[at-l] Trip Report - Pine Mountain Trail - Part 1 Trail and Equipment

[Jack.Bulkley@sas.com (Jack Bulkley)]

Trip Report: Pine Mountain Trail

This is a report by Jack Bulkley, SoulFull, on a family-backpacking trip on the Pine Mountain Trail in Georgia. The other hikers were my wife Jenny, 10-year-old son Kyle and 8-year-old daughter Mallory. Most of the writing I have done is technical writing and that shows in this report. I plan to keep working on more emotive writing, but for now it is just the facts.

The Trail 

The Pine Mountain Trail is in Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park in Georgia south of Atlanta. The main trail is 23 miles long with various side trails. The blaze colors are the opposite of the AT. The main trail is blue blazes and the side trails are white. The trails are well marked. There is a metal mile marker post every mile. Wood signs are at every trail crossing and most had distances. Wood signs also show the turn offs for campsites. The campsites are pretty nice. There was at least one fire ring at each and plenty of down wood, at least in March. If you are any where near this trail, Atlanta or North Florida, it deserves a visit. Check out www.pinemountaintrail.org for more info.

The Equipment 

Our camping for the last 10 years has been at drive up spots in various North Carolina State Parks. To carry everything we needed we had to update some of our equipment. We were able to use the four-person tent we already had, but we all got new packs. Mallory's did not work well on some test hikes, so we dropped back to her school book bag and her sleeping bag moved to my pack. Jenny, Mallory, and Kyle all got new boots. Some clothes, non-stick cooking gear and a new sleeping bag for Jenny rounded out most of our new gear. I planned a detailed menu starting with lunch on Sunday and ending with breakfast on Friday.

Me (195 lbs but should only be 160):
Gregory Shasta pack
Thermarest (old enough they did not have different models)
Marmot down bag
My daughter's polyfill REI bag
Clothes bag - gloves, balaclava, Capiline shirt, rain suit, lightweight long underwear
Cook kit - two large pots, one pan (cooking for 4)
Whisper light stove
22 oz fuel bottle starting with about 20 oz of fuel
Pur hiker filter
Kelty four-person tent (12 lbs or 3 pounds per occupant)
First aid kit
Repair kit
Toilet paper
Canon S100 digital camera
Cell phone
Map
Fire starter bag
Trowel
Nalgene 32 oz
Water bottle
FRS radio
Heaviest food items: bagels, pita bread, peanut butter, 1st day cold stuff
Total weight 52 pounds (26% of body weight)

Jenny (my bride, 110 lbs):
Gregory Reality pack
REI sub-kilo down bag
Clothes bag: gloves, ear covering, fleece shirt, mid-weight long underwear, rain suit
Kitchen bag: spoons, forks, cups, spatula, 4 oz bottle of canola oil
Toothbrushes & toothpaste
Toilet paper
Flashlight
Map
Lots of food, each day in a 2 gallon ziploc
Total weight 32 pounds (29% of body weight)


Kyle (10 years old, 65 lbs):
Kelty Coyote Jr. pack
polyfill REI bag
Clothes bag: long underwear, gloves, sweat suit, nylon pants
Poncho
Journal
Book: small paperback
Pencil
FRS radio
Whistle
Flashlight
Toothbrush & toothpaste
Toilet paper
Map
Compass
Curly - stuffed dog
Total weight 13 lbs (20% of body weight)

Mallory (8 years old, 50 lbs):
Small Lands End book bag
Clothes bag: long underwear, gloves, hat, sweat suit, rain pants
Poncho
Journal
Book: paperback
Pencil
Whistle
Flashlight
Map
Toothbrush & toothpaste
Toilet paper
Fuzzy - stuffed rabbit
Total weight 7 pounds (14% of body weight)

Soulfull
Jack.Bulkley@sas.com
Apex, NC
Anyplace is within walking distance if you have the time.