Section 8

[n2o2diver]

Hiked Section 8 this weekend. I parked at Adams Gap and hiked south to Porters Gap where the parking is closed due to construction on 77.
The entire section is in pretty good shape. There are very few blow downs and the trail was well blazed. The leaves have bedded down fairly well and the trail is easy to follow. Water was in most of the creeks however they were not really flowing. The Rock Garden section is sadistic, 1.9 mi of ankle twisting agony, glad to have made it out, will bypass that section using FS600-2 next time. With that exception it was a pretty easy hike and quite enjoyable, not to much in a scenic sense, but nice. Good site for Pinhoti info http://www.hmtc.org/sitemap.html

[SGT Rock]

I think I remember that section. The old Alabama Pinhoti website described that area as being as bad as the infamous Pennsylvania AT section for sharp rocks.

[n2o2diver]

I guess maybe its not too bad. It is fairly level, if it was up and down it would be much worse.

The rocks are covered by the leafs so you cant see what your stepping on, they are all large loose rock that always seem to move opposite the way you expect.

And it seems to just go on and on and on and on and well you get it..... takes about 2hrs to cross it.

[Take-a-knee]

Rock, I did some of the PA AT years ago, that was some rough-on-the-feet walking. That is a big freeze/thaw area which slowly heaves sedimentary rocks out of the ground. Lots of them have sharp edges.

[SGT Rock]

Ohh I belive all that. I am just reporting what I read. Plus that secion is only like a couple of miles whereas Pennsylvania is a few days long.

[n2o2diver]

Ok I found a photo of the rocks in PA, yeah this spot on the Pinhoti is nothing compared to this.

[Take-a-knee]

The section of the PA AT I was on (about 50mi south of Harrisburg) was nothing like that picture, but it was a LOT harder on the feet than any of the southern section. It was in the fall when I was there with a lot of newly fallen leafs. With all the rocks sticking up out of the ground, a lot of which were covered with leafs, it was a constant trip hazard.