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  1. #1

    Default A Look Ahead...Alternation of the PT and BMT

    1 trip left on the Sheltowee before its finished. When I began the ST I knew that the Pinhoti and BMT would follow behind it. After spending the majority of my hiking efforts on the AT in New England prior to the ST, I was ready for some mellow terrain this is why I went after the ST. Now that I have my fill of long road walks, unchained dogs and every condemned mobile home in central Kentucky I am ready to pursue more strenuous challenges. However I have learned that part of the monotony for me is continuously having to commute the same route over and over to get to the trail of choice.
    Between that, and learning that these short trails have a personality of their own, along with having a bit of a better pick in weather forecast....I think I have decided to tackle the Pinhoti and the BMT at the same time rather than pick one and stick with it till its complete. I typically try for 1 trip a month, 12 months a year. However in my recent years of hiking I have become somewhat of a fair weather hiker, if the forecast looks grim, I have no qualms on pulling the plug on it before I leave home rather than slog thru the rain all weekend. So the plan is to finish the ST in February, and head down to springer in March to start the first official leg of the BMT completion. I have already completed about 50 miles of the BMT on 2 prior trips and 1 trip on the Pinhoti early on in the ST completion.

    Currently between the 2 trails I have about 547 miles left, resulting in aprox 22 trips (I have made my first alteration to my hiking calculations: I use to divide total miles left by 30 miles per weekend to calc how many trips state of the AT, or a remaining trail will require for completion....however now I have altered that estimation to 25 miles a trip....first hiker sign of getting older ) remaining to complete both trails. However, trips get canceled, statistically my weekend trips are becoming more successful the older I get, less quitting in me. So not sure how many years the PT and BMT will take to complete. But I will estimate it taking 4-5 years to complete.


    Oh and in other short news, I am starting the CdT in April at the southern Terminus for a 1 week stroll!
    Trail Miles: 4,927.6
    AT Map 1: Complete 2013-2021
    Sheltowee Trace: Complete 2020-2023
    Pinhoti Trail: Complete 2023-2024
    Foothills Trail: 0.0
    AT Map 2: 279.4
    BMT: 52.7
    CDT: 85.4

  2. #2
    Registered User Slugg's Avatar
    Join Date
    04-07-2017
    Location
    Georgia
    Age
    31
    Posts
    360

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    Sounds like a good plan, look forward to the PT and BMT trips reports and as I’ve said, appreciate/enjoy your ST trip reports as well. I sectioned-hiked the PT and BMT as well, the BMT over 2 trips and the PT over several trips. Might could help with planning as I’ve used a lot of the obscure trailheads especially on the GA Pinhoti but Farout would be more current of course. Both are unique and scenic wonderful trails; I found the BMT the more challenging of the two.
    Oh and you may not be done with unchained dogs yet and definitely aren’t through with condemned mobile homes

  3. #3
    Registered User
    Join Date
    08-14-2015
    Location
    Rome, Georgia
    Posts
    456

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    Gambit, I live north of Rome, GA, within 20-30 minutes of about six Pinhoti Road crossings. If you need any logistical help between Cave Spring and Dalton, let me know.

    I've done all the Pinhoti in Georgia, except the road walks. The best stretches are High Point Trailhead to Mack White Gap, Snake Creek Gap to Dug Gap, and Dennis Mill to the northern terminus. Not sure why anybody in their right mind would want to do the road walk sections - arg! yuck! arg! Especially if it's hot, raining, or cold, which covers about 98.7% of North Georgia's weather. But if you have to do it because you have to do it, well, so be it.

    The Alabama section is, I think, wonderful. I've done just a bit of it. There's a very nice shelter just north of Indian Mountain, right after you enter Georgia.

    Good luck and have fun!

  4. #4
    Registered User
    Join Date
    08-14-2015
    Location
    Rome, Georgia
    Posts
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    Oops, forgot to mention another nice stretche in GA - East Armuchee Road to Snake Creek Gap is good.

  5. #5

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Dan Roper View Post
    Gambit, I live north of Rome, GA, within 20-30 minutes of about six Pinhoti Road crossings. If you need any logistical help between Cave Spring and Dalton, let me know.

    I've done all the Pinhoti in Georgia, except the road walks. The best stretches are High Point Trailhead to Mack White Gap, Snake Creek Gap to Dug Gap, and Dennis Mill to the northern terminus. Not sure why anybody in their right mind would want to do the road walk sections - arg! yuck! arg! Especially if it's hot, raining, or cold, which covers about 98.7% of North Georgia's weather. But if you have to do it because you have to do it, well, so be it.

    The Alabama section is, I think, wonderful. I've done just a bit of it. There's a very nice shelter just north of Indian Mountain, right after you enter Georgia.

    Good luck and have fun!
    Dan road walkin in the rain is my favorite time to do road walking!
    Trail Miles: 4,927.6
    AT Map 1: Complete 2013-2021
    Sheltowee Trace: Complete 2020-2023
    Pinhoti Trail: Complete 2023-2024
    Foothills Trail: 0.0
    AT Map 2: 279.4
    BMT: 52.7
    CDT: 85.4

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