March, April, or May, when water is more common. If I went in the fall, and if it was seasonally dry that year, water would be by far my biggest concern.