Backpacking the Pine Mountain Trail at F. D. Roosevelt State Park Pine Mountain, GA
Summary:
F. D. Roosevelt State Park in Pine Mountain, GA is home to the beautiful 23-mile Pine Mountain Trail. The PMT is maintained by the Pine Mountain Trail Association (PMTA). Their website contains valuable information about the campsites, trails, what to bring, permits, etc.This was my first trip officially "backpacking". I was on my own. I find that the best way to learn something new is to learn the hard way. If I was with someone experienced, my knowledge would have been spoon-fed to me. It was only a duration of a weekend on a trail with enough traffic that even if I forgot or didn't know something crucial, I would not have died while lost in the woods. Now that I have had this experience, I'd like to try a weekend with a seasoned companion to learn from each other.
The Gear:
- Osprey Aura 65L Pack in Rainforest Green (women's specific)
- Hennessy Hammock and rainfly
- Jetboil Flash
- REI Co-op Joule Sleeping Bag - Women's
- Sawyer MINI Water Filtration System
The Story:
Traveling to F. D. Roosevelt State Park
I have the good fortune of having a job that offers flex schedules each month. This allowed me to put extra hours in at the beginning of the week and then have a half day on Friday. I had some struggles with Amazon Prime (see more information in the 'Hurdles' section) and needed some last minute items, so I stopped at Trail and Ski on my way out of town. I didn't know about this store until about a week ago. Where have I been? I'm adding it to my list of favorite Tallahassee local businesses. |
| Gotta get one of these bad boys for $4.50, made by the PMTA Pine Mountain Trail at F. D. Roosevelt State Park |
I made a general backcountry campsite reservation for two nights about two weeks ago. This means that you are guaranteed to have a site and then select among the available sites on a first-come first-serve basis upon arrival at the main office. My Friday pickings were slim, and my first few choices were already taken, so I examined the map to come up with my plan. I selected sites for both Friday and Saturday nights, filled out my backcountry permit, bought the official 2016 trail map made by the PMTA, and set out to Dowdell Knob to park.
Dowdell Knob at F. D. Roosevelt State Park and Initial Hiking on Pine Mountain Trail
Dowdell Knob has an awesome overlook and also the FDR statue. I parked, added last minute additions to my pack, got a quick picture (with a drone photobomber), and got on my way. I had seven miles to go and very limited daylight remaining. |
| Dowdell Knob Pine Mountain Trail at F. D. Roosevelt State Park |
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| Mile 18, 3.5 to go, still daylight |
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| "neat rock formations" |
I passed four other taken campsites and was trying to outhike the darkness. I failed. Headlamps are a girl's best friend. I have a weird love for them, which most of my non-runner and non-outdoorsy friends make fun of me for. Jokes on them when they find themselves in a situation when one is necessary. Anyway, I pulled out my trusted headlamp and continued as if there was no hindrance. I saw a cool waterfall and pool that looked neat in the night. Since I no longer was trying to hustle, I stopped to take a picture. It probably would have been a fun skinny-dipping adventure, but I digress.
Bumblebee Ridge Campsite on Pine Mountain Trail
I arrive at the Bumblebee Ridge campsite finally! It's time to get down to business. I set-up my hammock and rainfly. There's rain and wind in the forecast for the very early morning so I need to make sure rain doesn't get into my hammock. I have an MRE for dinner that I make with my JetBoil, which is super awesome and has boiling water by 2 minutes. As the MRE "cooks" in its bag, I get to organizing my pack. Since it's going to rain, I needed my rain cover. I'm so glad I picked one up at Trail and Ski. Then I sort out all the food and trash to hang up. My sleeping bag's Sea to Summit 14L compression sack became my overnight food bag. I attached the sack to one of my ENO straps and threw it over a tree branch then tied it to the tree trunk. Once I finished eating and cleaned up, I filled my pack, covered it, and also attached it to the tree trunk with an ENO strap. Time to read (Stephen King Skeleton Crew short stories) and go to sleep!
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| JetBoil and MRE |
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| Tent in the dark Pine Mountain Trail at F. D. Roosevelt State Park |
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| Windy (Notice rainfly and food sack blowing around) |
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| Less windy (Notice rainfly and food sack hanging more so at business as usual) |
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| Interesting Tree #2: Branch with mini football goalpost |
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| Interesting Tree #1: Ominous sky background |
I eat, I tear down my campsite, and repack my pack. Since it was raining, I kept up the rainfly and pack cover to dry longer since the sun was shining nice and brightly at this point. Between the wind and sun, those were ready to go in the pack within 10 minutes.
Hiking the Pine Mountain Trail
I set out on my day! The morning hiking goes past several creeks and waterfalls. |
| Segment of Slippery Rock Falls Pine Mountain Trail at F. D. Roosevelt State Park |
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| Cute Bridge Pine Mountain Trail at F. D. Roosevelt State Park |
I hike to the eastern terminus of the trail at mile 23 where the WJSP-TV tower and a parking lot are located. I didn't really take many pictures because there was a troop of rambunctious Boy Scouts all over the limited photo ops. But it was mostly a large "You are Here!" trail map, a rock, and a tower, so I'm not too sad. I head back onto the trail for a short segment and jump onto the Beaver Pond Trail. I was not expecting a huge change in scenery, but that is what I got. Rather than the central Georgia scenery, it turned into more of a swampy coastal (Florida..) environment but lacked the moistness of a swamp. The trail would get me back to mile 18 of the Pine Mountain trail, saving me about 3 miles.
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| Beaver Pond Trail Pine Mountain Trail at F. D. Roosevelt State Park |
This trail brought me to an intersection with the White Candle Loop with a beautiful overlook where a nice, friendly couple was able to snap a picture for me.
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| Beaver Pond Trail-White Candle Loop Pine Mountain Trail at F. D. Roosevelt State Park |
Take note of the smile on my face. Also take note of all the pictures I've taken. This was near the end of my sunshine and happiness. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the entire weekend, but it all goes downhill (sadly only metaphorically) the rest of the day. As I head back towards Dowdell Knob and enjoy the abundance of green trees and scenery, I stop at a creek and filter more water into my Osprey hydration bladder. An older couple asks me what I'm making, and I responded with "water that's safe to drink". He offered me "safe" water, but I politely turned him down. I keep going then I'm starting to get tired. Me? Tired? A long distance runner? No way. I have every chance to just retreat back to my truck and relocate closer to my next campsite and think, no that would be cheating. It would ruin the whole point. But maybe I could drop some stuff I don't think I may need off? NO! Stop it Kat, that is ALSO cheating. I sneak past Dowdell Knob's connector trail (mile 14.75ish) pretending like I didn't see it. Then everything changes.
There's far less people on the trails, the landscape becomes so much dryer, there is less green, more small rocks, fallen trees in disarray (not on the trail since it is well maintained but visible close to the trail), and it gets lonely and depressing. I'm tired, and my steps get shorter. Instead of 18-22 minute miles, I was doing 25 minute miles. There was a large segment with absolutely no water sources which also means no campsites. I pass Beech bottom campsite around mile 9.5 after what feels like FOREVER. There's tents and people, and I temporarily thought that it would be more fun to make new friends than to keep going. Luckily this meant my site was in about a mile! That sadly means another 25 minutes. I got to hop over a creek again so that lifted my spirits but still no spring in my step. I then see the sign. There's a sign on a trail! Could it be? Yes, it is. I found Jenkins Spring Campsite (mile 8.5ish)! I finally arrived!
Jenkins Spring Campsite on the Pine Mountain Trail
Arrival is fantastic and wonderful and all, but that also means it's time to WORK. Find trees suitable for setting up a hammock, set up hammock and rainfly and sleeping bag, trek to the stream to filter water, cook food, eat food, drink hot chocolate, clean up food, hang up pack, hang food sack, prep for the cold, long night. I was in the hammock before it was completely dark out. I tried to read for a bit but was too exhausted. I went to bed at around 19:30. I did not sleep well. Even though my sleeping bag was equipped for colder temperatures, the bottom of my hammock got frigid. My back/side depending on how I was sleeping was super cold. (I have been looking at Hennessy's insulation options for future cold camping nights to prevent this from happening again.)
Morning finally arrived. I packed up, ate, and drank hot chocolate intermittently. The temperatures were in the 30s, but I had the fortune of getting to eat Dinosaur Eggs Oatmeal (fun for adults too!) for breakfast that kept my spirits at the average level. Since I blindly went into this trip without bothering to learn how to tie proper knots, I struggled with my freezing hands trying to untie tight crappy knots for too long. It wasn't fun. But I got to keep going back to my hot chocolate in between each knot untying success to warm my hands and body up.
Final Day on the Pine Mountain Trail
On the trail again! I was to go from mile 8.5 to 14.75 on the same, dry trail as yesterday. Less than 7 miles, I can do it, I can do it, I can do it. Turns out, heading east on this segment gives you better views in the distance. Like look at this:
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| Views are better going east |
It is also important to note that the end was near! There was a spring in my step again, and I was averaging about 19-20 minutes per mile. I got to the Knob around noon and was ecstatic. I made it. I did my exact plan, and I did not QUIT or CHEAT. I told FDR all about my weekend experience because well, he was someone to talk to and I hadn't done much talking to anyone other than myself over the weekend.
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| FDR is a great listener! |
I was tempted to head back to the main office to find myself a souvenir, but I had a beer in Tallahassee calling my name at a 30th anniversary party for some great friends. I've got a map, photos, and an experience that will count as my souvenirs, and I will definitely be back. Ideally with companions where we can shuttle and backpack from start to finish in one weekend. I did more than that 23 miles this weekend on my own, but I would like to experience the first 8.5 miles and not have to backtrack over the same trails.
Hurdles:
- Amazon. I've been a Primer for several years now. The week leading up to this weekend was a sloppy disaster. First, I ordered the JetBoil French Press. I ordered the "One Size" opposed to the "Grande". Guess which one arrives. The Grande! It doesn't fit in my JetBoil Flash. It was too late to attempt them to send another, and who knows which size they would feel like giving me. Second, I ordered the Sea to Summit medium compression sack for my sleeping bag to arrive on Friday. Hurray, it was delivered before noon, and I'd have it! I open the box to see that it was a LARGE. The JetBoil was forgiveable and could have been a one time thing, but two orders in a row where they disregarded my size choice is just plain rude and sloppy. I pay for the "convenience" of Prime's 2-day shipping. I ended up going the local business route anyway AND have to take my returns to UPS. Trail and Ski came to the rescue though the size compression sack I needed, but they only had the Grande size coffee press for the JetBoil. They were super kind and added the regular size to their next JetBoil order just for me! Local businesses FTW. I'm debating about cancelling the auto renewal of my Prime account. I'm not paying $100 for sloppiness and extra inconvenience.
- "I'll stop at a gas station on my way!" *Gas light goes on 90% of the way there* "I don't need to drive out of my way, I'm about to go through a few small towns!" This was before I passed THREE gas stations where the pumps were broken, blocked off, and/or had no gas. Thanks, rural Georgia. I ended up going out of my way... There was a line of course, since this is probably the only place people can buy gas in a 50 mile radius.
- Knots. My dad's response to my lack of knots knowledge mentioned on my IG/Facebook post: "I chuckled when I saw your comment about knots. Your Boy Scout dad can help with that." Unfortunately, I was not allowed to be a Boy Scout as a child. I lasted a few years in Girl Scouts where I got to do crafts, make food, sell delicious cookies, and go "camping" which meant staying in a cabin.
Relevant Quote:
It was an obvious choice that my quote needed to be from Franklin D. Roosevelt, who happens to have several great quotes. This is the one I chose. Achievement is a great thing. It feels good, whether it's a small personal achievement or something huge and publicly recognized. Set goals, achieve great things, and be happy!
Other
- I received the FitBit Hiking Boot badge on Saturday February 25, when I hit 37,667 steps
- It's time to retire my "Adventure Boots". I've had them since 2014, and they have been with me for so many hikes, adventures, and also learning to ride a motorcycle. I'll be checking out the selection at Trail and Ski in the near future.
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