We (myself and Steve "Hawk" and his Golden Retriever, Abbi from Bowdon) did make the trip this weekend, but not to the extent that I once thought.

We started just North of Dugger Mtn... is it FR 500? We headed north and made it to the top of the first big ridge. Because the big storm was coming through, we quickly dropped off to the left hand side of the ridge and rigged 2 "bomb-proof" tarps constructed by Hawk Harper. Fortunately we found an old road bed that provided a "cut" into the bank and somewhat of a buffer from the incredibly high winds, rain, lightning and ice. After a night of mixed weather, we left that site the next morning and headed North. The Terrapin WS was gorgeous. It was surrounded with snow and ice. We even saw what looked to be an otter frolicking in the icy waters. After that we made the climb up what I'm assuming to be Oakey Mountain. Oh my, what a climb!! That was really tough in those conditions. After we made the top, and ducked the high winds on the other side, we quickly cooked up some hot soup. This gave us the warmth and energy to finish the trek. We "took out" at a Gentleman's (Fortenberry) house beside the rail trail.

[Note that they were on the trail when the F4 tornado was going through the state, quite an interesting time to be hiking]

This was a really memorable trip!

Jeff

In response to Lee's questions:  I'll tell you, trail maintenance was really good. We followed the trail no problem, and that's with a nice dusting of snow and ice. It was really a gorgeous time to be on the Pinhoti! I really loved how the trail paralleled the streams on both sides of Oakey. Going down Oakey (it would be your ascending side as you usually travel South) I was pleased with some of the views. I did notice the trail's decreasing width in the turns of a couple of small switchbacks as we ascended Oakey (heading North). This made for careful stepping in the snow and ice.

Yes, your trail reviews and comments are very accurate.

Note: The FR500 is very accessible, but very bumpy, so expect an alignment after your trip.

Bye for now,

Jeff "Coyote"