Pine Mountain Trail West (Bartow County, Georgia)

Just a couple of months ago, I lead one of the local Meetup groups on an exploratory hike from Coopers Furnace to the summit of Pine Mountain and the two interconnected loops on either side of the summit. It was a great hike and inspired the owner of the Meetup to post it again. Unfortunately, his plans changed and he had to go out of town during the scheduled hike. He asked if I would mind leading it again, which I was happy to do. However unbeknownst and strangely to me, it seems the Army Corp of Engineers, which manages the area where our original trailhead, closes that area in the winter. This was pointed out by one of the hikers that had signed up and then I called and confirmed the information. Given that we're in Georgia, where it rarely snows or drops below thirty degrees, I don't really understand the need to close any outdoor facilities, but it is what it is. Luckily, there is a second trailhead on the opposite side of the mountain that offers the same access.

Arriving early, as I always try to when leading a hike, I quickly meet up with several hikers that will be joining us. After a quick round of introductions, we hit the trail at the appointed time. Unlike the route from my original trailhead, this one starts out climbing the steepest section of the trail and quickly some of the hikers fall behind. As we approach the spur trail that leads to the summit, I hang back and ensure that everyone makes it safely. Once we reach the summit, we take a short rest and enjoy some snacks and conversation.

There are a few others that are not with our group up here at the summit. The day started out pretty cold, but is turning into a beautiful day for a hike. The clear skies allow us the best views possible from this mountain top and we are able to see Lake Allatoona, Kennesaw Mountain, and several other lonely mountains in the distance. As we depart the summit, someone points out a raccoon munching on half a banana. I'm told that the animal was alongside the trail and appeared to be in distress. One of the other hikers gave him some food and he came back to life. I'm not sure if the animal was truly sick or if that was some tactic for getting handouts. Either way though, it worked out for the little guy. He doesn't pay us much attention as we walk past.

From here, we hit the central point of the horizontal figure-eight trail. We've already hiked the southern half of the western loop and now we'll hike the southern half of the eastern loop. From there, the we'll take a long section south to Coopers Furnace. I tell the slower hikers in the group that they should probably stop and wait for the rest of us where the section to the furnace begins as we will return the same way. 

We're making good time and again, the hikers split up into two groups as defined by their respective pace. Since I had explained where we should meet, I continue with the faster group and after a mile or so from the junction, we reach Coopers Furnace. Most of the hikers have not visited this large pre-Civil War site before and are surprised by it's scale. We take a few minutes to read the signage and a couple of hikers make their way down to the Etowah River just a few dozen yards away. Soon, we're making our way back the way we came.

Shortly after we turn around though, we meet up with the slower group, who has been making pretty good time. We all continue onward and back a the junction, we now start the longer norther section of the eastern loop. I tell the faster group to continue on, as I know a couple of the hikers in that group are quite capable and accomplished, and I hang back with the slower group. As we scale the mountainside via a series of longs switchbacks, I do get a ways ahead once again, but I stop often to ensure I can still see the hikers at the rear making progress. I also generally stop at any fork in the trail and wait for them to catch up to ensure they go the correct direction.

It's slow going and as we make our way along the northern half of the western loop, we take our time over the rocky sections to ensure no one gets injured. Eventually though, we make our way back to the trailhead, where some of the faster hikers have waited for us. All in all, I got in about 8.3 miles, though some of that was back-tracking as I was checking in on the slower hikers. Most of the time on the more challenging Saturday hikes that I lead, I give a disclaimer at the beginning that we won't be waiting for those that can't keep up. I'm very clear with all of the details like distance, pace, elevation gain, and terrain in my description and that hikers to ensure they are up to the challenge. That said, the Sunday hikes are generally a little more casual and so, I wanted to be more patient with the slower folks and ensure their safety. It was still an excellent time and several of the hikers mentioned that this is one of their new favorite trails. As far as those within a close proximity of the city, I have to agree.