Cheaha Falls Water Status?

[martincr70]

Planning on hiking the Southern Cheaha Loop next weekend. What is the status of the Cheaha Falls water level? Any chance it is still flowing? If not, we are probably going to hide a some water at the 281 crossing.

[Matt65]

2 weeks ago...VERY low water flow, and hasn't rained since. Enough to fliter from, but haven't seen it this dry in a very long time. If it were me because a road crossing is nearby... I would stash water there and not carry my filter.

[Matt65]

Taken today.

[martincr70]

Wow, unreal. Thanks for sharing. It is looking like a small amount of rain will hit Friday. Will still cache water. Really hoping it does rain, I don't feel comfortable lighting a campfire without it.

[swisscross]

Wow, unreal. Thanks for sharing. It is looking like a small amount of rain will hit Friday. Will still cache water. Really hoping it does rain, I don't feel comfortable lighting a campfire without it.

I believe the entire area is under a "no burn" due to the drought.
I have never seen the falls bone dry...crazy!

[dhagan]

Wow, unreal. Thanks for sharing. It is looking like a small amount of rain will hit Friday. Will still cache water. Really hoping it does rain, I don't feel comfortable lighting a campfire without it.

NO FIRES!! No burn order for the entire area. There are crews walking the trails, and checking on campfires. PLEASE dont have a fire...pretty please!

[Tundracamper]

NO FIRES!! No burn order for the entire area. There are crews walking the trails, and checking on campfires. PLEASE dont have a fire...pretty please!

Uh most of the state is under a no-burn order. That area had a big fire last year. Sure don't need another one.

[martincr70]

No worries on the campfire. If no rain and no evidence of it, no chance I burn anything.

[martincr70]

Actually going to call an audible and camp at Turnipseed Campground and use their approved fire rings.

[swisscross]

Actually going to call an audible and camp at Turnipseed Campground and use their approved fire rings.

Approved fire ring?
With a "No Burn Order" still in effect...are they approved?
With the rains coming tonight might change things.

Just curious...have you talked to someone to confirm this?

[martincr70]

Yep. Called ranger's office and got the o.k. Also here is the latest alert from their website:

ire RestrictionsDate(s): Oct 3, 2016 - Dec 31, 2016
(September 30, 2016) ---- The Forest Service announced today that extreme drought conditions have prompted Forest Supervisor Carl Petrick to sign a fire closure order throughout Alabama’s Bankhead, Conecuh, Talladega and Tuskegee National Forests. The closure order will restrict the public from using fire or building campfires on the national forests except those within developed recreation areas that are confined to receptacles designed for fires. Commercially available fuel stoves (camp stoves) and backpacking stoves are excluded from the restriction. The Forest Supervisor’s order also prohibits using fireworks or other pyrotechnic devices in national forests.
To protect the public and natural resources from the threat of wildfires, the following public restrictions are effective September 30, 2016 and will remain in effect until December 31, 2016.

[Tundracamper]

Approved fire ring?
With a "No Burn Order" still in effect...are they approved?
With the rains coming tonight might change things.

Just curious...have you talked to someone to confirm this?

Why call when the original statement is pretty clear about developed campsites?

[martincr70]

As of 10/21 there is no burn ban in fire rings as well. Was impressed to see that no fire rings on the trails looked to have been used recently. There was a very small trickle at Devil's Den and 3 very small running streams on the Skyway Loop trail that you could get water from but that was it.

The creek crossing from Chinabee Silent trail to the Skyway Loop trail is an abomination. Horribly marked and extremely hard to find correct place to cross the creek. It needs to be improved badly. Either some more white blazes or put some color on the wooden trail sign to make it stand out.

[Tundracamper]

I thought the Skyway trail was more clearly marked than the Silent Chinabee and certainly the Pinhoti. Coming up the stairway to the lookout on Cheaha was a nightmare for me on the Pinhoti. I got lost several times on the rocks. Same coming down the Silent Chinabee. Never had any issues on the Skyway.

[dhagan]

The markings are only going to get worse. Since the braniacs decided it's too invasive to have markings on the trees, rocks, etc..., they are actually painting over them with brown paint. This is only in the wilderness areas. I understand their reasoning...I just think it's stupid. JMHO

[swisscross]

The markings are only going to get worse. Since the braniacs decided it's too invasive to have markings on the trees, rocks, etc..., they are actually painting over them with brown paint. This is only in the wilderness areas. I understand their reasoning...I just think it's stupid. JMHO

I thought that were planning to leave the blazes at the rocky, very difficult to follow, portions...."stairway to heaven", etc.

[dhagan]

I think they are leaving them to fade away, not painting over them. I still think it is a dumb idea to remove or not replace the blazes. The rocky areas are very hard to find the trail, even when blazed.

[Tundracamper]

Yep, all the markings are fading fast. Really a dumb idea. I guess if someone gets lost and dies, it's ok. But we don't want to offend a tree by painting a little white maker on it. Kinda of explains a lot about our world right now.

[martincr70]

Who decides this? It sounds like an idea that was not put to a vote but rather 1-2 individuals will too much power and not enough common sense.

I would love to know precisely how a 2" x 4" stripe of paint or nailed piece of plastic is damaging our wilderness. And no, visually damaging does not count. Is it killing the trees? Poisoning bugs? I feel like Lewis Black trying to explain how moronic it is to put the visual appearance of a few trees over the safety of human beings. I would argue that lost hikers cause more damage than those trail markers by hiking off trail, starting signal fires, and damage by rescue crews. Not to mention the lessening of interest in hiking due to the increased difficulty of it with no trail markers.

[dhagan]

No man-made objects allowed in wilderness area. Except for roads for logging, gates to keep people off said roads, and trail signs at cross trails and whatever "they" deem necessary. The hardline hikers say that if you are not proficiant with maps and compasses, you should not venture into a wilderness area. Thats why they call it a wilderness. Except for all the crap that's ok. Makes me angry that someone thinks its a good idea.