Read the latest gossip about what happened on recent hikes. It is mostly true. Sunday, September 11. Hike Little Skidmore 4 miles - no really just 3. This was our first hike involving measuring and recording a trail for the new guidebook on the GET-Shenandoah Mountain. So we started off with an easy one. The two mile Little Skidmore Trial. It was even easier than we thought since our measuring wheel recorded 1.5 miles. Since it was so short we hike on looking for what proved to be an elusive overlook to have lunch. We ended up hiking about two miles on the Wild Oak Trail before turning around and hiking back. Lynn Cameron led the hike. Several folks took turns rolling the measuring wheel. Saturday, Sept. 24. Hike the AT from Petitt’s Gap to the James River. Malcolm and Lynn Cameron, Bob, and Nancy Hall joined hike leader Mike Seth in the 10.3 mile hike through the beautiful James Face Wilderness. We started at Petites Gap off the Blue Ridge Parkway and hiked to the James River. Although the hike was advertised as downhill there was an initial climb up Highridge and then after a couple of miles it was mostly downhill the rest of the way. The all downhill originally announced was based on the fact the starting point was much higher than the ending, without taking into consideration that ridges are rarely level along the Blue Ridge. Still no one complained. Temperatures were pleasant; it was foggy much of the way but it did clear in time for views as we descended to the James River. This is a very lush and healthy forest with lots of wildflowers. We found goldenrods, silverrods, several kinds of asters, Virginia harebells, flowering spurge, Gerardia, bidens, horsebalm, jumpseed and so many mushrooms. The blackgums had already turned red reminding us that this was the first outing of autumn. We ended with the crossing of the Foot Bridge foot bridge (this is not a typo but a foot bridge named after a Mr. Foot). Afraid the Mexican restaurant in Buena Vista might refuse to serve us after what happened last time we ate there, we opted for an Italian Restaurant in Lexington (where nobody knows us) that seemed patronized mainly by VMI cadets. It was around eight when we headed home. Sunday, October 2. Hike and Annual Meeting. Although it was a chilly, gloomy, damp day we had a good time at our annual meeting. We started late, meeting at 11:00 at Food Lion in Elkton. Then we hiked part way up Powell Mountain. Mike and Karen Waterman, Malcolm and Lynn Cameron, Mike Smith, Mike Seth, Bryan and June participated in the hike. Returning to Cliff’s House at 3:00 pm for our annual meeting. Doris True, Theresia Barger, Tom Johnson, Reba Leiding and her husband Harry, Mark and Betty Gatewood came for the meeting and potluck. Mike Waterman got the wood stove started and we were all comfortable in the cabin. After our business meeting we got to the food. Most folks departed between six and seven but the Camerons and the Watermans stayed overnight. Saturday, October 15. Hike on Bald Ridge. Richard Hottel, Chad Churchman, Jeff Landes, Joyce Rathfon, Nancy Hall, and Greg Fife, led by Lynn and Malcolm Cameron, started at Dividing Ridge Trailhead on FR 96 and hiked up Dividing Ridge Trail to the pond at the intersection with Bald Ridge Trail. Then we hiked south along Bald Ridge Trail which runs along the eastern edge of Ramseys Draft Wilderness. We descended on Bald Ridge Trail to Braley Pond, where we found our shuttle car waiting. The distance of this hike has long been a mystery since all the hike guides and maps disagree. We are now sure how long this trail is since we used our new blaze orange measuring wheel to measure the exact distance. From FR96 to Braley Pond Parking Lot is 10.5 miles. SSVC has been working on Bald Ridge Trail for several years. We didn't want to miss an opportunity to continue our work on this overgrown trail, so we lopped and chopped vegetation on Bald Ridge as we hiked. We definitely left in better shape than we found it although there are a few down trees remaining that will require a crosscut saw to remove. Sunday, October 30. Hike on Hone Quarry Trail. Due to a freak late October snowstorm this hike was undoable. Still Hike leader Jean Fraser decided to go out anyway and was joined by Lynn Cameron and Mike Seth. The three parked their car on Hone Quarry forest road near the reservoir and then hiked to the waterfalls. To make the hike interesting they bushwhacked through the woods and along the stream back to their cars. Several inches of snow covered on the ground. It was mostly sunny and the combination of snow and fall colors was a rare and beautiful treat. A great day to be out. Saturday, November 5. Hike at Mud Pond-Blueberry Trail. On a gorgeous late autumn day three folks Ken Wilkinson, Greg Fife and Ron Radloff joined Mike Seth to measure and describe these trails as part of our effort to compile a GET trail guide to Shenandoah Mountain. We hiked up Mud Pond Gap Trail to its junction with the Meadow Knob Trail and then up the Meadow Knob Trail Oak Knob. There we had lunch and the back to the Blueberry Trail making a loop with a short FR walk to our car. We noticed a large number of clearing on the way up to Oak Knob made by the forest service. Although designed for wildlife, they were all completely overgrown by non-natives of poor nutritional value and unlikely to be filled with much wildlife. Interestingly we found the mileage on the National Geographic Map to be off making the entire hike about a mile longer that the map would suggest. Our hikes often seems longer than the signs or maps indicate, in this case it was longer since the measuring wheel doesn’t lie or exaggerate. Sun., Dec. 4. Hike Furnace Mountain to Blackrock and back. Nancy Hall, Joyce Rathfon, Dwayne Martin, Mike and Karen Waterman, Bob and Betty Forest, Jenny Groh, Mike Seth joined hike leaders Mark and Betty Gatewood for this eight mile hike (actually nine miles but nobody seemed to notice the extra mile). We had good weather. Betty showed us the fragment of a school bag still stuck in rocks at Blackrock when a boulder slipped while escorting a group of middle school students. The usually crowds around the rocks were absent that day making it quite peaceful. We had light lunches saving our appetites for the potluck and then hiked down. We then drove to the Gatewoods in the rural suburbs of Mount Sidney admiring the view of Shenandoah Mountain from the dining room and the eating and drinking. Jean Frazier and Theresia Barger joined us at the Gatewood family compound. Sun., Jan. 1. New Years Hike Whether it was the New Year’s resolutions or the nice weather or just a lot of enthusiasm we had a good turnout for this annual event. Twenty-one folks (too many to list) met at the Food Lion in Grottoes. We hiked up Trayfoot Mountain and down Furnace Mountain Trail for eight miles and a little under 2000 feet in elevation gain. Most people added the side trail to the Furnace Mountain lookout. Several folks called “short hikers” did an alternative walk up the Madison Run Fire Road. This group walked up to the Madison Spur Trail Junction .5 miles from the Skyline Drive and then back, so that the short hike at nine miles was slightly longer than the long hike. Afterwards most folks went to Romano’s Restaurant on Route 33 in McGaheysville for dinner. A good second choice after our planned after-hike restaurant, Grottoes Wood Oven Grill, was closed. Hiking, nature, friends, food- not a bad way to start the year. January 14 Annual Spaghetti Hike - Despite cold temperatures, seven of us hiked a 6.5-miles loop north of the Swift Run Ranger Station. Led by Lynn and Malcolm Cameron, Wayne and Stef Morris, Ron Radloff, David Kanagy and Kim from Louisa County hiked north on the AT, then to the east on the Saddleback Trail, reconnecting to the AT near South River Picnic Area, and then back along the AT to Swift Run Ranger Station. The South River Work Shelter provided us with a picnic table, as well as a nice outhouse, furnished with a mailbox toilet paper holder. Neat! We stopped at an old cemetery along the AT on the return trip. Theresia Barger and Doris True did their own slightly shorter hike north on the AT and back. We all converged at the Radloffs for our traditional spaghetti dinner. Plenty of good food and fellowship! Thanks Ann and Ron for another wonderful spaghetti dinner! January 28 Shenandoah Mountain Trail. With Richard Hottel at the lead, Ron Radloff, Stef and Wayne Morris, Bob Eggleston, Jean Fraser, Greg Fife, David Kanagy, Michael Seth, and Lynn and Malcolm Cameron walked from Confederate Breastworks north on Shenandoah Mountain Trail. A few of us split off and went down to check out the historic PATC Sexton Cabin site, while others continued on the Shenandoah Mountain Trail, which is maintained by David Kanagy. We wanted to scout the condition of the trail. We just happened to have some loppers and clippers, so we hacked away at overgrowth and sawed small blowdowns with our Coronas (saws, not beer). The group made it about 5 miles in for a total distance of 10 miles. It was easy so it didn’t seem that far. Everybody agreed this is one of the most beautiful trails in Virginia. We ended by walking around the interpretive trail at the Breastworks and reading all the signs in honor of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. Other Activities We have been one active chapter lately. The below is a not a complete list of our activities but offers some of what we have been doing. The Flying McLeods had a Service Learning day on November 14. Jo-el Nelson brought a group of Riverheads HS students and alumnus, and Ken and Lori Overway brought three Bridgewater College students to extend the Calf Mountain AT relocation. Several of our folks have been out with the measuring wheel. Richard Hottel has done impressive work measuring trails, leading many mid-week trail measurement hikes. So that it looks at this point that we will meet our goal of measuring all the trail on Shenandoah Mountain by the end of this coming summer! About twenty people so far have participated in this project for Tim Hupp. Trails Measured so far:
On many of these measuring hikes, we have also been clipping back vegetation and sawing blowdowns off the trails as we pass through. We’ve accumulated an awesome number of volunteers hours on Shenandoah Mountain. Mark Gatewood reports. 21 Jan 2012 I went to the SNP/PATC annual trails meeting in Vienna. Overall, attendance was light because of the forecast of freezing rain, but our drive to Vienna was uneventful. Assistant Superintendent Jennifer Flynn led the SNP contingent. Top news item is the impending closing of the Ivy Creek Overlook for renovation of the stone wall. This should begin in February and last several months. SNP will reroute the AT around the overlook for the duration of the work. We also heard budgetary bad news for SNP but no telling what that will mean for us maintainers. Mark further reports: “On 28 Jan I did my annual stint at Camp Shenandoah BSA teaching the scouts at the Klondike campout about Leave No Trace and how to avoid bear and other wildlife conflicts by hanging a ‘bear bag.’ On my lunch hour, I poked around in the woods at the head of the lake and found abundant skunk cabbage.” Mark and Betty attended several meetings for Earth Day Staunton. The event is scheduled for 14 April in the Wharf area. Unfortunately the Blacks Run Cleanup/GreenScene event, which we displayed at last year, is the same day. Lynn made a presentation in Harriosnburg on Jan. 24, “Industrial Wind on Shenandoah Mountain?”, making a case for not putting wind turbines on National Forest land on Shenandoah Mountain. Lynn has also been going around to businesses asking for endorsements of the Shenandoah Mountain Proposal. So far about 90 businesses, 55 organizations, and 13 faith groups have endorsed. Still, we need more endorsements to succeed in our efforts to make Shenandoah Mountain a National Scenic Area. Lynn applied for a grant from the American Hiking Society to buy tools to support our trail work on Shenandoah Mountain and in Wilderness areas. We’ve engaged college students in trail work in the GWNF a couple of times and want to do more of that in partnership with the Virginia Wilderness Committee. Having tools will help support our efforts. |