Date: 2013-01-16
To: Pine Mountain Trail Hike
Miles today: 0.0

At around 7:00 I awakened to a steady rain. Trying to approach the day as if I had spent the night in a motel, while hiking the AT, I reluctantly arose from the comfort of a warm bed to prepare for my shuttle back to the trail. Today the shuttle would be provided by me in the ¢99 Ford Explorer that I had purchased new almost 14 years ago. What at one time had been our family¢s # 1 vehicle had over the past few years been relegated to the desired transportation to a location to run or hike.Since I always enjoyed dining at a fast food establishment on my way back to the trail, the neighborhood McDonald¢s seemed like a logical first stop. After a breakfast sandwich and coffee, I began the thirty minute drive up highway 27 to Roosevelt State Park and the Pine Mountain Trail. Those outdoorsmen (women) who live in my neck of the woods have the good fortune to have a 23 mile trail only a few miles up the road. The trail extends from just south of Pine Mountain, GA on the western boundary, to the WJSP TV tower, near Warm Springs, at the eastern trailhead. In addition, there are also several loop trails throughout the park.Wanting to try out my new ULA Circuit pack and Brooks Cascadia trail runners, I opted for the less challenging end of the trail today. After parking at the overlook lot across the road from the Callaway Gardens Country Store, I walked the hundred yards or so to the trail. The rain had momentarily subsided; however, I decided to keep my rain cover over my pack just in case. The decision proved to be a sound one since intermittent rain continued through the day with an occasional moderate shower.Using the Appalachian Trail formula of 1-9 for difficulty, with Maryland rated a 2 and New Hampshire a 9, I would call the Pine Mountain Trail a 1-3, with more of it being a 1 than a 2 or 3. Still, it has its share of climbs with even a few switchbacks. And like the AT, it contains a lot of rocks, roots, and some stream crossings. Today I even encountered an uncleared blow down which required a bit of bushwhacking to navigate around. Still, everything considered, the terrain provided a perfect place to test my new gear.So for almost five hours I hiked 12 miles, alone. At the 3.7 mile mark I stopped to take off my pack and rest for a few minutes. When checking my phone, I noticed an email from my hiking buddy Alton. It would have been nice if he could have been hiking with me today. Unfortunately, however, he isn¢t yet enjoying the freedom of retirement. Each time I took a break thereafter I sent him a note, updating him on the progress of the day. There will be other days I am certain when we will hike together again.All in all, the day could be classified as ¢uneventful.¢ For the first eleven miles I saw no other living creatures¢¦.no humans, no wildlife, not even any bugs. Then as I arrived at the last mile marker on my way back to my vehicle, I heard conversation. Approaching in the distance were two runners. At first I thought I recognized one, but it was someone else. They were young. As I stated, ¢Let me move aside for you to get by,¢ the second replied, ¢Thank you, sir.¢ In my now ¢older¢ status, I had become a ¢sir.¢ It only seemed like a few years ago that I was out running trails as a young man. Now here I was with a pack on my back carrying hiking poles. The trail runner had become a hiker and a backpacker. He lamented briefly, melancholically remembering three decades earlier when running trails was an obsession. Then he hiked on in the steady drizzle.Solitude abounded as my thoughts and I ambled through the woods today. I was afforded the opportunity to walk and to think. I thought about my upcoming AT hike; I thought about past hikes on the AT; I offered up thanksgivings for this opportunity to spend in nature, and yes, I thought about my brother. It was a peaceful day to go for a hike in the rain.