Angee
On 3 April 2020, I left Trammel Trailhead travelling north and was walking along the ridgeline when I met these 4 hikers. They were members of a Facebook Alabama Hiking Club which has about 11,000 members and were on a monthly hike, which some months is on the Pinhoti. There is some affiliation with Alabama Outdoor Adventures. The largest hike ever was a memorial for David Peel, who had passed away from lung cancer. Thirty hikers walked 12 miles in that event. Last year a backpacking class was initiated, with 12 students at Flagg Mountain. A second class was held at Turnipseed. They have done some work at Cheaha Falls and at Coleman Lake last October. While they don't focus on doing trail work, they do follow some maintainer groups. They find the improvements don't affect them much. They have done some scout service trips. They generally stay away from shelters, but if there is to be a class or meeting, the picnic tables and fire rings are helpful.