Urgent News and Trail Updates

FOREST FIRE at Whiskey Still Campsite area.

On Sunday afternoon April 11th, 2010 Sam Burke got a call around 4 p.m. from FDR Manager Don McGhee telling of a forest fire near Whiskey Still Campsite that afternoon.

Sam, Carl and I went to the area the next morning (via Molly Hugger Hill Parking Lot trailhead) to check it out and make repairs/clear the trail if need be. IT NEEDED help....The 2 bulldozers* fighting the fire were able to contain it to an estimated 13-14 acre mainly v-shape area. The start of the V being the campsite and going mainly up hill to the NE. The fire apparently started from a NOT put out campfire (campfire was built NOT in the existing fire-ring but on open ground about 5' from the large fire pit.) The fire did burn south from the camp along and westward uphill several hundred feet from the WATER trail. Yes there were registered backpackers for the camp on Saturday night.

* Despite the trail "damage" the Georgia Forestry unit dozers did their job quickly and thankfully the wind was not up at the time of the fire.

This fire was the results of careless campers NOT building their fire in a fire-ring and NOT drowning the fire afterwards BEFORE leaving the camp.

Before getting to the camp, the Pine Mountain Trail was impacted directly by the dozers some 300 feet (along and several cuts across it, not to mention being burned on both sides for about 1/4 mile.) Those cuts and such have been repaired best we can, so the trail is passable.

The camp was not useable for about 6 weeks. When you approach the campsite entrance sign there is no sign of the fire, no sign of it till you get within about 150 feet of the three tent sites.... This section of approach trail was plowed up by the dozers and many large rocks were displaced. We were able to cut all the trees that were across the trail near the camp, and on the WATER trail. The tent sites were not "damaged" but were impacted by the fire area (burned leaves on the north sides) and again the approach trail to the camp was impacted.

We had a workday planned for Saturday April 24th, but it was called due to rain. On Friday April 23, PMTA LIFE member Eddie Hall did a lot of work at the camp cleaning up (again, prior to the extensive rain on the 24th.) We still need to have a workday to work more on the camp and rake more on the affected PMT section.

Final repairs: On Saturday May 22 a great group of volunteers went in to the camp and cleared up the access trail, cut up more of the downed trees and built several diversion dams in the dozer cut (to keep erosion down.) The camp is now “open” for use, but water is not available reliably there.

Another "Controlled" Burn at FDR State Park Along the Pine Mountain Trail

Special Note to PMTA Members and Media: February 11, 2010

burn results

A while back we of the PMTA board were given advance notice of another controlled burn to take place likely in February of this year starting west of the burn of 2009 (see 2009 burn map below.) That burn burned along both side of the PMT from near trail Mile 8.6 to 10.8 including the area around Beech Bottom Campsite and the Big Poplar.

 

February 10th we have learned the upcoming burn will be as soon as possible and will start from the access road near road Mile 5 on Ga. 190  (down to near Beech Bottom Campsite) and be west of there all the way to Ga. 354 (except a small area on the NW corner of the park not being burned.) Thus the burn will be along both sides of the Pine Mountain Trail from about trail Mile 8.6 west to  Mile 6.4 and .7 of a mile of the Pool Trail (2.9 miles of trail.)

 

On Saturday February 6th, some 35 volunteers hand raked a fire line around Jenkins Springs and Big Knot Campsites that the DNR stated they will honor and keep the burn away from. The DNR however would not consider a fire break to keep the burn away from the trails.

 

After the upcoming burn, along with the 2009 burn area, the entire middle section (some 5 miles of trail) will thus show visible signs of being burned on both sides.

 

map of burn impace

The upcoming burn will likely take place within two weeks. So if you have plans to hike or backpack along the Pine Mountain Trail, you may want to check with the park office for any trail closures (caused by the burn.)  We are told the burn will not take place on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday.  The day of the burn and a couple days after the burn, that 5 mile trail section (from Fox Den Cove to Mollyhugger Hill and the Pool Trail from the PMT west to to Ga. 354) will likely be closed to hikers and backpackers (including Big Knot, Jenkins Springs and Beech Bottom Campsites). Thus making thru hiking the PMT not possible, and making it likely difficult for backpackers (especially scout groups) to cover several miles of trail and having to avoid the middle section of the PMT.   

 

It is suggested that if you want to do a long hike or backpack trip soon along the PMT you avoid the middle section (burned) and take the Sawtooth Trail near Mile 6 over to the PMT near MollyHugger Hill (Trail Mile 11.2)

 

If you have any questions as to how to do this, call Jim Hall of the PMTA at 706-569-0497 or email him through the PMTA web site. If you have hiked previous burned sections or have a comment about the upcoming burn,  please contact the PMTA and the Georgia DNR links below:

If you would like to be updated via email on trail concerns and last-minute updates, please contact us.

~ Mark Hughes, President, and Sam Burke, Vice President

 

2010 PMTA Board Members

On Monday, January 11th, the Pine Mountain Trail Association board had its first meeting of 2010 at the FDR State Park group shelter. Topics of discussion will be sent in an email, but just wanted to let you know of some changes on the PMTA board.

  1. Going off the board after many years of fine service are Danny Rock of LaGrange and Curtis Lynch of Columbus.
  2. Joining us on the board are:
    Jack Combs - Pine Mountain, GA
    Richard Rogers - Pine Mountain, GA
    Gus Callaway - LaGrange, GA
    Harry Pruitt - Phenix City, AL
    Tommy Hadaway - Opelika, AL
    Craig Myers - LaGrange, GA
  3. Officers for 2010 are:
    Mark Hughes - President
    Sam Burke - Vice President
    Jim Hall - Secretary

Congratulations to all board members.

Georgia A.T. License Plates update:

As of January 14th, we've received 599 applications toward the 1,000 necessary to make the Georgia A.T. license plate a reality. Thanks to all of you who have already sent in your applications! It’s easy:

  1. Download an application.
  2. Print it out.
  3. Send the completed form along with $25 to:

    Appalachian Trail Conservancy
    PO Box 807
    Harpers Ferry, WV 25425

Visit http://www.appalachiantrail.org/galicenseplate for more information.

Vandalism

September 27, 2009

PMTA members: last year just after we got the nice name signs up before and after each parking area, the wooden Overlook Crossing Parking Areas sign was literally ripped off the sign post.
 
Back in June of this year  I found the TRAIL CROSSING signs west of Buzzards' Roost Parking Area and the wooden Buzzard's Roost Parking Area sign missing.The expensive wooden sign was wrenched/ripped off from the wooden sign post and NOT replaced. The Georgia D.O.T. replaced the metal signs.
 
Today I found that the pair of large brown PINE MOUNTAIN TRAIL signs (which had back to back wooden mileage signs on them) and post i missing at the crossing.  
 
Anytime you are up hiking and backpacking and see someone messing with a sign....Contact the park office and if you can't get them on the phone call 911 and report the persons. Write down tag numbers if the person is parked nearby.
 
Signs are costly.  These are the first instances of signs being missing in all my years of involvement with the PMTA.  Funny thing is that with a total count of8 signs missing...7 are from the Buzzard's Roost road crossing on Ga. 190. While some of the missing signs were bought and paid for by the PMTA ( 4 wooden signs that cost nearly $100 each, plus post) the metal signs are State of Georgia supplied property and are a felony to remove (steal) if caught.

-- Jim Hall

July 13, 2009

Here's a link to the American Hiking Society's page concerning a new bill, HR 1912 - the Complete America’s Great Trails Act - there's also a link there to contact your representative and urge him to co-sponsor this potentially important piece of legislation.

June 29, 2009

The following comes from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy:

Georgia A.T. License Plates are on a roll!

Great news: we’ve have already received our first 200 applications toward the 1,000 necessary to make the Georgia A.T. license plate a reality. Thanks to all of you who have already sent in your applications!

For those of you who haven’t joined us in this effort yet, there’s no need to wait for your renewal.

We’ve been “conditionally” approved for the special A.T. license plate. Basically, the state said “yeah, you can have an A.T. license plate, but show us that Georgians will support this by getting 1,000 pre-paid applications.” So they aren’t “technically” available yet, though they will be produced once we reach 1,000 applications.

The process in your case would be for you would be to go ahead and renew your vehicle in Georgia as you would normally – and on your current schedule.

Meanwhile, fill out the application for the Georgia A.T. license plate and send it to us, we’ll process money and applications until we reach 1,000, and then we will hand them off to the state for production. When they are ready, you’ll be notified. 

It's a Good Cause:
The A.T. license plate in Georgia will help raise awareness of the Trail, and we hope to pursue profit-sharing from the state soon so that the revenue from the plate will support the Appalachian Trail in Georgia long into the future.

By the Numbers:
As of last Wednesday, we have 203 A.T. license plate applications in Georgia. Please be the next one to join us.

It’s easy
Download an application.
Print it out, and send the completed form along with $25 to us:
Appalachian Trail Conservancy, PO Box 807, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425

Visit http://www.appalachiantrail.org/galicenseplate for more information.

An Important Note for Those Coming to FDR State Park and the Pine Mountain Trail

The Pine Mountain Trail Association provides this website as a guide to the PMT and as a service to our members and the thousands who hike the Trail each year. We gladly answer questions about backpacking and hiking the trails by contacting the PMTA through the phone numbers listed in the Backcountry Camping section and by email.

However, we can no longer accurately tell you that all of FDR State Park will be open for use for your planned activities year-round. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources has decided to do a series of burns that will burn areas including both sides of some trails in places.

The first burn was in February of 2007, followed by burns in February 2008 and 2009. These burns temporarily closed several miles of trail for several days, but has caused lasting visual impact to the trail routes. The location, date, and times of future burns are yet to be determined and are subject to weather conditions.

The DNR closed the entire park to non-hunters during a two day deer hunt in January 2009 and another hunt is planned for early December 2009.

The Pine Mountain Trail Association has voiced total opposition to these burns and tried to keep them away from the trails. We will continue to oppose them, but for now we are told they are going to happen. We will gladly help you plan your route but you need to contact FDR State Park at 706-663-4858 and ask the park managers if your plans could be impacted by park closures due to burns.

If you have hiked the burned sections and have a comment, please contact the PMTA and the Georgia DNR links below:

If you would like to be updated via email on trail concerns and last-minute updates, please contact us.