Скачать или смотреть PMSST ... Highlands Section - Day 2 4K

Sixteenth backpacking trip of 2024 ... December 27, 2024
Included ….. Mom, Sally & I
Where: Pine Mountain State Scenic Trail ... Highlands Section (Pound Gap to Pine Mountain Rd (119))
Day 2... 8.43 miles / 3,452' elevation gain

After studying the map during the night ... I found out that the water source for the shelter wasn't far (.16 roundtrip) - so we got up early and headed down to top off our hydration bladders and water for tea/coffee. The water source is really cool- it's flowing out of the cave/rock - it's nicely piped so getting water was a breeze. So, after returning tolhe shelter we finished packing up and hit the trail. Today was threatening rain ... and the clouds had already started building. I'll preface this day by saying ... GAIA lied ... according to it, it was only going to be 7.4 miles with 1383' elevation gain. We ended up with (not including the water fetching trip) ... 8.26 miles with 3,373' elevation. That's 2.4 times the elevation gain ... So moral of the story be mentally prepared for difficult terrain because as pretty as this section is - it's a butt-kicker!!

Once again my story is too long for YouTube's liking ... so it's here along with photos.   / 15pzhnabs8  

These shelters are made for giants ... once again our feet couldn't touch the ground sitting at the picnic table and even the bench at the sleeping platforms was too tall. We had to use our sit and scoot method to safely get in and out of the sleeping area. We sat for awhile ... letting mom rest and listening to the rain before setting up camp and getting some dinner going. Unfortunately, the wind was blowing the rain in on the picnic table, so we ended up cooking/eating on the bench by the sleeping area. Not my preferred method - but I didn't want to be wet either. We discussed whether we wanted to continue one more night to finish the Little Shepherd section ... based on injury and incoming storms we'd end our trip at the end of the Highlands section.

Things to note ... Swindall campsite is awesome, all of the viewpoints are beautiful but my favorite was Mars Rock. There's several trail turns - especially around High Rocks so be mindful of your location and have a map. I wouldn't recommend doing this section if it's rained - the many rock slabs could be very hazardous. Both shelters are super nice - but just tall. Both shelters are reasonably close to water as well. This section will kick your butt... if you're not climbing then your descending but I will say this section is much better blazed and marked than what we saw on Birch Knob. The climbs very rarely use switchbacks but are mercifully short. Overall, a beautiful second day.