Isaac's trip report--
The Pine Mountain Trail was a true endurance test for me. The first 36 miles felt manageable, but we realized that we had underpaced the first 23 miles. That forced us to pick up the pace on the return, which made the second half significantly more demanding for me both physically and mentally. By the final 10 miles, exhaustion really set in. I was running more, pushing through fatigue just to maintain momentum. The last 8 miles were especially tough, I was running on little food and water, and my body started to feel the consequences. A painful quad cramp hit, but I pushed through and kept moving forward. Despite the difficulty, along the way I spotted eight deer, a possum, and crossed paths with plenty of other hikers. In the end it was a demanding hike that tested my limits.
Will's trip report--
After two failed attempts to yo-yo the Pine Mountain Trail in 2024, I can finally take delight in this little victory. Enjoying it with a hiking partner – especially this one – is even sweeter!
I’ve logged close to four hundred miles hiking FDR State Park’s network of trails over the past three years and appreciate having it close to home. The PMT itself is an excellent option for leisurely backpacking and camping, trail running, and training for longer thru hikes. This is proven to me by all the friendly people I’ve come across on the trail with a variety of particular interests.
From my searching, it appears the fastest time on record (6h 44m 34s) for what I would assume is a supported effort of this 46 mile out and back came from athlete Evan Dare in December 2016. This is per the organized Pine Mountain Trail Run past results found on ultrasignup.com.
Overall this was a very satisfying 14 hour dance with the rugged PMT. My son, Isaac, and I set out from the western terminus at 6:57 a.m. for an unsupported team attempt. This was our fourth occasion hiking the PMT together so we both had a good idea of what to expect. We packed ~9000 calories to sustain us and collected water at the usual spots, using a Sawyer Squeeze for filtration. The first half of our day was smooth sailing as we took turns pacing one another. We ended up conserving a bit too much early on and began to pick up the pace near mile marker 18. Photos from this half include some of my favorite spots – Fox Den Cove, Rattlesnake Bluff, The Big Poplar, and Rocky Point. I spotted some unripe blueberries along the way.
The 22nd mile is the slowest of this entire route, and it was nice to complete it both ways in the middle of the day rather than having it looming again near the end. This is one of the reasons I chose to start at the western terminus. We snapped a selfie at the east end and immediately began hustling back after I reset my tracker. Photos of our return include Cascade Falls and Ferney. We pushed each other harder during the second half. Periodic doses of my 80s music playlist provided much psychological support, and as long as I kept feeding calories to Isaac, his stamina remained.
Close to Buzzard Roost, with three miles remaining to the end, Isaac called out and said he felt a strong “twinge” in his quad, explaining that he felt it could pull at any time. I was pacing us at this point, and knew I had no choice but to let up some. For the remainder of our time, I was held in constant tension between racing the sun and taking the edge off our pace to reduce the chance of a pulled quad on my team. About every five minutes I would ask Isaac how he felt. You mean teens often do not freely offer information? He stayed strong to the end, with no strained quadricep injury. Garmin reads 9:03 when we reach mile marker 0, right around the transition from civil to nautical twilight during the first half of dusk. We rest for a few minutes then mosey down the hill to the parking lot where my wife and two other sons are waiting. After chatting a bit, she comes out to snap our end photo. Activity recordings show 7h 25m 27s for the out and 6h 41m 22s for the back – a cumulative 14h 6m 49s.
I would love to see other enthusiasts take an interest in this round-trip variation of the PMT.