Two metal castings are in place, one sculpted with pine branches and cones as they look when they fall to the forest floor.The other is a mountain top view of hikers traveling through the Talladega National Forest, as visitors do in Cheaha State Park to walk the Pinhoti Trail.
They’re the final pieces of a sculptural entranceway to the Pinhoti, and will welcome the thousands who walk the trail each year.
The sculpture was designed by Heritage Hall Artist in Residence Tommy Moorehead, who submitted a proposal for a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and National Assembly of State Arts Agencies’ Arts Projects on Millennium Trails.
Moorehead’s project was the only Millennium Trails request funded in Alabama.
Moorehead envisioned the sculpture as a piece of art that was visually impacting, but also reflected the elements of the forest found along the trail.
Two rock columns standing about six feet tall create the base of the sculpture, with a rock wall extending from each side.
Mounted along the columns and walls are clay tiles imprinted with vegetation found in the forest and embedded in the concrete walkway that takes visitors through the archway are tiles imprinted with the tracks of animals who live in the forest.
Overhead between the rock columns is a forged archway made to resemble vines and other foliage found in the forest.
Moorehead incorporated local schoolchildren into the project last summer, who created the tiles imprinted with foliage under the direction of museum assistant Jan Jenner during the museum’s Arts Camp.
Along with showing the leaf and stem imprints, the biological names for the plants are etched into the tiles as well.
Animals who call the forest home include wild turkey, deer, raccoon, opossum and squirrels.
Elements used to make the archway-clay, stone and iron-were selected because they are lasting, Moorehead.
Artisans from Birmingham’s Sloss Furnace crafted the metal work for the piece.
Creating a sculptural entranceway for the Pinhoti Trail seemed like a natural choice for the project, Moorehead said.
“The sculpture reflects the biology of the region in addition to being an artistic representation,” he said.
The sculpture is located about 200 yards from the main entrance to Cheaha State Park, on the east side of the parking lot next to the trail itself.
One disappointment in the project has been vandalism to the sculpture.
Within a year of it being in place, several tiles placed in the rock walls have been pried off and taken, Moorehead said.
“That’s a shame,” he said. “The sculpture was built to enhance the area and show visitors a piece of original art made to reflect the plants and animals found along the trail.”
Rock used for the piece was quarried from Cheaha State Park’s own quarry, the same spot where members of the Civilian Conservation Corps found rock for the park’s original buildings from 1933 until 1937.
There are about 100 miles of the Pinhoti Trail within Talladega National Forest. From its beginning point inside Cheaha State Park, the trail travels south to Alabama 77, about 20 miles in length. Side trails within the Cheaha Wilderness and the park are also part of the trail system.
The Pinhoti Trail is well worth the hike for the magnificent views it offers, said David Odom, Cheaha State Park superintendent.
“McDill Point and Hernandez Peak are two examples of the outstanding views here,” he said.
Along with its mountain terrain and steep overlooks, the Pinhoti Trail offers expansive valley areas with lots of diversity for hikers.
