Adventure: If you're looking for a hike but still want a since of adventure instead of blindly following a path in the woods... yeah... this is your hike. Blazes were hard to come by in areas and four-wheel tracks often times split the trail into three different paths making is a thrilling backwoods game show at times - "Do we choose trail #1, trail #2 or trail #3?" Hills were steep and during heavy rains sections of the trail could easily become impassible. When you're not huffing and puffing up the incredibly steep sections, you may be scrambling across the numerous rocky, exposed ridges with class 2 and class 3 scrambles as well as one small section that may even be pushing class 4 climbing... er... hiking.

The Pine Mountain Trail won't leave you disappointed if you're into a wild, sometimes sketchy adventure. It's definitely not a tamed trail like others in the region. Want to go?

To see even more photos from the trip you can check out my Flickr page.

For more information about the entire PMT visit the Pine Mountain Scenic Trail's website.

Look for a complete turn by turn 'Rip & Go' article on the Birch Knob section of the PMT in BACKPACKER Magazine in 2014.