Dugger Mountain Wilderness

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  Scoutmaster P Apr 10, 2020

  January 25, 2017 I decided to hike a little different. When backpacking alone I always worked out a trail set that made a loop. The Dugger Wilderness didn’t offer that option. I found a friend that was willing to shuttle me from one end to the other and off I went.
  
  I arrived at the Pine Glen Campground, north of Heflin, AL, around 07:30 and met my shuttle expert Buddy. An hour later he is dropping me off at the High Point Trail-head and waving goodbye. Watching him drive off was an odd feeling. It took him an hour to bring me here and drop me off and now I get to walk back. Taking a deep breath I plunge off down the trail. My target campsite was at Terrapin Creek Lake. It turned out to be outside my reach for the day. Thirteen miles and two climbs up of 1000 ft was all I could manage. Being nearly a mile shy of my goal with darkness falling I pitched camp on an upper eastern branch of Terrapin Creek. Of course the rain came. Feeling quite snug beneath my tarp I went to sleep. Heavy rain and howling winds conspired to pull up a corner of my tarp. The midnight rain dance was entertaining to say the least.
  
  The rain was gone by the morning. I head into the Dugger Wilderness and up and over Dugger Mountain. Ate lunch on a cold windy overlook atop Dugger Mountain. Didn’t take long to eat that Spam, my hands were numb by the time I finished lunch. Trekked off the mountain and headed for Choccolocco Creek Shelter. The walk along the lake before reaching the shelter was pleasant. Arriving at the shelter in the early afternoon gave me time to get my gear dried out. Passed a comfortable evening reading in the shelter.
  
  This morning brought freezing temperatures. I rushed around making my morning coffee, stamping my feet and batting my hands to stay warm. Breakfast could wait, with coffee finished I rushed down the trail. I did linger long enough to watch the sunrise over the lake. By 8:30 I was hungry. Finding me a spot in the sun, I broke out a chewy granola bar. In cold weather chewy granola is NOT chewy. As I crunched my granola bar and drank my icy water, it was decided that I would not spend another freezing night on the trail. So I stretched out my legs and did some walking. My feet were never so glad to walk into Pine Glen Campground late in the day.
  
  Sections 10-11-12 of the Pinhoti Trail through the Dugger Wilderness are outstanding. The trail was firm, the weather was moderate, and 42 miles flew beneath my feet.

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