|
This is the Past Hikes Blog where fellow hikers have posted logs about their trips 07/12/2008- AT from Snickers Gap to Sam Moore Shelter, VA Backpacking Trip This backpacking trip occurred during the weekend of July 12 and 13, 2008. Participants were Bill Isham, Chris Isham, Tom Stevenson, Jim Casserly and myself.
Saturday, July 12, 2008- Jim C, Bill I, Chris I and myself met at the Five Guys in Winchester, VA at 12 noon and had a good lunch. We then drove to the trailhead at Snickers Gap and started the hike at around 1:30PM. We made a quick stop at the Bears Den Hostel so I could show it to Bill, Chris and Jim. It was only 3.6 miles to the Sam Moore Shelter, our intended goal. This will be easy, I thought. I had forgotten that this stretch of the AT was along 'The Roller Coaster'. 13.5 miles that had 10 ascents and 10 descents. We would be going over 4 of them in the 3.6 miles that we had to get to the shelter. The trail was rocky and crappy. The weather was hot, high 80's-low 90's. All of these factors combined to make this the toughest 3.6 miles that I had ever hiked. Tom Stevenson arrived later in the afternoon and joined us at around the 2.5 mile mark.
We all arrived at the Sam Moore Shelter by 5:30PM. We were tired! There were 3 other section hikers at the shelter that were from MD. All very friendly. One of them had a dog named Ben. He was very friendly. So we ate dinner and swapped some talk. Jim C had been to Africa earlier in the year and showed us some pictures from the trip. We all retired early since we were bushed. I got a chance to try out my new tent. It is different but I think that it will work fine. The night was warm and somewhat breezy.
Sunday, July 13, 2008- We all got up at first light, ate and were on the trail by 7:30AM. I suggested bushwacking to one of the parallel roads to the trail and taking them back. But no one else wanted to. So we again endured the 3.6 miles and 4 big ascents and descents back to our vehicles and went home.
This was a tough hike. The trail conditions were some of the worst that I have seen along the AT. I think that the only way that I will be back to this area is to see the neat overlook near Bears Den Hostel. I also may backpack in about a mile or so to the first stream crossing to camp. But I don't think that I will be hiking 'The Roller Coaster' again. It was a tough hike. However, I feel that a tough hiking day is better than any day at work!
Tom Stevenson and I recently completed the missing 43 miles of the AT that we missed in September, 2007.
Click Here to see my trip log and pics.
Click here to see Tom's pics from this trip
The price of gas has definitely effected participation on hikes this year. I had 3 maybes tell me that they couldn't make this one. I'm sure that gas was a factor.
So I hopped on my motorcycle on Saturday morning, May 19th, 2008 and headed out to Wildcat Mountain Natural Area, VA. It is located just west of Marshall, VA off of US17 near I66. This is the 'snowbunny route'.
Retirees from western New York use this route to get to their Florida homes for the winter. I know a number of them that do this.
The first mile would have me ascending 400 feet to get to the top of England Mountain. That was rough. After that, you are basically walking along 2 different ridges that are separated by a gorge that has some streams in it. The area is very beautiful. Most of the trails are old roads. It looks like the area was logged over 100 years ago but then kept pristine. Once on top of the ridges, the elevation changes are no more than a few hundred feet.
There are 2 different loops that you can hike in this area. 2.9 and 5.2 miles. I sat at the intersection where I had to decide which loop to do for about 5 minutes trying to decide which one to do. Since I forgot my hat and my camera, I decided to do the short loop. So I'm game to come back here if someone else wants to do the longer loop.
Highlights of this trip included and old spring house which looks to be sporting a recently renovated roof, an old abandoned house called the Smith house and a small lake that forms the start of Black Cotton Branch. Another neat thing was that there were old (probably from the 60's) Nature Conservancy tins on the trees next to more tecently placed plastic trail markers. Some of these old shields were growing into the trees so I know that they had been there for awhile.
I passed a number of young couples hiking this trail as I was heading out. Nice way to spend a Saturday morning and afternoon. So I definitely enjoyed hiking this area and would welcome the opportunity to go back and hike the longer loop some day. I had been wanting to do this for almost 15 years. So, on Saturday, May 10th, 2008, I spent the night in the 400 acre Chopawamsic Backcountry, which is a wilderness area that lies between Prince William Forest and Quantico Marine Base in VA.
I went to Prince William Forest Park to get my free backcountry permit to camp in the backcountry. I was worried about the weather as we were in between rain storms. Also, the ranger informed me that the Marines had replaced the lock at the entrance to the backcountry. So I would have to park my car on Joplin RD across from the American Legion Hall and add an extra mile each way to my hike.
So I started in around 4PM. I made a few wrong turns but finally made it to the trail head. I then hiked about a mile further along the Bobcat Ridge Trail to site number 4. I wasn't sure where exactly that I was supposed to camp. So I dropped my pack by a small stream/brook that ran across my site and started exploring. I found where Chopawamsic Creek was. Then I followed a faint yellow blazed trail up over a small ridge and it led to a sign that said site 5 camp site. So I assumed that I had to camp back by the trail. It turns out that they renumbered the site posts on the trail but did not renumber the site markers themselves. Very confusing.
Anyway, I got the tent set up by this small stream/brook that I crossed first as it looked like it was going to rain again. I then ate a meal and, while doing so, the sun came out. So it ended up being a very nice afternoon and evening. I then discovered that the small stream/brook by my tent was really a spring that came right out of the ground about 30 feet from my tent. I lucked out this time! I relaxed, read, then entered my tent around 8PM. The night was a little cool but very quiet.
On Sunday morning, May 11th, 2008, I got up, ate, packed up, pumped some of that nice spring water for the trip home and walked out the loop along the Deer Ridge Trail to the road and then back to my car. So I ended up doing 2 miles yesterday and 3 miles today.
This was a nice trip. I was the only person in the backcountry this weekend. You are isolated but can hear I95 in the distance as well as hear occasional gun shots coming from Quantico Marine Base. Your cell phone also works. This is a nice way to spend a weekend. The only problems encountered on this trip were that I forgot my coffee cup, my candle lantern was stuck from a previous trip and my tent was pitched a little too steeply on the hill and I kept having to pull myself up to the top of the tent. Other than that, the Chopawamsic Backcountry is a great place to get away from it all.
Map of the Chopawamsic Backcountry
This hike occurred on Saturday, March 15th, 2008. Tom Stevenson and I met at the parking lot in front of the 'Mountain House' at BRMC, which is right at the Prince William/Faquier County line in VA. We started at 9:00AM on what would turn out to be a 7.25 mile moderate hike.
We started at the east end of the natural area and hiked the East End Trail for about 1.25 miles, the Triassic Basin Loop for about 1 mile, Mountain Road for about .5 mile, Catlett's Branch Trail for about .25 mile, Dawson's Trail for about 1 mile, Mountain Road for another .25 mile, then we did the Ridge Trail and took a break after a fairly good sized up. Another family had helped us with directions and followed us up the mountain.
After the break we did the rest of the Ridge Trail, which was about 1.3 miles, then the Ridge Loop Trail, which was .75 miles and a steep down. Then the Mountain Road again for about 1 mile. We detoured to the Chapman Trail to get a look at the Beverly/Chapman Mill which was undergoing renovations. We then walked back to our cars and then went home.
This was a nice hike. It was a steep up to the top of the Ridge Trail but the views were worth it. Tom and I talked about alot of stuff during the hike. We agreed that we would be hiking again in June, 2008 when we do the 'lost 40 miles' of the AT in CT and MA.
Click Here to see a map of where we hiked. Note that you can click on the map to make it bigger.
Click Here for pictures of this hike. On Saturday, March 1, 2008 my son John Calabrese and I attended an 8.7 mile day hike through Elk Neck State Forest, MD. This hike was sponsored by the Mason-Dixon Trail System. We all met at a church parking lot in Northeast, MD at 9:00AM. There were 13 of us on this hike. We then shuttled 3 cars over to the eastern boundary of Elk Neck Forest on Harminski RD and then began the hike.
We were on an old forest road for a short stint, then turned onto trail that had been built by the hike leader and her husband. The forest had no color as the leaves had not appeared. However, it was very peaceful walking through the woods. We would all be talking to each other about various things and listening to other's conversations. The weather was in the high forties and it was sunny. A great day for a hike.
We went across numerous streams, had to detour around a dam that had washed away, saw beaver activity and even walked through a cemetery. We did see signs about a future development. Phone numbers were recorded to contact the builders to ensure that the trail stays in place through this future development. We ended the hike around 1:00PM The trail club had a meeting, but John and I headed for home. This was a nice hike. The Mason-Dixon trail needs volunteers in MD, PA and DE to help keep this wonderful trail open. You can get more information on this group by going to http://www.masondixontrail.org . The Gunpowder Falls Sweet Air, MD Day Hike took place on Saturday, December 29, 2007 between 9AM and 12 noon. Participants were John Calabrese, John Lawrence, Bill and Chris Isham, Paul Kaercher, Terri Moore and her dog Reilly.
The weather was threatening all week. I thought that I would have to cancel this hike for a second year. But the rains stopped at dawn, we had a good turnout and a great hike.
We all arrived around 9ish at the parking area on Dalton-Bevard RD. The parking lot and the trails were a bit muddy, but it was great to do some hiking with the group again. The plan was to hike the blue blazed boundry trail, which was about 5 miles. We started at the parking area in a clockwise manor. We traversed corn fields and pine groves, along streams and through fields. Since we were hiking around the border of this area, we would see very nice houses surrounding it. We also saw a number of trails added to this area since the 1995 era map that we had was published.
During the hike we all talked about various things, what we had been up to, current events, trails that we wanted to hike in the future. It was like a mobile gathering of friends. It made the hike that much more fun. Terri's dog Reilly was scouting ahead, running around full of energy. I think that he enjoyed this hike the most!
When we got to mile 3 we discovered that we could not cross Little Gunpowder Falls and hike the southern part of this area. The water was high from recent rains and very cold. So we took an orange blazed trail to a white blazed trail at mile 3.5. We then hit the Red Dot Trail at mile 4.5. We then took this trail back to the parking lot and our cars.
Some of the group then left for home. A few of us ate a snack at one of the picnic tables and discussed the possibility of hiking in from MD145 and hiking the southern half of the trail that we had missed due to not being able to cross the river at mile 3. So we drove around to the southern end of the Sweet Air Area to see if we could get to this missing portion. Unfortionately, we discovered a gated trail on MD145 that we think led to this area. But there was nowhere close for 3 cars to park to hike it. There was a small pull off about 100 feet past this trail. But there was only room for one car.
So we said our goodbyes and went home. This was a nice hike. The only 'opportunities' were the muddy trail and not being able to cross the Little Gunpowder Falls to do the southernmost few miles of this hike. But we had a nice day to hike and had a nice time just being with fellow hikers.
When I arrived at Old Rag Mountain the day after Thanksgiving I knew that no one else would show up for this one. So I decided that rather than go up and over Old Rag, that I would hike around it. So I parked in the overflow parking area about a half mile from the trailhead, walked with a group to the trailhead, then set off on my own. I did an up and back hike along the Weakley Hollow and Berry Hollow Fire Roads.
The length was about 4 miles each way with only small changes in elevation. So it was a good hike. The temps stayed in the 30's. The most interesting discovery of this hike was that the Old Rag parking areas were filled to capacity. However, the Berry Hollow parking area only had about 5 cars in it. It looked like it held 15-20 cars. So, if one was planning on hiking Old Rag, parking in this lot would be easier, closer to the summit and less hassle.
Anyway, this was a nice hike and as far away from the malls on Black Friday as you can get. This was a 7 mile linear hike that took place on Saturday, November 17, 2007. I arrived at 8:45AM at Rodgers Tavern in Perryville, MD, which was the appointed meeting place. There were 6 of us on this hike: 4 officers of the Mason-dixon Trail System, another gentleman and myself.
We took all 4 cars and left 2 of them on Belvedere Road, then took 2 cars over to the end of Rolling Mill Road just north of Northeast, MD, where we started the hike.
We went along Northeast Creek and crossed US40, we continued along this creek for about a mile, then turned left and proceeded through a townhouse development. We almost lost the trail there but the blazes were on curbs and guided us through. We then walked along an old road, then crossed MD272 and walked along Nazarene Camp Road for a few miles and then took a left onto a dirt road. There was a sign that a new development was going in here so the phone number was recorded to see if the trail could be routed through the future development.
Mile 3- We then walked past some run down trailers and the trail was on old roads. We came across a keep out sign and had to bushwack through the woods and get back to the trail. Apparently, a land owner cut off access to the trail. We then crossed a creek, which was slippery. We then had to cut our way through thick briars for about 250 feet. We then entered a housing development. The trail was travelling a cable easement through the development. We would be traveling mostly on thie easement for the remainder of the hike.
At around 4 miles, we crossed Red Toad Road, then were in the woods for about 100 feet, then, after getting lost for a few minutes, went through another housing development. We then got back on the cable line right of way and followed it for another mile. We ate our lunch along this stretch.
Mile 5.5- We came across a huge warehouse that the trail went around, then we got back on the cable right of way climbed 250 ft high Foy's Hill, the highpoint of the hike. We could see water to the south. Not sure if it was the Chesapeake Bay or the Northeast River.
Mile 6- We then had a long down, walk along some railroad tracks for about a mile, went through another overgrown stretch, then reached Belvedere Road and the end of the hike,
I stayed for the Mason-Dixon Trail System club meeting, then headed home. This was a very interesting hike. The blazing was poor in certain areas. If I had done this section by myself, I would most certainly have gotten lost. The others were telling me that when this section of trail was laid out back in the late 1970's, there was no development along it. Now, there is a real danger that the trail may be closed off in this stretch. The club is even making plans for a major reroute to the south of US 40 to combat this.
The Mason-Dixon Trail club is in need of new members to help preserve and protect this trail. If you are interested in helping them, Click Here.
Mike C Tom Stevenson and I completed this one on September 14, 2007. Below is a link to the trip log on my site:
|
<<RagBlogs Home | The Rag Tag Rangers