Pine Mountain #1

Hiked: 6/11/2024 (x2)
Distance: 3.2 round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 9652'
Elevation Gain: 1840'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.4
Round trip time: 3 hours
Recommended water: 48 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on Forest Road 3N06
Difficulty: Moderate

I drove past Guffy Campground to a small turnout where the Pine Mountain ridge met the road: the start of the North Backbone Trail. Pine was a backup plan when I discovered the ACH was closed at Vincent Gap. Sean Green and I had done the entire North Backbone years ago, but this trip was just for Pine. I dropped from the road to the ridge, then began the first of two steep slopes on the way to the Pine summit pleateau. The gain piled up quickly and the views expanded at an equal rate. The trail was somewhat loose, filled with dirt and scree. True to name, coniferous trees lined the ridge, increasing in age the higher I went. It's beautiful country, less harsh than the whitethorn and yuccas that plague the lesser peaks. The crux was the second slope, higher angle with easy scramble sections. The rock along the ridge was pretty decayed and holds had to be tested. When I got up the second slope, the forest filled out a little and I managed to briefly lose the trail. The forest had little ground cover and it was easy to get back on track. A few blobs of hard packed snow covered the trail in the upper reaches. It was easier to go around them than over. The summit had no benchmark but it did have an ammo box with a couple of registers that entropy had converted into a pile of loose sheets. The massive views south to Dawson, Baldy, and Iron were chef's kiss. The wind was calm enough to fly the drone, my first flight since I had the gimbal repaired. It followed me down part of the steepest slope and handled the obstacles like a champ. I hope to get back to the deeper parts of the ACH soon.