PATC - Charlottesville Chapter

Big Run Loop - March 3, 2012

2012-03-04T12:47:00.000-05:00

The weather forecast for Saturday had been foreboding for much of the week, and hike leader Ken Moss had some anxious moments in wondering what the weather would eventually bring, but by Friday afternoon it looked like any rain would be gone by our normal 9 AM assembly time. A crowd of eleven hikers showed up at the allotted time, though Marian Styles decided to stay back to search for a wayward John Shannon…a mystery followed with anxious anticipation by everyone throughout the day (he was later found to have participated in an all-day workshop, oblivious to the fact that he had raised such concerns!).

We packed the remaining ten people into two cars and proceeded to Doyles River Parking near the Big Run Overlook, from which our hike began with a descent into the Big Run Watershed, the largest in Shenandoah National Park. Because of heavy rain the previous night, there was some concern about an eventual crossing of Big Run itself, though this proved unfounded as the water level was quite reasonable.

A long slog uphill after the crossing brought us into bright sunshine and a trail junction for lunch, though most retreated from the wind along the ridgeline for a more sheltered location on the lee side of the mountain. A gentle hike back along the Appalachian Trail via Dundo Overlook, with clear views to the east, brought us finally back to our cars after less than 6 miles on the trail. The return trip found all but two hikers eager for a stop at Timberwood Grill on the way home, so those two were shuttled back to the high school while the rest of the group gathered for good food, beverages and lively conversation and one of our favorite watering holes following a good day on the trail.

Participating in the trip today were Dan Funkhouser, Steve Cohen, Bill Holman, Dan Ralston, John Brandt, Corina Gendron, Iva Gillet, and newcomers Paige Madison and Lu Jiang.

Trail Maintenance - February 25, 2012

2012-03-04T12:14:00.000-05:00

A cold, blustery day was in store for members of the PATC - Charlottesville Chapter trail crew who assembled at Albemarle High School on Saturday morning. While the weather in town was expected to reach into the 50s, it would certainly be colder in the mountains, though this did not deter these hardy souls.

John Shannon led the small group in two cars to the Riprap Trail parking area, from which we would hike a short distance along the Appalachian Trail to work on Lindsay Brown’s section of the trail. Upon arrival at the parking area Ken Moss noted that the temperature was only 29 degrees and it was quite windy as well, with sustained winds forecast at 15-25 mph. Thus at the median of 20 mph and a temperature of 29, the trail crew, which also included Marian Styles and Don Davis, started working in a wind-chill factor of 16 degrees!

The work John had planned for us was to improve drainage…and thus decrease erosion…on a section not more than 5 minutes from the cars. We scalped off low berms on the downhill slope of the trail to allow water to exit more readily and also scalped off some of the slough which had encroached upon the trail over the years from the uphill side. Hand warmers and even toe warmers were put to use in the frigid conditions.

After the lunch break, which only meant everyone got colder due to the pause in physical exertion, Marian and Ken left as prearranged at about 12:30. Upon arriving back at the car Ken discovered that it was still below freezing at just 31 degrees, so the wind-chill would have still been in the upper teens. Marian stated that it was the coldest work hike she had ever been on. To warm their chilled bones, they stopped by Blue Mountain Brewery on the drive back to indulge in a mug of hot mulled red wine, which warmed them appreciably. John and Don toughed it out on the trail for another couple of hours before finally retreating to the comforts of hearth and home as well.

Three Ridges / Hanging Rock - February 18, 2012

2012-02-24T06:50:00.000-05:00

Today’s hikers enjoyed a double treat: the chance to hike in February without a coat and to hike with PATC-Far North member Eric Bredo, who now lives in Toronto. Eric and Susanna Keller, who also joined us today, both formerly led hikes for our chapter.

We divided into two go-straight-home cars and one stop-at-the-brewery car. The latter was dubbed “the beer car,” eliciting the observation from Eric that the club really had changed since his departure 2 years ago.

We met Ken & Marie Moss at Reed’s Gap, bringing the number of hikers to 15. We set out on the Appalachian Trail, and a long uphill section early on served as an effective warm-up.

The route afforded some nice views. The overlook where we stopped for lunch offered spectacular views of the Tye River Valley and the Priest, though we had to contend with some wind. To make up for the wind, hike leader John Shannon passed around our favorite Breadworks treat (pumpkin bread), and Bill Holman shared chocolate.

After lunch, some hikers headed back (Susanna, Ken & Marie, Bill, Don Davis, Sue Tansey, Brian Muszynski) while some headed toward the summit, another 0.6 mile further (both Johns, Dave Borszich, Marian Styles, Dan Funkhauser, Joanne & Maynard Davis). Eric walked partway to the summit, and John Brandt made it to the summit then ran back fast enough to catch the beer car before its departure. We heard that Iva Gillet, who had been up at Crabtree Falls, joined the members of the beer car for a stop at Devil’s Backbone Brewery.

Hikers who went straight back from our lunch overlook covered about 8 miles, and hikers who went to the summit covered about 9.5 miles. The summit afforded a wind-free viewpoint, which was especially nice.

The non-refreshment-stopping cars pulled into the Albemarle High parking lot at a respectable 4:30 p.m., and we found that returning via Route 151 takes about the same time as the Blue Ridge Parkway-I64 route.

Soup Hike - February 11, 2012

2012-02-24T06:19:00.000-05:00

For the 3rd annual soup hike, the weather forecast was more threatening than Nature delivered. A small gathering, by comparison to previous years, our group of 17 assembled at AHS, picked up a few others at Briarleigh Farm, and then proceeded to the intersection of Bacon Hollow Road and Brokenback Mountain Road.

David Ledbetter, Brian Muszynski, and first time hiker Corina Grendron sped ahead with Corina’s co-worker Dan Ralston struggling to keep pace. We proceeded up the infrequently used, winding, gravel road for 2 miles, stopping as needed as the ascent was constant. Michael Seth, Don Davis and Peter Callan talked of their travels for both business and pleasure, as Peter plans an upcoming trip to Bangladesh, then on to Nepal where Iva Gillet, Dan Ralston, and Marit Gay travelled last October.

At the intersection with Wyatt Mountain Rd, we travelled toward Flattop Mtn., though stopped at the small community near Stone Mountain Vineyard. Here Ken and Marie Moss, Briana Taylor, Dave Borszich, and Andy Wilgruber admired a cemetery of the predominant families of Bacon Hollow- Shiffletts and Morrises. Returning back the way we came for a mile, the threat of rain for the day was delivered in a much more lovely form- snow! We walked for about 15 minutes in the fluffy snowflakes and while making the final decent toward Shady Grove, the sun came out.

We convened into 3 cars and returned to Briarleigh Farm for soup, bread, cookies and good times. Don Davis’ corn bread and Marian Styles’ croissants were consumed along with John Shannon’s ever present special bread-of-the-hike. Corina added banana bread, and Leon Gorman and Wanda Hamlin joined us apres hike adding a bottle of wine. My favorite conversation was learning trivial knowledge of terminology of animal groups. Brian started it by commenting on my clowder- that turns out to be a group of cats. Don mentioned seeing a murder- that turns out to be a group of crows. Other popular groups were a crash of rhinos and a bloat of hippos. See the education those of you not present missed??? Hiking is very good for trivia!

Rocky Mount - February 4, 2012

2012-02-11T07:52:00.000-05:00

John Shannon executes some garlic mustard.

Although not as nice as the 70-degree day we had midweek, the first Saturday in February turned out to be a not-too-shabby day for a winter hike. We started from Two-Mile Run Overlook, and a half-hour into our out-and-back route, coats started feeling like too much clothing.

We enjoyed some lovely Shenandoah Valley vistas, and the elevation gain ensured that we earned lunch. Hike leader John Shannon made sure no one went without sweets by providing pumpkin cake.

Don Davis had predicted that rain would commence at 1 p.m., but he was twenty two minutes off. Shortly after lunch, a few sprinkles fell but didn’t amount to enough moisture to warrant rain gear.

We finished the 6.8 miles (or 7 miles, depending on which source you believe) by midafternoon, leaving time for a stop at Timberwood Grill for those so inclined.

We were joined today by Barbara Shenefield, and her husband Richard Price who hiked with us for the first time. Richard and Barbara used to live in France, giving them and Ken Moss a common interest besides hiking. We were also joined by Southern Shenandoah Chapter’s Michael Seth, who is always a welcome addition. Other hikers included Sue Tansey, Dan Funkhouser, Lindsay Brown, and Marian Styles.

Progress in Trail Upkeep - January 28, 2012

2012-01-31T03:24:00.001-05:00

Plans to help other Appalachian Trail clubs with maintenance of trails in wilderness areas fell through, so with recent mild weather, we went to continue drainage improvements on the Appalachian Trail north of Doyles River, where for the past several years, we have been restoring and creating drains and regrading short sections to slow erosion. Like our trips last year, it was a trio, this time John Shannon, Don Davis and Dave Borszich, all with experience at this work.

This trip felt more like a routine maintenance trip, clearing out existing drains, including cutting briars and removing other obstacles in the runoffs, and incremental improvements of runoffs rather than restoration of drains full of material that had collected over a long time. Last year we found a gully in the trail after heavy rain. Eileen Seaman filled it, and Don Davis identified the cause; a year later, we saw that we were successful.

Just before noon, Lindsay Brown and Ken Moss joined the others after removing several blowdowns on Lindsay's section of AT south of Riprap Trail. They removed a log that obstructed one runoff on this AT section as well. We also saw overseer Connie Wright who had done some work, but left the heavy clearing for the group of younger people.

After lunch on a nice rock outcropping, fortified with pumpkin cake, the original trio kept heading north while Lindsay and Ken headed to family obligations. We went further along the trail than we have in previous trips, thanks to previous efforts which made the waterbars easier to clean. We made a couple of extra drains and short sections of regraded trail to improve drainage. Perhaps these new drains will need more work in the future, but it was a start.

John also noticed some bittersweet to cut or pull, which will probably not kill it, but will slow it down. When there are leaves, it will be easier to see the bittersweet, and damage it to stop tree strangulation.

Looking after the AT - January 7, 2012

2012-01-29T21:51:00.001-05:00

While numerous members of PATC - Charlottesville Chapter took a hike to Turk Mountain, John Shannon tended to drainage on the McCormick Gap and Rockfish Gap ends of the Chapter's section of the Appalachian Trail. Most of the work was clearing leaves out of water bars, with minor removal of earth, and a little regrading to improve drainage. John also pulled some garlic mustard, hoping to reduce the amount that reaches maturity in spring. John Brandt joined at McCormick Gap and was sent to remove a log which was in the trail corridor but not blocking the trail; he did not find a log to cut, but did find a log to push off the trail, so that nuisance is finally gone.

Chimney Hollow - January 14, 2012

2012-01-18T19:29:00.001-05:00

We collected at 9AM in sub-freezing weather expecting to find maybe 5 or 6 hearty souls up for a cold hike. Surprisingly, there were 16 of us at the high school meetup spot. Included in the total were dual hike leaders Iva Gillet and Jeff Monroe, as Iva had been pushing Jeff to quit talking so much about great hikes and start leading a few. Iva brought a few folks from the Outdoor Social Adventure Club, Megan McFadden and Steve Cohen. Dan Ralston brought his daughter Anne, who is preparing for a marathon, while finishing up her Ph.D. work with an internship in Charlottesville. Others included hike leaders Ken Moss, John Shannon, Andy Willgruber (who recently ascended to hike leader), and regular hikers Don Davis, Bill Holman, Dan Funkhouser, Liz Lyons, Rita Kieffer, Joanne Davis, and Dave Borszich.

Not on the list was Nancy Hall, due to meet the group at the top of the mountain, and Bryce Allison, who is one of the guys behind the best Virginia hiking website in existence: hikingupward.com. Bryce had asked online about hikes out near Harrisonburg that would be new ones for him, and we were excited to have him join us.

We stopped in Churchville so some folks could get provisions, then pulled into the trailhead parking lot at the exactly 10:30. After some quick introductions, we hit the trail. The trail starts through a beautiful ravine with healthy hemlock and large white oak. There were multiple stream crossings over water that had swelled due to rains earlier in the week, creating quite a challenge for those with shorter legs, though no one’s feet got wet.

About a mile into the hike, though, the trail left the ravine and started up the mountain slope at an amazingly consistent rate of 16%. We topped one ridge, walked along it, then traversed the western slope of the mountain (marveling at views of Shenandoah Mountain and the Deerfield Valley) until we reached Coalpit Knob and another ridge. After leveling out for a while, the trail soon had us back on a 16% grade until we reached the top of the mountain and the end of the trail. The trail's consistent climb had to be by design, and the trail was very nicely built and well maintained. There were very few blowdowns and there was evidence that some folks had taken saws to several large trees that once blocked the trail.

At the top of the mountain we all settled in for lunch. There was the usual sharing of food- pumpkin bread and molasses cookies, and chocolate. Due to the cold temperatures, we did not linger long at lunch. Bryce bid us farewell as he had to be back at JMU for his daughter's music performance, and not 5 minutes later we saw Nancy coming up the trail from the opposite side of the mountain, via the Crawford Knob Trail. We decided to go back the way we came rather than using Nancy's car for a shuttle, as the Crawford Knob trail she reported to be very rough, so we headed back down the mountain with Nancy after promising her we would give her a lift back to her car. Bryce later put several very nice photos of the hike on Hiking Upward's Facebook site for all to see. John Shannon had a brief period of fright when he realized his trusty GPS was missing. As with other technology lovers in our group, he was eager to retrieve the valuable devise, and fortunately was able to reclaim it without an extensive search in the cold temperatures.

The hike started out at an elevation of 1945 feet at the parking lot and rose to 3855 feet at our lunch spot. It lasted a hair over 4 hours including about an hour for stops, and was 7.5 miles long. It was the perfect length for a cold winter day with enough climbing to keep us warm. We enjoyed the lovely views which winter provides and the chance to stretch our legs with new and old friends.

Turk Mountain - January 7, 2012

2012-01-18T19:20:00.000-05:00

Another great day to be out in Shenandoah National Park. 16 hikers joined leader Lindsay Brown for a short but fast hike from Wildcat Ridge Parking area south on the AT then on to the summit of Turk Mountain.

Lindsay needed to make the day short in order to make a 6 PM UVA basketball game (Hoos won a close one). We were fortunate to have two new hikers on Saturday, Vicky Ingram and Laurie Keenan, and we hope to see them soon on another hike. Michael Seth from the PATC - South Shenandoah Chapter was also present and lead a fast pace as we left the parking lot. Don Davis volunteered to be the sweep to insure we didn't lose anyone, thanks Don and good job.

Other hikers included Dave Borszich, Bev and Pete Fink, Sue Tansey, Dan Funkhouser, Marian Styles, Leon Gorman and Bailey, Ken Moss, Briana Taylor and Maynard and Joanne Davis. We did see John Shannon headed into the trail at Rockfish Gap to do some trail maintenance. Way to go John!!!

Fluvanna Heritage Trail - December 31, 2011

2012-01-02T21:18:00.000-05:00

An easy 6-mile hike on a balmy December day enticed some 21 people out on New Year’s Eve. This hike marked Andy Willgruber’s debut as a PATC hike leader, and he was assisted by veteran Iva Gillet.

Andy has done a lot of work on the Fluvanna County Heritage Trails, which offer both hiking and equestrian trails, some with views of the Rivanna River. Some of us were familiar with the area because in February 2005, members of PATC – Charlottesville Chapter joined Andy to work on the Rail Trail on the opposite side of the river from today’s hike.

Andy gets an A+ for accuracy with his warning that the trail would be muddy. Recent rains ensured that the route was indeed squishy. Mud proved a minor inconvenience, though, when compared with the scenery, spring-like sunshine, and fine group of hiking companions, some hiking with the club for the first time.

We stopped for lunch at a shelter with picnic tables. Andy shared chocolate treats, John passed out cranberry cake, and Iva distributed brownies and holiday cookies.

We completed the hike at about 2 p.m. Those not in a hurry stopped off at the Gypsy Gourmet Cake Lounge, where they had a choice of Chap’s ice cream, Greenberry’s coffee, and an assortment of yummy baked goods. Might be worth a repeat hike so we can make another stop at this unique place!

In addition to the two hike leaders, participants included Wanda Hamlin, Joanne & Maynard Davis, Dan Funkhauser, Marian Styles, Kim Pingatose, Barbara Sheneheld, Pete & Bev Fink, Ken & Marie Moss, Briana Taylor, Tricia Neoness, Dan Ralston, John Shannon, Leon Gorman, Don Davis, Dave Abdalloh, and Jodi Frederiksen.

Preddy Creek - December 24, 2011

2011-12-24T18:16:00.000-05:00

The hustle and bustle of Christmas Eve certainly preempted many from even considering a hike this December 24, yet four hikers joined Hike Leader Ken Moss at Albemarle High School (Pete & Bev Fink, Chris Kallenberg and Don Davis) On a bright, beautiful morning we headed to northern Albemarle County for the Chapter’s first-ever hike at Preddy Creek County Park, where we were joined by Briana Taylor and Wanda Hamlin.

This was purposefully planned as a short hike (in fact, a “walk in the woods” would be a more apt description) so as to allow everyone plenty of time to get back to their pre-Christmas activities, while still allowing for a bit of fresh air and some good exercise. Intriguing topics of discussion along the way ranged from etymology to interesting habits of certain crustaceans, a discussion of avian courtship rituals and the identification of monogamous species in nature. At one point we stopped by an old homestead and were surprised to discover the extent of what was apparently an impressive estate in the distant past.

After a pleasant 3.5 mile stroll and too short of a time together, we all remained in the parking lot chatting for a good 15 minutes before wishing each other a final Merry Christmas and parting our separate ways.

Merry Christmas to all from PATC – Charlottesville Chapter!

Old Rag - December 17, 2011

2011-12-23T17:02:00.001-05:00

Three full cars with 12 hikers made the drive north to the surprisingly busy Old Rag parking lot. The weather was seasonable but overcast as hike leader Ken Moss took the group out onto Route 600 for the initial 0.8 mile walk up to the trailhead at the former parking lot. From there the initial assault on the summit began as we headed up through the forest on the first 1.6 miles of the Ridge Trail.

Finally we made it to the begining of the rock scramble, where the fun really began. For Old Rag first-timers Briana Taylor and Chris Kallenberg this was a new experience, but they quickly adapted and, along with such Old Rag veterans as Marie Moss, Dave Borszich and Marian Styles, sported happy grins for much of the rest of the climb. Long-time PATC member Bill Holman admitted that it was his first time on Old Rag in more than 20 years!

During a snack break on a sloping rock face with spectacular views of the Piedmont to the east, a discussion of the merits of larger pack sizes and resultant size comparisons soon degenerated into lively quips about one of the popular white elephant gifts from the previous week’s Christmas party…a bottle of wine from Well Hung Vineyards. Don Davis, as usual, kept people in stitches with some of his comments.

After some good laughs we regained the rocky trail, continuing to climb up, over, under, around, and between various rock formations and boulders for 1.1 miles before finally reaching the summit. Teamwork was necessary at several locations to help others get through some difficult passages, adding to the camaraderie and fun. Eventually we reached the summit at an elevation of 3,284 feet where we spread out for a well deserved lunch with a view to the south. Everyone was pleased that John Shannon continued his tradition of bringing cake for the group, this time the ever popular Pumpkin cake with white icing…yum!

After the lunch break we began the 1.9 mile descent along the Saddle Trail, winding downhill briskly before reaching Old Rag Shelter, where the group waited for Iva Gillet, David Ledbetter and Dan Ralston to return from placing Nepalese prayer flags near the summit (Iva and Dan having recently returned from a trip to Kathmandu and Anapurna). After regrouping, we continued down the Old Rag Fire Road to the junction with the Weakley Hollow Fire Road near the site of the former Old Rag Post Office. The Weakley Hollow Fire Road provided easy strolling for 2.5 miles before returning to the Ridge Trail trailhead, leaving only an easy and quick 0.8 mile walk along Route 600 before reaching the cars. It was a fun hike on one of our favorite mountains!

Ragged Mountain Natural Area - December 10, 2011

2011-12-12T20:57:00.000-05:00

The morning of the annual Chapter Christmas Party called for a short, close-by trek that would allow people plenty of time to to prepare for the evening's festivities while still being able to get out in nature, breath some fresh air, enjoy some beautiful scenery and get the blood pumping a bit. Nearby Ragged Mountain fit the bill perfectly and 12 other hikers joined Hike Leader Ken Moss at Albemarle High School on a brisk morning.

With the short drive, we were on the trail by 9:30 AM, enjoying a pleasant 6.2 mile walk around the Charlottesville Reservoir in a counterclockwise direction. At about the halfway point, near the dam across the center of the lake, Iva Gillet produced a scrumptious pumpkin bread which hit the the groups collective spot. This was followed by a group photo on the dam before regaining the trail and completing our circuit at 12:30 PM. From that point everyone went their own directions to prepare for the evening's festive events.

Joining Ken and Iva were Marie Moss, Maynard Davis, Andria Hoffman, Denis Grushaw, Chris Kallenberg, Bev Fink, Pete Fink, Dan Ralston, Marian Styles and Lindsay Brown.

Annual Christmas Party at Dunlodge - December 10, 2011

2011-12-12T17:28:00.019-05:00

Food, camaraderie, and fun marked PATC – Charlottesville Chapter’s annual Christmas party. Like last year, Dunlodge provided the setting for about 40 attendees. Among those who helped decorate were Thomas & Mary Jorgensen and Don Davis, co-overseers of Dunlodge; Dan Ralston; Iva Gillet; Chris Kallenberg; Carol Tolbert; Keith Denson; and Todd Athey.

Two Christmas trees, holiday music, and a warm, cozy fire lent just the right atmosphere to the festivities. People sated their hunger by sampling some of the many potluck dishes available. Don White’s spicy dill shrimp was a big hit, as were Iva’s avocado dip and Dan’s perfectly seasoned venison. Todd’s oatmeal-raisin cookies and John Shannon’s famous pavlova were among the many yummy desserts on hand.

One of the nice things about having the party at Dunlodge is that it has allowed hiking folks to meet cabin folks, and vice versa. People were having such a fun time visiting that Thomas, looking quite festive in his holiday tie, had quite the task of gathering everyone together in the sunroom.

Charlottesville Chapter President Lindsay Brown presented a certificate of appreciation to Don Davis for the many hours he has logged working at Dunlodge. Lindsay has ably served as president for the past 2 years, and no amount of cajoling or flattery could entice him into serving a second term. So Ken Moss, who has done a fabulous job establishing a chapter web site and blog, becomes president on January 1.

These announcements led into the white-elephant gift exchange, which for many folks has been the highlight of our annual party. With the order of opening gifts determined by playing cards, Mary was the first to go. She unwrapped a lovely ceramic covered bowl, complete with an apple-cinnamon scented coaster.

Following Mary, people could either open a gift or swipe one that had already been opened. If someone took your gift, you could either open a new one or pilfer another person’s gift, setting off a round of swaps.

Watching the drama unfold as people jockeyed for the “good” gifts is always entertaining. One or two items usually prove the most popular, but this year, because so many people contributed new items rather than usable-but-used things, at least five items were highly sought. Four of those were alcohol: amaretto, corn whiskey, wine from Well Hung Vineyards (the label is quite the conversation piece), and a dessert wine. A box containing used items that was traded several times held a coffee-bean grinder, a vacuum container for coffee, a decorative hairclip, a fanny pack, and an earflap hat.

The gift that drew the most laughter was the one that President-Elect Ken opened: a copy of the book Rogue President: The Presidency of Sarah Palin. At the end of the boisterous gift exchange, Mary got to trade her gift, at which point the game ended.

A little history: The white elephant Christmas party dates back at least a dozen years. People who have been attending for many years await with trepidation and anticipation the opening of the one gift that is allowed—or rather, required—to be brought back the next year. “The Gift” is a portable urinal, which first made its appearance in 1998. Terry Nackley got it that year; she inscribed her name and brought it back the next year filled with candy. It has returned every year since then, duly inscribed with the name of each caretaker. This year, Anna Bielecki opened the infamous item.

To allay your fears, the author can attest that “The Gift” has never been used for its intended purpose. Some people still harbor doubts, though, and their fears were stoked when Brian Muszynski sent “The Gift” to the 2006 party filled with a suspicious-looking yellow liquid and accompanied by an artfully shaped brownie. To sweeten the deal, Brian had included a $20 bill. The cash may have been what motivated John Brandt to trade for it. The 2006 party marked the first time ever that someone had actually traded for this iconic item—until now.

During this year’s gift exchange, I had already stolen—and lost—the amaretto and the bottle of Well Hung wine. So during a round when most of the good items were off limits because they had already been traded, I took “The Gift” from a much-relieved Anna. Because so many of the club’s members have left over the years, and new members are unfamiliar with the significance and history of “The Gift,” I want to compile a history so the background of this special item is preserved.

Make no mistake, though: “The Gift” will be the featured item at next year’s holiday party. I hope that you will be there.

Rapidan Camp Loop - December 3, 2011

2011-12-07T19:59:00.015-05:00

David Ledbetter and Iva Gillet
at the small falls of Mill Prong

We had a beautiful,
crisp day to hike the Rapidan Camp-Mill Prong-Laurel Prong-Hazeltoploop on December 3. Fourteen hikers including Leon Gorman, David Ledbetter, Maynard Davis, Rita Kieffer, Ken Moss, Dave Borsszich, Don Davis, Andy Willgruber, Wanda Hamlin, John Shannon, Dan Ralston, Iva Gillet, and John Brandt were led by Marit Gay on the 7.3 mile trek from the Skyline Drive at Milam Gap. We descended the Mill Prong Trail following the stream down to the Rapidan Camp. The group toured the historical area and then ate lunch where three streams converge - Mill Prong, Laurel Prong, and Hemlock Run.

After our meal we took the Laurel Prong Trail, crossing the stream a number a of times and then ascending back up the steep trail to eventually meet the Appalachian Trail going north. We continued to the summit of Hazeltop Ridge Overlook and enjoyed John Shannon's delicious cake on the rocks facing the Shenandoah Valley. An easy, gentle walk back to the parking lot made for a good ending to a wonderful day of hiking.

Rita Kieffer makes one of the
many stream crossings.

The group at the infamous chimney
were President Hoover signed
a number of world treaties.

Timber Hollow to Jewell Hollow on AT - November 19, 2011

2011-12-06T20:06:00.003-05:00

On this lovely, clear fall day, we had 17 hikers for the trip which passed Skyland on the way to Stony Man, Little Stony Man and expansive views west to the Shenandoah Valley. Dennis and Mary Burgart joined us for the first time and were able to hike with veteran hikers John Shannon, Ken Moss, and Marian Styles.

We began by heading toward Skyland, past the horse stables, where Tricia Neuman, a riding teacher at Little Keswick School, inspected the facilities, and chatted with members of the staff. We proceeded upwards, toward our lunch destination at the top of Stony Man. There were a few other people out enjoying the sunny day as we ascended to the second highest summit in the Park.

Lunch at the top was impressive- vast views of the Valley to the west and lots of sun. We shared spiced pumpkin bread and John’s famous chocolate raspberry cake. Crystal Lantz, Tim Breedlove, Dianne Anderson, and Patrick Wright talked to fellow hikers Dennis Templeton, Dan Funkhouser, Dan Ralston, Don Davis, and Eric Christensen.

After lunch we descended to the rock climbing cliffs at Little Stony Man and could see ropes and little people, who had descended safely to the bottom. As we proceeded north, we were treated to relatively unobstructed views of the Valley on a clear fall day. We wandered around the picnic area at the Pinnacles and finished our hike in time to run a shuttle at the end, as it cooled off with the sun ducking behind the mountains.

It was one of those days that makes one realize how lucky we are to live in central Virginia and hike in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Blackrock-November 26, 2011

2011-12-03T17:41:00.000-05:00

This was the day for those who thought they needed to get out and move after Thanksgiving, and did not want to play the contact sport of just-after-Thanksgiving shopping, or think that watching a football game is exercise.

Arriving at Madison Run, we found several horse trailers already parked there. We walked a short distance up the fire road, then started the climb up Furnace Mountain. The forecast mild weather meant some stops to remove layers. At the junction with Furnace Mt. spur trail, Mary Taylor and Rita Kieffer decided to head out to the summit to make a shorter hike than the full 8.5-mile route. Following Hike Leader John Shannon for the full distance were Sue Tansey, Dan Funkhouser, Wanda Hamlin, Dave Borszich, Marian Styles, and Michael Seth.

Madison Run Valley from Blackrock

On the section of Trayfoot Mountain Trail leading to Blackrock, John tried to protect a little piece of America from foreign enemies by cutting some tree-killing, imported bittersweet.

At Blackrock, numerous people and dogs were enjoying the weather and scenery, some climbing to the top of the rocks. We ate lunch—which included healthy, or at least great-tasting, orange cranberry cake—on the side of the trail. The view on this crystal-clear day was spectacular.

Our interminable descent was uneventful, except hearing the Downhill Diva proclaim that she was ready for the downhill to end. After waiting for horses to enter their trailers, we headed back to Charlottesville, blissfully unaware of the shutout unfolding at the UVA-Virginia Tech football game.

Torry Ridge Circuit - November 12, 2011

2011-11-27T19:52:00.001-05:00

Seven hikers met hike leader Ken Moss at Albemarle High School on what turned out to be a cool, but not cold, day with clear skies. Pat Skelly made his second hike with us, while regulars Rita Kieffer, Dan Funkhouser, Marian Styles, John Shannon, Perte Fink and Marie Moss also attended. We were soon on the road in two cars heading toward George Washington National Forest's Sherando Lake Recreation Area in the Pedlar Ranger District jsut south of Waynesboro.

Surprised to find the main gate to the Recreation Area still open, we drove to the base of the Upper Lake before disembarking from the cars to begin our hike up the White Rock Gap Trail. It was a bit breezy as we started the hike, but by the time we got into the woodline things calmed down for the rest of the day. After a steady, moderate climb we reached a junction with the Slacks Trail, which we took for the steepest part of the day's climb...though this section didn't feel nearly as tough as it had been in the heat of the summer (see Torry Ridge and Sherando Lake - July 30, 2011).

Upon reaching the junction with the Torry Ridge Trail we stopped for lunch, where teveryone enjoyed John's famous pumpkin bread. Afterward we started the return northward toward Sherando Lake along the crest of Torry Ridge, with views thanks to the bare branches of late Autumn.

We then headed down the Blue Loop Trail, pausing for a rest and to admire the views of the lake from a rocky overlook. After a steep descent, we circled back on the Lakeside trail to the picnic area before wrapping things up with a walk through the campground to reach our cars. A majority of the participants chose to seek food and refreshments on the return drive with a stop by Blue Mountain Brewery...a perfect ending to a perfect day!

AT Reeds Gap to Cedar Cliffs - November 5, 2011

2011-11-15T21:04:00.000-05:00

A near perfect day greeted Hike leader Lindsay Brown and a group of 11 for a hike from Reeds Gap to Cedar Cliffs and return. It was fairly cold at the start but quickly warmed up with the sunshine along the ridge. Hikers included Maynard and Joanne Davis, Sue Tansey, Dan Funkhouser, Pete Fink, Pat Skelly, John Shannon, Dave Borszich, Marian Styles and Andy Wilgruber.

We had lunch on the Cliffs with a great view of the Valley. While there we encountered a hunter. When we asked about the hunting season start he informed us that the "regular season" had not yet started, but it was Muzzle-Loader Season. John Shannon's observation on hunting season was that "it seems you can always kill something with something in Virginia."

Lewis Peak - October 22, 2011

2011-10-25T20:37:00.001-04:00

Anyone missing Saturday's hike to Lewis Peak missed the finest day in Shenandoah National Park in a while. The leaves were near peak and the temperatures were perfect on a cool and sunny day. Apparently this was obvious to many people as all the parking lots and overlooks were experiencing overflow conditions.

Nine hikers left Albemarle High School headed for Rockfish Gap on I-64. At times we appeared to be in a "Turkey Caravan" but later realized that we were intermingled with Hokie fans headed to Blacksburg for the VT game. We squeezed into the grass at Browns Gap parking since there were no spots left.

We headed up the AT and turned on to the Rockytop Trail leaving the crowds behind. We made the gradual climb to the junction with the Lewis Peak trail. Maynard and Leon stopped there so Bailey could rest and Maynard needed to turn back early to make an appointment. The rest of the group followed Lindsay on to the summit.

Don, Dan, Rita, Marian, Dave, and Sue all enjoyed the views from Lewis Peak toward Massanutten and northward toward Rockytop. After a lunch break we headed back down and picked up Leon and Bailey for the return to the parking lot. A great day to be out hiking!

Wildcat Ridge to Blackrock - October 1, 2011

2011-10-13T19:50:00.001-04:00

Lindsay Brown met hikers amongst the chaos in the AHS parking lot on a weekend of SAT tests and band practice. The group persevered through the meet-up confusion and headed to the trailhead at Wildcat Ridge where hike leader Iva Gillet met the group, after a pre-hike 2 mile jaunt on the AT from Turk Gap with fellow hikers Maritza and Jack Hartnett, and Dan Ralston. While car shuttles were run, John Brandt appeared in his customary manner, ready to hike in shorts, despite the relatively cool temperatures. Also joining us this day were Joanne and Maynard Davis recently arriving from Switzerland. And as it is a small world, Lindsay and Maynard knew each other from their former lives 35 years ago!

Dan Ralston zipped off in front with Jack, Maritza, and Tom Schultz, leading the charge along the AT. We proceeded north to hike a less travelled section of the AT, though we passed several backpackers out for the lovely fall weekend. The leaves were just beginning to turn, and the beauty of our mountains in the fall cannot be surpassed. Wanda Hamlin brought out her usual pleasant smile and good conversation as we hiked today.

After rolling along the AT for several miles, we decided to break for lunch at the Horsehead Mountain overlook which required a short walk along the Skyline Drive. We spread out on the grass at the overlook to soak up the expansive view that was the gift this day. All was well until a park ranger pulled over and approached the group. Acting in his usual presidential capacity, Lindsay Brown pointed out the hike leader as at fault for whatever the infraction was. However, the friendly ranger was only glad to see others enjoying the Park and the view, and he chatted for a while before moving on. I thought he was there to give John a warning about being shirtless, but such was not the case. No charges have been issued this time.

Soaking in the sun’s rays at lunch, Jeanne Bono and Dennis Templeton chatted with Bev and Pete Fink, making me realize we had 4 married couples on our hike this day. What an excellent way to spend a day with your spouse! More folks should try it! We packed up our repast and returned to the AT to finish the last 2 miles to Blackrock Gap. As this section of the trail is not part of any loop trails, it is rarely hiked except by AT hikers. With a few more ascents and descents, we arrived at Blackrock in plenty of time for the hike leader to jet off to the U.Va. football game. Jack kindly gave a ride to Pete, Bev, and John so that they could add a few more miles to the short hike this day, as they hiked back to the car from the other direction. Lovely fall weather as the leaves were starting to turn was a highlight, as well as a good time experiencing it with former and new friends.

By Iva Gillet

Sept. 24: Trayfoot Mountain, 25th anniversary hike

2011-09-26T22:29:00.001-04:00

To commemorate the 25^th anniversary of the Charlottesville Chapter, PATC, we repeated the first hike of the chapter—a circuit hike starting at Blackrock Gap. As fits a historic event in Charlottesville, the majority of those present were born in Virginia. And leader John Shannon, who was on that first hike, has lived longer in Virginia than anywhere else—even though born in Australia.


Going for gold, Larry Linebrink (top) and John Shannon did more (Larry) or less (John) Appalachian Trail maintenance, to continue their quests for Gold Service Awards from National Park Service.

At Blackrock Gap, we were pleased to see Larry Linebrink, a member of the chapter from its founding days who was recently awarded a Silver Service Award from the National Park Service for 25 years of service to the Appalachian Trail. We talked about other people from the early days, some of whom are still in the area. Leon Gorman is the only person among the original members who has hiked with us in recent times. Then Larry left to help another trail overseer, starting work toward a Golden Service Award for 50 years service.

We started the hike in fog, and most of us were glad we wore long pants. Ken Moss and John carried saws because of a report earlier in the month of trees down near Blackrock. We did come across some small fallen trees, which we cut away from the trail.

At Blackrock, we did not climb the rocks because of the fog and instead headed toward Trayfoot Mountain. Along the way, we saw that exotic invasive plants have reached this area.

While we were heading down Trayfoot Mountain, the fog lifted. By the time we reached our west-facing lunch spot, we could see into Shenandoah Valley. John’s pumpkin cake was so good, that at least half of us ate two pieces of the delicacy, which led to conversation about Krispy Kreme and Spudnuts donuts. Soon after we started back on the trail, lunch expert Marian Styles pointed to a flat rocky overlook facing the main ridge of the mountains, a better spot for lunch than the one we’d chosen.

As we walked uphill along Paine Run, Don Davis carried out an abandoned foam pad. Closer to the top, Sue Tansey summed up the feeling that after looking at the site of the former Blackrock Hotel once, there was little to gain in looking at this area again, so we continued up.

Shenandoah Valley from Trayfoot Mtn
on an overcast day

Lunch on Trayfoot Mountain by
Ken Moss

After completing the 10 miles, Dan Funkhauser asked about a post-hike beer, and we discussed a post-hike dinner, but complications from football traffic in Charlottesville and the lure of watching a game on TV helped nix the idea. We got back to town at 5 p.m.

How Charlottesville PATC started: In 1986, Rita Wyatt Beard moved to Charlottesville to start a chapter of PATC, in part as her way of recovering from being violent-crime victim. She sent invitation letters to PATC members in Charlottesville, and sat on the appointed evening in the Unitarian Church wondering if anyone would show up. Twenty or so people did, including Howard Parsons, who offered to lead a hike a week or two later. On Sept. 24, 2011, we repeated the route that Howard led 25 years before—the first hike of Charlottesville Chapter. Ten years after founding the Charlottesville Chapter, Rita Wyatt-Beard died relatively young from cancer after returning to Colorado. Nevertheless, the spirit of her policy of having a Chapter activity every Saturday has endured for 25 years.

September 17, Little Devil's Stairs

2011-09-19T22:27:00.001-04:00

There once was a hike leader named Val

When she left PATC we cried “Foul!”

But rescue squading took her time,

And volunteering certainly is no crime,

Yet ’twas so nice to hike again with our pal.

How delightful it was to arrive at the high school parking lot and see former hiker/hike leader Valerie Lopez geared up to join us! We haven’t hiked with Val for 5 years, and her presence was today’s special treat.

John Shannon and Iva Gillet served as hike leaders, and in addition to Val, they were joined by Andy Willgruber, Dan Funkhauser, and yours truly (Marian Styles). Having two hike leaders would have allowed for two hikes—and today’s locale offered 6-, 8-, and 10.5-mile options—but because all six of us wanted to hike at least 8 miles, we hiked as one group.


Little Devils Stairs


climbing Little Devils Stairs

Maybe forecast rain had kept some people away, and we did hike through a light rain for the first half-hour. After that, though, we peeled off rain coats and enjoyed mostly overcast skies yet pleasant temperatures.

The Little Devil’s Stairs part of the hike combined beautiful natural features with an uphill workout. In fact, as Dan pointed out, this hike proved a good combination of ascents (about 2,500 feet throughout the day), descents, and level ground.

We were enjoying the hike so much that when the decision point came for 8 or 10 miles, we chose the 10+-mile version: all the better to fully enjoy the area’s spectacular geology and peaceful forest. Plus, agreeing to the distance gave Andy (and others) an excuse to blame Iva should the length prove a bit much.


interesting tree on Piney Branch Trail


Dwyer cemetery on Piney Ridge Trail

We saw few other people during our route. One place that did have people was the Range View cabin, where we were hoping to have a dry place to sit for lunch. Since the cabin was occupied, we walked a bit further and pulled out ponchos and plastic bags to sit on during lunch. Having to sit on the ground was mitigated by the yummy pumpkin bread that John passed around.

Reinvigorated, we hit the trail. The route had been decorated by an abundance of colorful mushrooms, including a bouquet of amazing yellow-orange mushrooms growing up in a tree beside the Bolen Cemetery.

Speaking of cemeteries, this hike featured two. Several of the dates on grave markers in the Bolen cemetery showed that the influenza pandemic of 1918-19 had probably cut short the lives of some who lived here before the park was created.


tall trees on Form Mountain Trail


Bolen cemetery, Hull School Trail

Back at the cars, Iva didn’t get any guff for having lobbied for the full distance. In fact, we all agreed that it had been a fabulous hike, and we decided to extend the fun by stopping for dinner on the way home. We ended up at Pig and Steak in Madison, where in addition to B-B-Q, sweet potato fries, hush puppies, and fried mushrooms, we also pigged out on fried broccoli that Val had ordered in honor of the absent Leon Gorman.

Meanwhile at Dunlodge, Don Davis, Thomas and Mary Jorgensen rebuilt some steps to the cabin, while Tom Johnson repaired some trail on the property.

September 10-11, AT relocation at Beagle Gap

2011-09-19T20:21:00.001-04:00

The long-awaited relocation of the Appalachian Trail from Beagle Gap up Little Calf Mountain broke ground today. Crew leader Don White arranged for excellent weather, warm, but not hot, and no rain.

The first clearing work was on Sept. 3, when Andy Willgruber and Don Davis mowed Little Calf Mountain summit and some areas north and south of the summit that will become trail. On Saturday, trail builders met at Beagle Gap around 9 a.m. to collect tools, hard hats and directions.

Making new trail with a McLeod

The most-used tools were pulaskis and McLeods to cut out a near-level trail in the side of the hill. We used a couple of rock bars to move some large rocks. A sledge hammer to knock off pieces of rock would have been helpful, but perhaps not worth the effort of carrying. Later I discovered there is a product named “light-weight sledge hammer,” not available at the usual home improvement store or even amazon.com, but perhaps we will find them at the Shops at Stonefield when they open. For $60/pound, you can reduce the weight of a sledge hammer by 1.5 pounds.

Other useful hand tools included loppers for a little clipping and leaf bags. The first rule of the day was that no one was going home in a body bag, so in addition to what people often wear for trail work, hard hats were required. One person said it was the first time she had to wear one, and thought it a good idea.

The workers came from near and afar. One trail maintainer from Missouri was in the area and spent part of the day helping. He invited others to join him at Springer Mountain next February, or to see him in May when he passes through this area on the Appalachian Trail. A number of people were from northern Virginia and Maryland, and seven were from the Charlottesville area.

Crew leader Don White

Andy used the field mower to cut a wide strip through the grass near Beagle Gap. Don was the chainsaw operator, cutting some large, dead trees in the way and other small trees obstructing the trail. Excitement ensued when a large log rolled down hill but was stopped by a tree. Mostly people dug into the side of the hill to make a trail bench. This is a fairly different world from repairing existing trail, requiring deeper digging and cutting more roots. In spots, we had to remove many rocks, some large, many small.

One observation was that crew leader Don White took the long view by building the best trail he can--one that avoids steep inclines and is free of rocks that might trip people--because people will use it for decades, so at times there was a lot of work on small sections. For instance, there was the rock sticking up an inch above ground where it could trip people, but took a lot of digging to move the foot of rock below the surface. A couple of times there was a choice of an easier-to-walk path for the next 15 feet, or an easier-to-build route; the choice was the easier-to-walk and less erosion-prone route. The benefits of less erosion and less uphill will last for decades, after the extra time and effort for construction are forgotten.

One person asked why we did not use an existing abandoned trail, or perhaps road, instead of digging new trail. The main reason is that the existing path stays level, and then requires a relatively steep uphill, unlike the new trail which gently climbs along the face of the hill.

As on other trips, some people made beautiful wide, flat trail, while others dug trail that was more wilderness-like. A sign that the area is meant to be trail is that some exotic invasive plants are already growing, although they have not yet taken over the area.

Lunch with chia and chocolate

At lunch on Saturday, we heard of the health benefits of chia. The advocate is 82, has walked 500 miles this year, and plans more next year, and told of us several problems that improved after eating chia. Bill Holman distributed dark chocolate treats, and I passed out chocolate (contains flavenoids to neutralize free radicals) babka with a mix of dried fruit.

Toward the end of the day, the last task on the trail was scattering leaves over the bare earth to reduce splash erosion. When back at the vehicles, it was time to clean tools, a new experience for some, and cool drinks from crew leader Mark Gatewood. Some people headed home (a few returned Sunday) and half the crew went to spend the night at Schairer Trail Center with dinner by Mary and Thomas Jorgensen, known to some from work on Dunlodge Cabin.

Covering new trail with leaves to reduce erosion

On Sunday, there was some crew turnover, with some people from Blue Ridge and Bridgewater Colleges. Although there were four Ph.D.s, we accomplished some trail building. Some of the new crew showed that trail workers can be under 40, even under 30. Don Davis spent much of his time using a brush cutter to reduce the effort of clearing shrubs from the trail further uphill, where there is less of the time-consuming side hill trail construction.

Working with a trail crew comes with benefits. One is getting a free T-shirt. Another is the social contacts and sometimes free access to people who know useful things. We have Don Davis who knows how to repair most things used by trail maintainers and house owners. Sunday’s learn-something-new-every-day came from talking to a teacher of arborists, who explained that some tree care practices ignore the trees’ hundreds of millions of years experience in survival.

Perhaps the biggest benefit of trail work, though, is seeing how people will spend hours getting dirty, tired and sore to preserve one of America’s treasures.

Trail maintainers in operation - September 2-4, 2011

2011-09-10T21:16:00.000-04:00

Although this was a holiday, some members of Charlottesville Chapter were looking after hiking areas.

On Friday, Don D and Andy W drove the PATC field mower to the summit of Little Calf Mountain to mow the cleared area, and what will soon become sections of Appalachian Trail. Part of the road Andy uses to reach the summit will become AT, and is wider than the standard AT corridor to accommodate his truck. Then they went down the hill a little way mowing what will soon be Appalachian Trail, and then at the base of the mountain near Beagle Gap, mowed a path to lead from existing AT to the new section.

On the 4^th, I went to tidy up the ends of the Chapter’s section of AT at McCormick Gaps. At McCormick Gap, the water draining structures have worked, although a couple were full of material washed down the trail, perhaps because the dry weather allowed stones to come loose so that they were easily washed downhill. I removed some newly sprouted invasive oriental ladys thumb, but did not get as far as a previous trip, and continued efforts to make a nearby bittersweet patch look eliminated, until next spring when it will regrow. I did not reach that point, but got closer.

At Rockfish Gap, drains were in a similar state to McCormick Gap, and the first few feet of trail needed some regrading. I was happy with the results of what the chapter has done in the last several years to control erosion at the trail ends. I thinned out some bittersweet, and as at McCormick Gap, noted that nearly all plants were regrowth from roots left in the ground after breaking off when we pulled the rest of the plant in previous years.. It was progress, but not yet victory.

On September 5^th, I learned that Larrry Linebrink recently received a silver service award for 25 years of service to the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. Larry was an early member of Charlottesville Chapter, and District Manager for the Appalachian Trail in the South District. In recent years, we have occasionally seen him at major trail projects. Larry had been actively involved in service to the AT at least since the formation of the chapter. This means that this year, two member of the Chapter, Larry and myself, have been maintaining trails since the Chapter was founded, and recognized by the National Park Service with silver service awards.

Then Flying McLeods Al and Andre Dahler were listed as volunteers of the month in the September PA. Ever since the Flying McLeods started, they have been present every trip but the most recent. Some years ago while living in the area they helped the Charlottesville Chapter with trail work, but after moving to the Shenandoah Valley, they have worked with SSVC.

Posted by John Shannon

A little adventure out west - September 3, 2011

2011-09-10T21:01:00.000-04:00

Seven humans and one dog from Charlottesville were not deterred by the description of the circuit hike along Road Hollow, Jerrys Run and Ramseys Draft trails with its disappearing trail, stinging nettles, poison ivy and stream crossings. At the trail head we met Bryan B and Greg F whom we had not seen for a while. Greg’s presence was a relief to me because as expected, he had the trail recorded in his GPS. Our mildly muggy ascent on Road Hollow trail was as expected, and at the end, Leon G and canine companion Bailey turned around because Bailey was getting hot. As usual, we stopped at the site of Sexton Cabin, built by PATC. The September 2011 PA has the story of its two constructions and deconstruction., where PATC cabin overseer Don D was surprised to find a foundation in addition to the chimney. Some people decided that the free radical scavengers in lemon raspberry dessert were insufficient to protect them from the expected nettles, and added legs to their shorts, and by then only one person had bare legs.

At the site of Sexton Cabin on Jerrys Run

A crew has constructed new treadway construction and cut some fallen trees on Jerrys Run since I was last there, making the trail easier to walk. There was one large patch of nettles as expected, and some smaller patches, but all survived thanks to covered legs. By now, we faced a new difficulty, lightning and rain. On Ramseys Draft trail, where I recall some moments of difficulty finding the trail, we had no problem finding where to go. There was enough water to show we were crossing a stream but it was low enough that we crossed by stepping on rocks. We cut a few small trees to make conditions a little easier for other hikers. Thus the hike went as smoothly as hoped, and some enjoyed something a little more adventurous than what we normally do. Back at the cars, we found some Forest Service people conducting a survey. One of our group was appointed spokesman, and the interviewer, instead of having to probe for answers, was possibly overwhelmed by the quantity of answers to his questions. Nearing Charlottesville, we discovered football traffic, a surprise to one UVa employee. Also hiking along were President Brown, Rita K, Neil M. Liz L and leader John Shannon

Hurricane Hiking - August 27, 2011

2011-09-10T20:51:00.001-04:00

A well maintained group


Hurricane Irene from White Rock Falls

Warning of windy and wet weather from hurricane Irene probably kept away some people, but four trail and trail lands maintainers came to take a hike. Lindsay B did not realize his offer to drive included driving through fog. Our trip downwards to the creek found a little water, and after a climb to the waterfall, there was still minimal water flowing, despite the grey skies. As usual, we took a loop around to get to a rocky above the falls for lunch. Andy W labeled the cranberry oatmeal food more healthy than normal. On our way to Blue Ridge Parkway, we met a couple of young families, who had evacuated from Virginia Beach area, and came hiking in the beginnings of a storm. Along the Slacks Trail, we saw that someone had done a lot of digging to make the trail easier to walk, and improve the drainage, although John S thought that building some of the drains a little differently would have improved their efficiency. Just as we reach the end, real rain started. Ken M abandoned his plan to sample beer at Devil’s Backbone, and Andy had decided to skip the concert because of forecast wind and rain, so four of us headed back to Charlottesville, arriving much earlier than normal.

Riprap Hollow / Chimney Rock - August 20, 2011

2011-08-30T20:45:00.001-04:00

A fair day with promising weather brought out a good crowd for a day on the trail, with hike leader Ken Moss gathering the flock at Albemarle High School before heading out in three cars for the Valley. We met up with Michael Seth at the trailhead near Crimora.

The trail rose gently, at first, along Meadow Run as we followed the Riprap Trail through Riprap Hollow and past the famous swim hole we would revisit on our way back to the cars. The climb began in earnest soon after, as we made our way past an old mill site in a narrow gorge in Cold Spring Hollow.

After a long climb we broke out into the open in a former burn area, where we had excellent views of the Valley to the west. Arriving at our destination of Chimney Rock, after about 3.5 miles, we stopped for a leisurely lunch to admire the views and rest.

We retraced our steps back down the mountain, but made a point of stopping at the swim hole this time, only about 1.5 miles from the car. Several hikers gave in to the temptation and took to the waters, among them Marian Styles, Dan Funkhouser, Neil McKinney, Pete Fink, Andy Wilgruber and Ken. The water was quite brisk! Bev Fink and Marie Moss took a tentative wade and judged the water to be quite chilly even for that. Looking on in amusement were Lindsay Brown, Rita Kieffer, Bill Holman, Don Davis and Michael.

Following the refreshing dip, it was a quick stroll back to the cars. From the parking lot we split, with some heading back to Charlottesville while a larger group decided to stop by Blue Mountain Brewery for refreshments...only a slight detour from our return route. The crowd was large and the service was slow on this move-in weekend for UVa, but the company and conversation was good as we toasted another fine day in the mountains.

Flying McLeods repair some trail - August 20, 2011

2011-08-23T22:18:00.003-04:00

Today's project was rehabilitating drainage structures on a section of AT near the Loft Mountain camp store. This area, like some others in the area, has few trees, so there is a lot of summer growth. Keeping the trail open with weed eater and lawnmower kept the overseers busy so waterbars were neglected.

I arrived after most others, and was surprised that Al Dahler, for the first time ever, was not on a Flying McLeods trip, but recovering from medical problems, one of which was probably from being out on trails. Many people would be glad to be out fixing trail's at Al's age.

Our work was cleaning and repairing waterbars, and restoring some grade dips to life after they had filled with debris. We also made a couple of new drains, and cut a couple of dead branches over our heads. Probably related to the paucity of trees in this area is a proliferation of exotic invasive plants. I cut and pulled a few, and realized that I may have cut some bittersweet vines a few years ago on a previous trip

After lunch, the overseer learned the basics of trail drainage and outsloping, and some of the invasive plants which were taking over her trail. Thus we saw trickling down of knowledge of building trails which last, from District Manager Don White to Mark Gatewood to me to another overseer.

Back at our start point, Mark found a card showing Don White was in the area, we found him at Sawmill Run Overlook. We talked about the upcoming trail relocation, and provided water to a backpacker.

Although I did not see any bears at Loft Mountain like last week, on the drive I saw a stopped vehicle, and the driver pointed up the hill to a cub.

At McCormick Gap, I stopped to continue what I was doing last week, pulling out more lady's thumb that I had overlooked, and trying to eradicate bittersweet from one patch (not achieved, but I am hopeful that next spring there will not be much growth). Because there was so much bittersweet, it is confusing to know which things are still growing and which have been cut in the relatively small patches remaining. The good news is that natural vegetation seems to be filling in the cleared areas.

Exotic Plants Workshop at Loft Mountain - August 13, 2011

2011-08-15T21:29:00.003-04:00

Keeping American parks American, or an unlucky day for some exotic invasive plants

This was one of a series of exotic plants workshops organized by Shenandoah National Park this year and one of two at Loft Mountain. I did not expect a big turnout from the Chapter or anyone else but was surprised that only one other person planned to attend, and she did not show up. After deciding that no-one else was coming, the ranger and I headed to the Frazier Discovery Trail to start pulling stilt grass, which was boring for me because I have been doing that at home.

The first of 6 bears for the day, taken by Cindy Blugerman SNP

After a while, the ranger noted a bear in a tree, eating something, and reaching out to grab branches, which caused the noise we noticed. Then we noticed that a dark area was a cub which was looking at us. The mother turned around to grab other branches, and then we noted another cub-a mother bear and two cubs!

The ranger pointed out the sight to people walking by, and two people who enjoyed the sight called out that they saw a bear on the other branch of the Frazier Discovery Trail. Soon we saw a bear and two cub scampering up a tree but later they came down and disappeared. We returned to the place where we saw the first trio, and noticed mother bear on the ground, and a cub trying to follow. Several feet above the ground, he stopped, looking for a way down, and then started calling out. Eventually mother went back to the tree and climbed a little way up, and was staring at us. A few days later, Cindy Blugerman, who conducted the workshop was on the same trail before meeting some exotic plant volunteers, and saw a bear again, which stomped its feet and made a "stay away" noise.

Bears, photo by Cindy Blugerman, SNP

We walked away to the other piece of the trail, where we found bittersweet to cut or pull, some of which had been damaged in the past. Also we pulled some Asiatic lady’s thumb. Soon after 2 p.m., we stopped and I ate lunch, and shared some orange cranberry cake with the ranger (she said her dogs would not get any when she got home).

She confirmed some of what I thought, that the Park’s invasive plants group is concentrating on eradicating mile a minute vine (some near the Moorman’s River, and thus could head towards Charlottesville) and wavy leaf basket grass, a new threat.

Shenandoah National Park hopes people will sign up to become Habitat Defenders, volunteers who will visit a priority site for three years to remove exotic plants.

John Shannon removed this bittersweet root at Loft Mountain

On my way out, I stopped at McCormick Gap. On an earlier trip, Michael Seth had pulled some Asiatic lady’s thumb, so that today it was not overwhelming, so I pulled it in places. The lack of rain left even weeds wilted, and I could not tell if my last little trail regradings had been beneficial. Then on to the northern most known bittersweet patch on that trail section. In previous years, I intentionally did not try to remove all bittersweet. Now I am in eradication mode, and try to kill every piece I can bear to bend down for. All the plants I found had sprouted from roots left after pulling out plants in the past, which is normal, and frustrating. Before I finished cutting all the bittersweet I could see, my watch, my back and sounds of thunder said it was time to go.

Dragon's Tooth - August 13, 2011

2011-08-14T19:47:00.000-04:00

Not your normal hike – AT/Dragon’s Tooth

Would-be hikers who didn’t check the blog schedule missed out on Saturday’s adventure: nearly 13 miles on the Appalachian Trail west of Roanoke. Three of us (Marian Styles, Dan Ralston, and Dan Funkhauser) left Charlottesville at 8 a.m. and met hike leader Iva Gillet and Bill Holman at the Dragon’s Tooth parking lot. We left one car there and took another to the end of a dirt road near the Audie Murphy Monument.

The monument is near the place where Audie Murphy died in a plane crash in 1971. The inscription on Murphy’s monument notes that he was America's most decorated veteran of World War II. He served in the European Theatre, earning 24 decorations, including the Medal of Honor, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Service Cross, and three Purple Hearts. Murphy followed his war service by a successful movie career that included To Hell and Back, which was based on his autobiography of the same title.

Following our history lesson, the fivesome took off along the AT, stopping for lunch a couple of hours later beside Trout Creek. Even though the temperatures had eased from the heat of the previous couple of weeks, the post-lunch 1,500-foot climb to Dragon’s Tooth felt uncomfortably warm. A cooling breeze and some clouds provided some relief, but it wasn’t until a thunderstorm hit at 4 p.m. that we really cooled down.The rain stopped before we hit the rock scramble, but the wet rocks led to increased chance for slipping. We made it, though. The long distance, combined with a late start, found us finishing the route at 7 p.m. We piled into Bill’s van and left Iva and the two Dans at the Home Place restaurant in Catawba so they could hang out with the other diners waiting for a table.

Meanwhile, Bill drove Marian back to retrieve her car. The last 3.5 miles of the journey consisted of a rutted, rocky, hilly dirt road, which proved quite the adventure in Bill’s rear-wheel van. We were grateful that with some encouragement from Bill, the van made it, and we were spared having to park the van and hike to the car.

All of us eventually made it to the restaurant to enjoy delicious fried chicken, roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, beans, cole slaw, and biscuits, capped off with peach cobbler and ice cream. (Are you hungry yet?)

Iva and Bill headed back to their campground to rejoin their traveling companions and rest up for canoeing on Sunday. Needless to say, the three returning to did not get home early, although if we’d arrived 45 minutes later, we could have said that we got home early—early in the morning, that is.

Nicholson Hollow - August 6, 2011

2011-08-08T02:15:00.002-04:00

Last year we hiked up Nicholson Hollow Trail when it was close to or actually 100 degrees in Charlottesville, so this hike seemed wasted on a mid 80s forecast, but the humidity ensured we did not feel particularly cool. Ten people and one dog showed up in Charlottesville while four members of the Moss family met at the Old Rag parking lot, part of which was roped off.

The first three miles of trail were uneventful, but sticky, and Bailey the dog enjoyed a splash in the river we followed. The Hughes River had more water than I expected after a dry summer. We stopped on the trail when close to a planned swimming hole, but the vocal people said they came to do some walking and to see Corbin Cabin, so we continued up the trail. Then my radio registered a call from Ken who was facing a rebellion by the silent swimmers, so everyone returned to the water. The impatient took a long, overgrown, rocky path to the water whereas those who trusted their leader to lead took a better path to the water's edge. The majority of people went into the cool water, led by Bailey. Back on land, after a radio show that morning on "Why people get fat" (sugar and other carbohydrates were blamed), many people decided that the free radical scavenging properties of oranges and blackberries outweighed the downsides of the carbohydrate matrix in which they came. Even yellow jackets were interested but finally I safely reclaimed the cake container. Six people headed back to care for canine companions or to prepare for travel while the remainder headed to Corbin Cabin.

The overseers have kept the trail clear which may have given Iva Gillet mixed feelings. She did not have to worry about the stinging nettles mentioned in the hike description, but she had worn long pants unnecessarily. We spent some time looking around the cabin and surroundings (including a yard taken over by stiltgrass), and talked other trails which could take us back to our starting point. Iva said that a trail starting on Skyline Drive was much shorter than our route, and much steeper, based on her experience.

On the way down, I noticed an ailanthus sapling but when I found I could not pull it out, I left it fearing that breaking it off with roots left would only encourage it to sprout more.After a few miles, I kept looking towards the river and at my GPS for the promised second swimming hole that Liz Young showed us a few years ago. My GPS seemed to not want to update its position, and we looked at a couple of small splashing pools, and then when the GPS said we were close, a few people found a small pool, while others followed their leader and were rewarded with a nice big pool. In we went splashing around until thoroughly cool. Then the others came and briefly experienced the big pool. And then a couple of young people who had been watching from on top of a large rock decided that it must be good and also went in. After that, it was not far back to our cars. After looking at watches, we decided to skip the suggested Etlan ice-cream stop and head to Timberwood Grill to join Ken Moss for drinks and dinner.

Other hikers included John Shannon, Marie Moss, John Brandt, Adrienne Moss, Raúl Mata, Pete Fink, Neil McKinney, Bill Hollman, Beverly Fink, Briana Taylor, Leon Gorman, Marian Styles and Dan Funkhauser.

Torry Ridge and Sherando Lake - July 30, 2011

2011-07-31T16:58:00.004-04:00

Considering that the hottest day of the summer was on Friday, Hike Leader Ken Moss felt fortunate to have eight people show up to hike on Saturday morning at Albemarle High School. After some discussion concerning the logistics of a car shuttle to and from the trailhead, we headed out in three vehicles for Sherando Lake. Upon arrival we redistributed swim gear into the one car that was to remain parked at the lake, then piled into the other two cars for the ride to the trailhead.

The Slacks Trail

We started at White Rock Gap, descending the White Rock Trail for a short distance before turning left onto the Slacks Trail. We immediately began a challenging, stiff climb...the only sustained climb of the hike. As it was still morning, the temperature was still in the upper 70's at this elevation, but the lack of a breeze and the steady climb made it feel warmer than it was, but still a big improvement over the previous day!

Upon turning onto the Torry Ridge Trail, we had one last taste of uphill climbing before transitioning to an easy, gentle downhill slope that continued for a couple of miles along the ridgeline. Once opposite the lower Sherando Lake, we turned onto the Blue Loop Trail for a steep descent broken only by a pause at a rock outcropping. We considered stopping for lunch with a view here, but with a strong sun and the beach below in view, we opted to continue to our objective.

Torry Ridge Trail

Upon arriving at Sherando Lake, we first found a shaded picnic table for a restful lunch. Several members commented on the enticing smells of grilled meat which wafted our way from time to time from neighboring picnickers. Following lunch we changed into swim suits and headed to the beach, where Pete and Bev Fink bobbed in the cool water near the beach while Dan Funkhouser, Marian Styles, John Shannon, Dennis Templeton and Ken swam out to the small island located off shore to explore. Helen Reutlinger remained on shore to watch everyone's gear. Everyone was surprised that the water wasn't colder, but it was still a pleasant cool-down following the hike.

Lunch at Sherando Lake

After changing back into hiking attire, we shuttled the two cars from the trailhead back down to the Lake and then all headed back toward Charlottesville, but not before stopping for refreshments at Devil's Backbone Brewing Company. Here we sat on the patio enjoying a mix of beverages, onion rings and hummus while watching a thunderstorm roll across the Blue Ridge into the Piedmont. We enjoyed watching the storm develop and were all pleased to have a front row seat for the action before finally heading back to town at the end of a fun and varied day among friends.

Devil's Backbone Brewing Company

The trails we walk on

2011-07-24T14:02:00.002-04:00

July 2^nd. White Oak Canyon-Cedar Run.

The hike on the White Oak Canyon-Cedar Run loop was for enjoyment, but without trails, or good trails, it would be impossible or unpleasant. It was interesting noting some changes on the trails. White Oak Canyon is the second most heavily used trail in the park, which means major erosion in spots. Reversing or controlling it will be a major project.

On White Oak Canyon, near the lower falls, a small colony of ailanthus, an invasive junk tree, seems established. Possibly controllable now by someone authorized to apply herbicide, but those people have many projects to tend to. On the fire road, there were a number of water run offs, about 4 feet wide. I wondered if a trail dozer had made them but perhaps it was a Bobcat or similar, with wheels instead of tracks. My fantasy is a trail dozer which would make some trail work much faster, but only a full time business could think of buying one. Cedar Run trail has recent, major treadwork to reverse past erosion and slow future erosion, namely a number of log steps, and some major drain digging. Further down, a scary sight of bittersweet growing in random spots. It might be possible to slow the spread of this tree killer, although the steep slopes make any trail work difficult in this spot.

July 16. Appalachian Trail, McCormick Gap

After tread work on the AT north of Turk Gap with the Flying McLeods, on the way out I stopped at McCormick Gap to tidy up a couple of things. A few weeks earlier, water diversions seemed to need cleaning, but on this day, with the tool and time to clean them, they did not seem to need much cleaning, which I did anyway. The good news is that this steep section of trail does not have an erosion problem. Then on to a patch of bittersweet a little further on where last year I thought I had almost eradicated this invasive plant. The spring growth showed I was still some way from that goal, so I continued to cut and pull bittersweet. The good news is that there is much less than there was a few years ago, and no trees are in imminent danger, and the area has not been taken over by other invasive plants yet.

John Shannon

Flying McLeods - July 16, 2011

2011-07-23T22:30:00.002-04:00

John Shannon, Marit Gay, Richard Crisci, and Mark Gatewood and the Flying McLeods Trail Crew worked on trail maintenance for the PATC on July 16. They did grading and water bar work on the AT trail from Turk Gap to Crimora Lake overlook. All looks well and the Charlottesville Chapter invites hikers to help on the monthly trail work days.

Kaylor Knob - July 16, 2011

2011-07-18T19:01:00.001-04:00

Hike Leader Michael Seth can always be counted on to pick hikes which are unknown to many of us living on this side of the Blue Ridge, but which he knows well due to his home in the Shenandoah Valley. This Saturday found us on a hike in the Lee Ranger District of George Washington National Forest, just north of Massanutten Resort.

Ken Moss gathered the small flock of 9 hikers meeting at AHS, including first-timers Shari and David Drubin, and headed for the Valley via Swift Run Gap, picking up Marian Styles and Briana Taylor along the way in Ruckersville. At the trailhead at Runkles Gap we linked up with Michael as well as Nancy Hall and Greg Fife.

We then headed up the trail at a leisurely pace, following along Boone Run through an area which underwent a controlled burn several years ago. Boone Run was quite timid with little water flow and easy to cross. At Boone Run Shelter we paused for a short rest and discussion about various oddities in its construction, while Don Davis discovered a small flask of Black Velvet in the rafters.

Following this stop we retraced our steps a few hundred feet before heading south along the Second Mountain Trail. This involved a gradual climb to the ridgeline, from which we had occasional views toward the Page Valley and Blue Ridge to our east and Fourth Mountain to our west. We finally reached the summit of Kaylor Knob, at 2,850 feet, where we paused for lunch and white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, while enjoying the view eastward.

The hike back down the mountain was uneventful, and some began to wonder about the advertised swim hole, believing that it would prove to be a myth. Michael Seth kept is in limbo, until just within sight of the cars he indicated a side trail which took us to a nice pool at the base of a small falls. As usual, Marian, Ken, Dan Funkhouser, Greg and Neil McKinney took to the water for a cooling dunk or wading in the shallows, while Rita Kiefer, Helen Reutlinger, and Briana watched from the surrounding rocks. This was a refreshing way to end a hike on a summer day! Afterwards, at least one car load of hikers managed to find their way to Hank's Smokehouse in McGaheysville for some well deserved barbecue to celebrate their day's exploits!

Saint Marys River - July 9, 2011

2011-07-17T20:43:00.000-04:00

We have become accustomed to the large crowds that gather whenever Iva Gillet leads a hike, and this hike was no exception. Iva's magnetic aura attracted 26 takers this time around by the time we all gathered at the trailhead along the George Washington National Forest boundary. After another hot, stifling week in Central Virginia, the possibility of splashing around in a cool mountain stream proved to be an attraction too hard to pass up for many.

The weather on this day proved to be an improvement over what we experienced during the week, and unexpected cloudiness combined with the natural air flows of cooler air spilling down the canyon from higher elevations resulted in pleasantly cool breezes as we hiked the gradual climb along the Saint Marys River. Following the heavy rains earlier in the week we were relieved to find that the river was not running high due to rain runoff. We crossed back and forth across the stream numerous times as the sometimes rough trail lead us toward our first stop.

The first pool we found was stunning in its crystalline clarity and inviting turquoise depth. The conditions were simply spectacular and too good for our swimmers to pass up. Jackie Willson and Marian Styles were soon found in the pool, to be followed by Dan Funkhouser, Debra Fisher and Ken Moss, among others. After a refreshing pause, we hit the trail again and headed toward our final destination.

After only a short distance we came to the falls along the Saint Marys River and settled in for more swimming and a leisurely lunch. The challenge of a cliff dive into the deep pool at the foot of the falls brought out the daring in Iva, Rob Umbereer and Norman Beilt. John Shannon and Meg Challand were among the expanded list of swimmers at this location. Among those who didn't want to completely immerse themselves, several enjoyed taking off their boots and dangling their feet in the cool water. Bill Holman took in much of the scene while perched on a rock high above the river.

Following the extended stay at the falls we packed up and headed down the trail toward the cars. Afterwards most participants made a beeline for the Stuarts Draft Dairy Queen, which we overwhelmed for a short time as twenty-some people lined up for frozen delights to end a wonderful day. Other participants on this day included: Jolie Huddman, Lindsay Brown, Pete & Bev Fine, Don Davis, Alex Popkin, Rita Keifer, Helen Reutlinger, Steven Cohen, Charlotte Balkenbush, Lyn Swinford, Eve Stahl, Chiora Waters, and Katherine Hamilton.

White Oak Canyon/Cedar Run Loop - July 2, 2011

2011-07-06T20:39:00.037-04:00

July 2 provided for a wonderful day of hiking on the White Oak Canyon - Cedar Run Loop. John Shannon and Marit Gay led the hike and seven other hikers joined them including Lindsay Brown, Dan Funkhouser, Karen Rockwell, Liz Lyons, Don Davis, Sue Tansy and Marian Styles.

The weather was hot, but perfect to take advantage of the many pools and waterfalls on the way.

The trek began at the bottom of White Oak Canyon and proceeded up to the Upper Falls for a lunch break. There was a brief swimming time to cool off some of the steamy hikers early on.

After lunch the group made their way towards the Skyline Drive and branched over the White Oak Canyon Fire Road/Horse Trail to eventually meet the Cedar Run Trail. Finally the upward climb was over and then the trail wound down the rocky Cedar Run Trail, continuing along many water falls and pools.

We took the mandatory break to ride the water slide. Don, Marian, John and Marit provided the entertainment while the others rested. We finished the day of 8 miles of hiking around 4 PM. It was enjoyed by all!

A day of history for Shenandoah National Park - June 25, 2011

2011-06-28T21:43:00.001-04:00

Chapter members celebrated the 75^th anniversary of SNP in different ways. Lindsay Brown and Marian Styles staffed a PATC booth at the rededication ceremony for a couple of hours. Meanwhile others were trying to preserve SNP as we have known it.

Andy Willgruber and Don Davis revisited Little Calf Mountain to maintain the historic bald. They cleared the access road (the major clearing was done with the help of numerous chapter members starting in 2003), including removing a fallen tree, where Don used his new chain saw certification. They then mowed the open area at the summit, and noted stakes which may be for the new route for the Appalachian Trail, whose new route has been approved. Either clearing the road or mowing the summit can be nearly a day’s work, so this was a lot to do. Then they fulfilled a request to mow the first part of AT from Beagle Gap towards Bear Den Mountain (the tractor seat hill).

Michael Seth and I continued cutting back summer growth on the Chapter’s section of AT. My first work trip on this section was about 24 years ago so I thought that showing up was historic. We started at Rockfish Gap so we could clear growth we left the previous month. My newly sharpened swing blades cut through the ground level growth. After a short section, there was little grass growth, so I pulled out loppers to cut the usual small branches and bushes that would become obstacles, especially if wet. We stopped to remove some bittersweet, mostly in patches I had seen before. It keeps growing, but when I thought of what I had seen the previous weekend, I knew we have reduced the amount but not eradicated it. As usual, the many rocks along the trail hinder clearing with a swingblade or weedeater. Perhaps tungsten carbide blades would help. It was a long day but not strenuous.

Flying McLeods - June 19, 2011

2011-06-27T20:17:00.002-04:00

The original plan for the day was rebuilding waterbars, but clearing some overgrown trail near Loft Mountain for an injured overseer was considered more urgent. In one of life’s ironies, I arrived ahead of crew leader Mark Gatewood, who arrives early, because of an exotic species; a felis catus, which invades homes by being cute and affectionate, had a different idea about getting up Sunday morning from humans. On the way, Mark, who was a little behind me, and I saw what he called the wildlife trifecta; a doe and fawn, a bear, a turkey sitting on the rock work on the road side; these sightings, and numerous cyclists, are why the speed limit is 35 m.p.h.. Mark Gatewood, Al Dahler and André Dahler each had a weedeater or brush cutter, while John Shannon, Bette Dzamaba and David Sellers used clippers, shears and loppers to cut small branches and briars above ground. I pulled some bittersweet and ailanthus hoping that they will die rather than be encouraged to grow more.

Hikers and backpackers admired our work which was a classic 4 feet wide corridor without grass brushing against legs. Then we could see the trail cupping from heavy traffic and limited drainage. However it was not obvious how to drain this section of trail well.

On a previous flight by this crew, one member said that one of the products of BreadWorks was one reason he came. I could not remember which one, so offered him a choice of chocolate or cranberry orange pecan.

The goal for the day was clearing about half the trail, much of which we finished by lunch, which was cooler than expected because of clouds. The power tool operators walked on along the trail they planned to clear several days later, while those of us with hand tools walked back the way we came, finding a few more things to cut. The following Wednesday, students from Harrisonburg Valley Ridge Governor's School came to help Mark and Al finish clearing this section.

After finishing, I went down the road to Doyles River Trail, and headed up the section of AT we worked on during spring. Our waterbar clearing remodeling, and regrading worked well to stop water flowing down the trail. A section where we repaired some eroded tread looked good. As usual, I saw where we will have to dig out some more, although in some areas, the slope of the land will not allow us to create ideal drains. I did a little remodeling, but saw enough drains to feel confident our work was holding up. I started pulling some of this year’s bittersweet growth, but rain started, and I did not want to get my tools or clothes wet, so headed out to clear laundry baskets, dirty dishes and floors.

Montebello Fish Hatchery/Crabtree Falls - June 18, 2011

2011-06-26T14:18:00.002-04:00

Waterfalls, snakes, and scenic views contributed to make our last hike of spring 2011 memorable. Also, the wonderful people on today’s hike made the day especially fun.

Hike leader John Shannon choreographed the 8-mile hike to start at the Montebello Fish Hatchery and proceed to Spy Rock, leaving Crabtree Falls for the end. That route put the harder uphill portion at the beginning of the day when temperatures were cooler and the downhill in the afternoon when we were more likely to be worn out.

The views at Spy Rock justified the ascent, and we took a break to enjoy the scenery. Rather than going up for the view, Sue, Leon, and his dog Bailey broke off and did their own shorter hike.

As for the rest of us, excitement unfolded after lunch in the form of two rattlesnake sightings. Rita nearly stepped on the first one—she saw the rattler only when it moved to get out of her way. Before she had even recovered from that scare, Rita had a close encounter with a second rattler just a few yards down the trail. Who can blame her for relinquishing the lead after that?

Once we reached the top of Crabtree Falls, the human density factor increased considerably – lots of folks were out enjoying this popular spot. Getting down was easy, though, and we paused to enjoy the viewpoints of the falls during our walk down.

After shuttling cars and drivers, Neil, Debra, John, and Marian headed for delicious white-chocolate raspberry shakes at Rapunzel’s in Lovingston, while Briana, Dan, Rita, Nancy, Pete, Bev, and Dave stopped at a quick-refreshment stand for goodies—a fine ending to a perfect day.

Dunlodge Cabin - June 11 and 12, 2011

2011-06-16T21:48:00.003-04:00

On a beautiful morning Don Davis and Thomas and Mary Jorgensen and Jeff Van Pelt crawled from under Dunlodge covers to begin tidying the yard. Dirt was moved, paint splatered, gutters cleaned and sticks piled high.

Andy Wilgruber appeared and added a very nice switch in to the cottage. Now late night activities in the "Beer Garden" can be lit easily or plunged into murky darkness at the flip of the outside switch. Rita Kiefer came and admired our fire, and helped a bit before Andy saved Don and Rita from long walks by taking them to their respective homes. Don returned in time to greet Dan Ralston and Iva Gillet who dropped in and added many branches and sticks to the flames before heading into the approaching night. Leo the Cabin Cat spent the day sitting around being a cat. The four souls remaining settled in for a fine meal with Mary providing the cooking talent. All world crises were discussed and resolved that evening, unfortunately celebratory beverages were dispensed and everyone woke Sunday with a blank in place of memories of those discussions.

The day started with a breakfast to celebrate one of Don’s 37^th birthdays. Last minute items such as a curved shower rod were added and the dishes washed and sheets folded. John Shannon arrived as breakfast ended with a single job request. "Kill!" Faced with such determination we bid him well and marveled as he went to work with deadly blades and poisons on alien species he found in the yard. An unwelcome sight were ailanthus saplings, possibly growing from seeds from an adjacent property. Perhaps we can kill them faster than they can grow. Last year’s killing of bittersweet in some areas was a success.

As successful as this trip has been, more work is planned. Soon Boy Scouts will descend on Dunlodge and replace dirt with blue slate, paving a new picnic patio. The saga continues...

reported by Don Davis and John Shannon

The joys of a small trail crew - June 11, 2011

2011-06-16T21:44:00.006-04:00

After I gave up waiting for people from Charlottesville to join me cutting summer growth along a few miles of Appalachian Trail, I realized that people were reading electronic notifications of chapter activities. Also I was keeping only one person from helping cleanup at Dunlodge, and management of the group would be easy.

Michael Seth joined me at Rockfish Gap, where we spoke with a few people on their way to Maine. One of them is an AT maintainer in Tennessee. As we started, there seemed sufficiently few garlic mustard at McCormick Gap seeds to make it worthwhile pulling them; I attributed the small number to the efforts of Marian Styles in May when she removed plants. We also removed some oriental lady’s thumb because at times we thought we were in a small patch or edge of a patch which could be cleared, but this was not the case. Somewhat ominous was the sight of scattered bittersweet plants, meaning it has been spread along the trail. Now I hope that pulling solitary plants early in their life will stop them regrowing. We stopped at a couple of large patches of bittersweet, one where last year I had dreams of major suppression, but there is sufficient regrowth that it would have taken an hour or two to remove this year’s growth.

However, the main reason for the trip was cutting back regular summer growth of native plants which crowd the trail corridor. The growth was not thick but it was good to reduce it for the comfort of hikers. The many rocks lining the trail make this clearing tricky at times. Michael said this section of trail is quite lush, but part of the lushness is from a large amount of poison ivy some of which I cut. However, it will be back

We also questioned north bound hikers about trees across the trail. I had numbers of 0 to 5 and a universal comment that they were not an obstacle. My count was 2, roughly where I expected from one description two weeks earlier. At one we removed a large branch across the trail, but because of equipment, personnel and heat constraints, did not try to cut the 16 inch diameter trunk which requires walking around. Another needed only one cut to get out of the trail.

Then Michael said he needed to get home so we did not stop to pull any plants, and simply cut as we walked.

Bald Ridge - June 4, 2011

2011-06-10T21:26:00.004-04:00

A crowded parking lot at Albemarle High made parking interesting and cut hike leader John Shannon's briefing short--so we actually started hiking instead of talking about it. We haven’t hiked Bald Ridge for several years, but notes and memories from past trips and a surprisingly easy transfer of data from one GPS to another helped keep us on the right path.

We started hiking near Braley Pond. After leaving an old road, we started on a trail towards Bald Ridge, which was surrounded by a spectacular display of mountain laurel in bloom. Wildflowers included a few ladies’ slippers that were mostly past their prime. Wildlife sightings included a black snake spotted by Andy Willgruber.

We enjoyed pleasant temperatures early on, followed by the forecasted warm temperature, which was somewhat mitigated by our elevation. We regrouped at the junction with Bridge Hollow trail, whereupon four hikers set off to choose a lunch spot. The other five got hungry before catching up, so two picnics commenced about 200 yards apart. The people eating with John got to have lemon raspberry cake, which helped alleviate one hiker’s pain from climbing.

After lunch, we found that one section of trail on the side of a hill was easier to follow than before. Another section was indistinguishable, causing us to briefly lose the trail.

The rather long, hot hike resulted in increased water consumption today, and Eric Christenson reached into his sports drink reservoir to supply someone who was running short.
From the pond that marks the beginning of a rather steep descent, most people zoomed downhill, while Eric and John followed more slowly with Lara Fine. At one point, Eric and John stopped to cut a tree that had fallen across the trail. Another stunning display of mountain laurel lined the downhill section of trail. The dazzling flowers helped take our minds off the annoying insects buzzing around our heads. Neil McKinney had the right idea: he came equipped with netting that kept the bugs at bay.
Two-thirds of the hikers detoured at Tastee-Freez on the way home, and no one got back to Charlottesville before 7 p.m. Also on the hike were Marian Styles, Dan Funkhouser, Rita Keiffer, and Wanda Hamlin.

Submitted by John Shannon

Appalachian Trail maintenance - May 30, 2011

2011-06-09T22:25:00.002-04:00

On Memorial Day I went to save a short section of Appalachian Trail from damage indirectly caused by humans. Unlike those honored that day, my most likely injury would be poison ivy rash, and I didn’t even get that from the many poison ivy plants.

The first task was clearing waterbars and outsloping sections of trail to divert water off the trail. The structures had diverted water and solid material from flowing further down the trail, so there was no obvious erosion, but only one or two were close to self cleaning status. As usual, I did a little extra soil sculpting hoping to improve performance. Then some effort to slow down the take over by foreign invasive plants. I pulled some garlic mustard plants some of which were waist high, and a few oriental lady’s thumb weeds. My efforts were more acts of vengeance than serious eradication. Patches of bittersweet showed signs of previous pulling, which resulted in fresh growth. There were few plants growing up trees, and few thick stems because of past efforts, but a lot of fresh growth. Mostly I merely slowed it down. In some patches further up the trail, I had bittersweet in retreat.

Some people on their way to Maine expressed appreciation, because some of them do the same work elsewhere. I spoke to some people heading south, who said the trails are the best they have seen. They reported some trees down somewhere between Rockfish and McCormick Gaps but did not think they were a problem. Later in June with a scheduled trip we should find and remove them. It was too hot and too late for me to go looking.

On my way home, I saw a hitchhiker with a backpack. He was on his way to Maine. I only took him to Kroger in Waynesboro. It is the first time I have taken a thru-hiker to town for a trail break.

Submitted by John Shannon

St Marys Wilderness - May 28, 2011

2011-06-09T22:20:00.003-04:00

28 May St. Marys Wilderness

Rhododendron taken by Don Davis

The traditional June rhododendron hike, except it was May, following suggestions that rhododendrons were blooming earlier than normal, so two hikes were swapped. Perhaps others were off holidaying so only nine people showed on a pleasant day, but the parking area at the trailhead had several vehicles.

Crossing St Marys River

During the descent on Minebank Trail, we saw some rhododendrons, rather than walls of flowers as we see sometimes. Despite a wet month, streams were normal level so we did not have to wade. There were a few drops of light rain, not enough to get out rain protection. The pre-lunch hike was cooler than last year, so no long stops were needed, but I was accused of holding things up by removing legs from my pants.

Green Pond had so much water we could not get to the normal edge but looked at it through the bushes. Our lunch included orange pecan cranberry substance, a health food in our book. Then on the fire road, we still saw only a light showing of flowers, and some buds, suggesting we were early, and that the traditional first week of June might have a better show. Also on the road, bigger puddles than normal, a large gathering of cyclists, and excitement for some at seeing the old bus left on the side of the road.

on the Forest Service Road

The last leg, along Bald Mountain Trail, started with three hikers, engrossed in conversation, heading towards Blue Ridge Parkway, but they listened to the suggestion of taking the trail, where we stopped to enjoy the smell of flowering Lily of the Valley. The group today was leader John Shannon, Don Davis, Brad Young, Liz Lyons, Lindsay Brown, Neil McKinney, Dan Funkhouser, Marian Styles, Debra Fisher.

Submitted by John Shannon

Jones Run / Doyles River - May 21, 2011

2011-05-24T21:04:00.001-04:00

Jones Run Tra

Eleven eager hikers met May 21 on a beautiful morning to hike the Jones Run – Doyles River loop. Ken Moss and Marit Gay led the hike and were not sure if the intended circuit hike would be attempted due to high water because of recent rains. Marit had pre-hiked it earlier in the week and was basically walking in rivers of water on the trail. Fortunately the levels had subsided and the decision was made to do the circuit hike.

Jones Run Trail

We began at Jones Run parking lot and enjoyed a wonderful downward hike along the raging Jones Run which includes three major waterfalls. Dan Ralston crossed the stream where Marit had done so earlier in the week and was separated from the group for the remainder of the hike, making his own adventure for the day. Dan is an experienced hiker though, so he used his map and GPS to find his way back to the parking lot at the end of his route.

Big Falls on Jones Run

Meanwhile the group was admiring the beautiful flora and waterfalls. We had some excitement at the point where we forded the river. Some chose to walk through and others donned their sandals and crocs to cross. Ken and Lindsay Brown shared a pair of Crocs and treking poles to get across. Refreshing!

Lunch along Doyles River

Once we intersected the Doyles River Trail we split up for a while to try and determine where Dan might be. Ken and Lindsay stayed at the intersection and the others went on to the lower falls to enjoy a rest and lunch. We were lulled by the cascading water until the others rejoined us. From here we continued on the Doyle River Trail. We met many other hikers now, as this is a very popular trail. Many pools of water invited us to swim, but we held off knowing the spring water temperatures would be a little too frigid yet.

View from Doyles River Cabin

Doyles River Cabin

Eventually we met the Browns Gap Fire Road. Lindsay Brown branched off with Dave Borszich and Leon Gorman (with Bailey) to scout for our missing hiker and the rest continued on to the Doyles River Trail. The view at the Doyles River Overlook was spectacular. We also took a detour to see the Doyles River Cabin. Finally we met the AT and headed south on the trail to make our way back to the Jones Run Parking lot. We were reunited with the others including our missing member. Phew! Other hikers included Pete Fink, Bev Moresca, Liz Lyons, Nancy Hall and Barbara Shenefield. All in all, it was another exciting and wonderful day in Shenandoah National Park!

Submitted by Marit Gay

Rose River Falls, Dark Hollow Falls and Lewis Falls - May 14, 2011

2011-05-15T16:58:00.005-04:00

According to one senior PATC-Charlottesville official, speaking on condition of anonymity, “Reports of our hike’s demise have been greatly exaggerated.” Thus can be summed up the reactions of participants concerning dire weather prognostications which had necessitated a change of venue from the originally scheduled Mount Pleasant/Cold Mountain circuit in Amherst County to a quest for waterfalls in Shenandoah National Park.

Part One – The Rose, By Any Other Name...

Eight avid hikers cast caution to the wind as they joined hike leader Ken Moss in assembling at Albemarle High School and then departed under grey skies for the Central District of Shenandoah National Park. The predictions of impending doom seemed to bare fruit as our vehicles assaulted the eastern ramparts of the Blue Ridge, socked-in by heavy fog. The resultant limited visibility seemed to confirm our decision to forego the much longer drive to the Mount Pleasant National Scenic Area in George Washington National Forest.

Rose River Fire Road

Upon entering the park, in response to a question from the ranger on duty if we needed anything, President and Omnipotent Leader Lindsay Brown responded jokingly with, “Yes, some clear skies!” The ranger only smiled in return. But within 500 yards of entering Skyline Drive we broke out of the fog, revealing the rolling green terrain of the Valley to the west. Most of the drive northward was in the clear, even with hints of sunshine, and we saw several deer as we rode by Big Meadows, but we then entered a thick cloud, making it difficult to even find the turn-off into the parking area at Fishers Gap Overlook.

Dark Hollow Falls

The hike turned out to be uneventful as we initially descended along the Rose River Fire Road to the sturdy metal bridge across Hogcamp Branch. After a quick group photo, we headed a short distance up the Dark Hollow Falls Trail to reach the base of that waterfall. The fog was heavy at this point, with the top of the falls almost obscured. We then retraced our steps back to the bridge, where we left the fire road and continued to descend along the Rose River Loop Trail. Following a long descent, we recrossed Hogcamp Branch on a picturesque arched bridge, before joining the Rose River shortly afterward and beginning our ascent.

Rose River Loop Trail

The trip back to Fishers Gap was a steady, but moderate climb. A major point of discussion along the way was whether to make an attempt to visit the abandoned copper mine which John Shannon, Don Davis and Ken had bushwhacked to during our previous trip in July 2010. John and Ken had the location plotted on their GPS devices and were wondering if a less arduous route could be found which wouldn’t require such a difficult climb. Finally, in a commendable demonstration of democracy at work, the majority ruled that such an attempt would not be made on this trip, and we continued the hike. Along the way we noted many potential swimming holes for future exploitation during summer hikes before finally arriving back at the cars after slightly more than two hours on the trail.

Hogcamp Branch

According to plan, we then drove to Big Meadows for lunch before continuing on to the Lewis Falls Trail. We found two picnic tables between the Byrd Visitor Center and the Wayside overlooking the meadow and broke out our lunches. Many took advantage of the camp store at the Big Meadows Wayside to purchase drinks. Ken brought back a bag of Route-11 potato chips, claiming he just wanted to support the regional economy. The “puffed up” (inflated) condition of the bag elicited comments from Lindsay, who was dubious about Ken’s explanation about altitude and air pressure. Lindsay picked up a Gatorade while Marian Styles purchased a Rockstar © Energy Drink, claiming that she had been dragging all morning.

Big Meadows

Following lunch, as we returned to the cars with our digestive functions kicking-in, accompanied by the inevitable urge for a post-lunch siesta, the discussion turned to whether we should continue with the planned hike to Lewis Falls or consider ourselves fortunate to have avoided rain to this point and pack it in for the day. Several hikers mentioned that a nap sounded like a good idea, while Stuart Brown expressed an interest in seeing his son. Lindsay immediately jumped at the opportunity to serve his fellow man by volunteering to drive those so inclined back to Charlottesville, courageously foregoing his remaining day on the trail in a moving demonstration of self-sacrifice (wink, wink). Don, Stuart and Dan Funkhouser thus joined Lindsay, as Leon Gorman also left, as planned, with Bailey. Those in Ken’s car, including John, Marian and Marie Moss, debated their own course of action, eventually deciding to follow suit and return to Charlottesville as well.

Part Two – The Adventures of Wonder Woman

As soon as the hike leader’s car left the parking lot to head back to Charlottesville, Marian suddenly expressed doubts about what she had done with her wallet, so we quickly pulled off of Skyline Drive to verify that it was in her backpack. By chance, we had actually pulled into the small parking lot at the Lewis Falls Trailhead, our erstwhile destination. The other two cars drove by with quizzical looks from the occupants, but we waived them past with assurances that we would soon be on the road again behind them. We had gotten back into the car, ready to resume our return, when Marian suddenly exclaimed, “You know, I feel like hiking some more now…that energy drink really picked me up!”

Lewis Falls

After a short discussion, during which the embarrassment of only hiking 4 miles was mentioned, it was determined to continue with the original plan and do the 3.3 mile Lewis Falls circuit. As soon as we hit the trail Marian took the lead, setting a blistering pace and eliciting surprised remarks from those struggling to keep up with her. Simultaneously, the sun actually came out, and we spent much of the rest of the day under partially sunny skies. The steep descent along the Lewis Springs access road finally crossed the AT (our return route) and became the Lewis Falls Trail.

Lewis Falls

Upon arriving at Lewis Falls we continued to the observation platform, from which we admired the 81’ plunge of the cascade and found someone to record the moment for posterity (and proof!) with a group photo. We then continued to descend the Lewis Falls Trail for a bit before beginning the long, challenging climb back up toward the Big Meadows Lodge area over the rocky trail, passing many day strollers from the Lodge out for a walk in the woods, whose ability to make the climb back out we questioned.

Wonder Woman -
post-Rockstar Energy Drink

At one point, Marian noticed a crooked tree by the trail and determined that she absolutely had to climb it, her bubbly spunk likely due to the Rockstar © Energy Drink still doing its job. Thus sprang the legend of her transformation into Wonder Woman, able to climb tall trees with a single bound (and the assistance of her two burly boy-toy companions…once again proving the value of men’s strong backs and weak minds). Following this momentous exploit, the remainder of the hike passed without further incident, and we returned to the car via a pleasant jaunt along the AT.

Immediately upon returning to the car and heading south along Skyline Drive, the sun disappeared and the fog rolled back in. A short stop at Timberwood Grill on the return, allowing Marie to regain her car, permitted time for well-earned refreshments on the terrace. Only then did it finally begin to rain, as we raised our glasses to toast our exploits and good fortune, smugly admiring the falling torrent from the comfort of our terrace table.

Big Run Loop Trail - May 7, 2011

2011-05-09T20:47:00.000-04:00

The weather on Saturday was made for a hike and Shenandoah National Park was full of hikers, bikers, and people on Skyline Drive enjoying spring. Our group of 14 hikers headed to the Big Run Loop Trail. We started at Doyle's River Parking Lot for the 7 mile outing. Dan Ralston and Eric Clepper volunteered to handle the sweep responsibilities as we headed down from Skyline Drive toward Big Run. One stream crossing proved a minor challenge for some but Brad Young managed to throw a few more boulders in the stream to help out with the rock hop crossing.

This also provided an impromptu shower for a few hikers waiting to cross, including Helen Reutlinger. After climbing along a ridge we found a trail junction perfect for a lunch stop. Soon after the group finished off the chocolate provided by Hike Leader, Lindsay Brown, we were on our way again, heading toward the AT and the return to the parking area. Other hikers included Sue Tansey, Neil McKinney, Barbara Wilson, Dan Funkhousen, Liz Lyons, Don Davis, Andy Wilgruber, Ken Moss, and Ed Yu.

View from Doyles River Overlook

So Many Waterbars, So Little Time - May 7, 2011

2011-05-08T16:13:00.009-04:00

After a report of some trees down on the Chapter’s section of Appalachian Trail, and realizing spring rain had fallen, and plants were growing again, I decided it was time to visit the chapter’s section of the AT again. With Marian Styles, I headed to Rockfish Gap where I cleaned out waterbars and other drainage structures which had accumulated a lot of leaf material over winter. As usual, I did a little reshaping as well. On one steep downhill section there was some visible erosion, but not as bad as seen on a trip elsewhere two weeks earlier. I did some more trail regrading to reduce future erosion. Marian removed some vegetation that should not be in the trail corridor. Finally the waterbars were finished, so we headed south. First stop was an area where we have reduced the amount of bittersweet over the last few years, but as expected, roots keep sprouting, and there was a patch I probably missed last year. By now it was time for lunch. With just two of us, a small chocolate raspberry cake was plenty, and there were left overs. We left bittersweet looking for blowdowns reported earlier, and through hikers confirmed there were some trees down. The first did not match the report I had, but the next did; Marian did most of the cutting. Then a large log we saw in the snow earlier in the year. I removed one branch, but the trunk was too large for my saw. However, people can easily walk around it, especially after I removed a pointed piece sticking out. Then the question was if there was another tree down. By now, all the north bound backpackers had passed so we could not ask anyone if there were more trees down, but then we found the second reported tree. It was relatively small. We also stopped at a spring which in the past was overgrown with multiflora rose, which the chapter has largely cut back, so that now we can go a little further back to see major bittersweet growth. Today we neutralized and suppressed some large vines, so that next time it will be easier to see more and hopefully a couple of tree will survive. During the final descent to McCormick Gap, we removed the garlic mustard in flower; there is more, but perhaps we selected against the early bloomers, leaving the weaker plants.

During the day, several through hikers walked by, and all who stopped to speak to us thanked us for our work.

Doubletop Mountain/ Wilhite Wagon Trail - April 30, 2011

2011-05-07T21:28:00.000-04:00

With impeccable spring weather on relatively unchartered trails, we had an unprecedented group of 31! While some folks had not hiked with us for year, we all had a lovely hike to catch up on past activities. We were also fortunate to have all of outr hike leaders out, except for Michael Seth, which has not happened in some time, and was especially helpful with such a large group.

John Shannon provided walkie-talkies for communication with Erick Clepper returning from injury and running sweep with Dan Ralston. We also were pleased to have Debra Fisher, Dan Funkhouser, Helen Reutlinger and Eric Seaborg back hiking with us again. Our first in command this day were Jeff and Will Monroe who led us through the woodland beauty of Doubletop Mountain along the Wilhite Wagon Trail, which PATC maps indicate is not maintained. However, we found it a lovely and not too steep trail, complete with stone retaining walls from many years past.

Wildflowers were just begining to show and views were still accessible while the leaves are still growing in size. Our break was along the Doubletop Mountain trail on the most enormous lunch rock I have seen in the Virginia mountains. It was easily able to accomodate our vast group, so we admired the view across the Rapidan River toward Bear Church Rock.

Goodies were shared after lunch in preparation for the optional spur trail that took us to another impressive rock close to where the Doubletop Mountain Trail begins its descent, prompting hike leader Iva Gillet to recount the harrowing night she and 6 friends attempted to negotiate this trail with horses in the dark, eventually having to spend the night on the trail. Most all agreed they did not want to go on a trail ride with her.

Leon Gorman and Baily waited patiently for the return from the spur trail as we prepared for our descent. OASC members Beth Goodell, Alex Popkin, Steve Cohen, and Yao Lu led us down the trail, which provided glimpses of trillium, wild geranium, and other lovely early flowers. Barb Wilson, Liz Lyons, Marit Gay, Brad Young, and Rita Kieffer chatted as we meandered through the wooded trail toward the Rapidan River. Bev and Pete Fink, Eileen Seaman, Neil McKinney, and Lindsay Brown appreciated the lovely flowing waters of the river as we arrived at the Rapidan Fire Road to head back to the cars. Ken and Marie Moss charged ahead with visions of a post hike brew in their minds. Many were surprised that Marian Styles and John Brandt did not take a cooling dip in the water, but the perfect temperature must have made this seem unnecessary. New hikers Steve and Nancy seemed to enjoy this hike which ended up at 8.5 miles, after adding the out and back spur trail. During the hike Andy Wilgruber photographed the spring glory. Not sure how many photos we took of the wedding party that was posing on the banks of the river as our vigorous group hiked past, admiring the tuxedo-in-the-woods look. After briefly counting to make sure all had returned, many of us headed to the Tastee Freeze in Madison for some much deserved ice cream treats.

Submitted by: Iva Gillet

Fixing the Appalachian Trail, April 23

2011-04-27T21:40:00.003-04:00

After the heavy rain a week earlier, returning to the AT north of Doyles River, where we worked a month earlier, seemed a good idea to see how things worked, and to complete maintenance and remodeling of drains. To ensure she would be home in time for guests, Marit Gay went to her section of trail, joined by Eric Christenson, both of whom have made major contributions to the trail section the rest of us went to. The day almost fizzled when I did not have a toolbox key with me, but Marit showed up with a key. This month I took a shovel after last month’s experience. AS we drove north, we stopped to look at valleys east of Skyline Drive filled with clouds as shown in the picture taken by Don Davis.

On the trail, we noticed some sloped sections of trail, waterbars and grade dips which needed a little cleaning or remodeling after last month’s work. I stopped to pull some fresh bittersweet growth from a patch where we have cut and pulled large vines in the past. Then we saw some drains which had an impressively large amount of material caught in the run off sections, and a badly eroded section of trail, despite grade dips uphill. Eileen Seaman took the lead in filling the holes in the trail with reclaimed soil, while Don Davis opened up the openings to the run offs. Eileen also cut some logs which obstructed the run offs. Then Don found why the erosion occurred. One drain sent water to the west of the trail because the east side was higher than the trail. However, the water soon found its way back on to the trail to cause erosion. Don directed the movement of a log and debris to send the water away from the trail, and dug a new drain to get water of the trail.

After lunch we improved some other drains which had run water off the trail, and finally moved past the overlook where we often stop. After reopening several more drains, I decided it was time to go after another productive day trying to slow down erosion of the AT.

Old Rag / Ragged Mountain Reservoir - April 16, 2011

2011-04-17T15:57:00.001-04:00

This week’s planned hike up Old Rag had been carefully scheduled well in advance, hoping to beat the crowded conditions found later in the spring and to enjoy one of the few remaining weekends where vegetation does not obscure views. In the days leading up to the hike, however, the weather forecast failed to cooperate...in fact it became ever more dismal as Saturday approached. Concerned about slippery wet rocks on Old Rag’s Ridge Trail under such conditions, by midweek hike leader Ken Moss was soliciting input from other Chapter leaders for their opinions on the situation, with the unanimous consensus being that Old Rag should be avoided in such conditions. By Friday night the National Weather Service was calling for a 100% chance of precipitation, heavy at times, with thunderstorms, windy conditions and a flash flood warning thrown into the mix for good measure!

A slim glimmer of hope always exists when predicting the weather, but by Saturday morning, with rain already falling and radar indicating no relief in sight, the die was cast and the hike leader pulled the plug on any wishful thinking about conquering Old Rag on that day. As the Chapter’s unofficial credo is more or less that we hike “rain or shine”, and not daring to run counter to such a glorious and hard-earned tradition, the hike leader’s task was now to determine an alternate hike that would avoid the hazards inherent with hiking Old Rag (slippery rocks and exposed ridgelines prone to lightning strikes) as well as avoiding trails which may have problematic stream crossings.

While initial consideration was given to an alternate hike in the Old Rag vicinity, such as Nicholson Hollow, Corbin Mountain or Robertson Mountain, a note from frequent hiker Brad Young on Friday night suggested the simple choice of the trail system around nearby Ragged Mountain Reservoir. Though he had never actually hiked these trails previously, this sounded like a reasonable alternative to Ken, who then did some research online to find driving directions and print out a trail map.

With a steady rain falling as he drove toward Albemarle High School, the hike leader wondered if anyone would actually show up for what promised to be a wet day. Upon arrival, with some sense of amusement, he found Leon Gorman, Bailey and John Shannon already there, soon followed by new PATC member Stuart Brown, who would be making his first hike with us. I explained the situation and it was agreed to proceed to Ragged Mountain. Leon decided that it would be best not to expose Bailey to the wet elements and opted out in favor of returning to a dry, safe home. Our remaining three adventurers then drove to Ragged Mountain.

The rain continued to fall upon our arrival, so rain gear was donned and final packing accomplished before heading out on the trail…during which the trail map was embarrassingly left behind in the car. After heading out on the trail to the left of the parking lot, following John’s suggestion (he had hiked the area years ago), we walked along a dirt road for a bit. Ken soon realized he had not turned his GPS on (used primarily to record hiking tracks for a personal database rather than for navigation), but as it was likely deep in his pack and not wanting to stop and search for it in the rain, he decided to just forego recording this hiking track.

The small group soon merged onto the actual trail system and headed toward the Upper Lake loop. This proved to be a pleasant walk up and down through the rolling terrain, leading us by fine views of the lake and dam. Upon arriving at a trail junction, we elected to continue to the left, taking us around the western end of the reservoir. After about an hour another trail junction caused some confusion, when it was realized that the trail map had been left behind. Finally pulling out the GPS to figure out where we were, we proceeded in what appeared to be a logical direction (though the GPS did not show the trail system on it’s internal map).

The rain seemed to come and go as we walked through the woods, with occasional gusts of wind which caused us to button up our rain gear from time to time…but at other times there was a reprieve. During one of these rain lulls, we enjoyed a nice view of both the Upper and Lower Lakes while crossing the dam separating the two, commenting on the unique color of green displayed in early spring as tender new leaves begin to emerge. Nevertheless, the conditions were sufficiently wet enough for the hike leader to discover that the Gore-Tex lining in his boots had failed, providing a not so pleasant squish with every step.

Another trail junction caused further confusion and we again chose what seemed the logical direction. Before long, though, we realized we were back on the trail to the cars and just gave in to the inevitable. We had already been on the trail for two hours and determined that to be sufficient for such a wet day. Upon returning to the car, Ken noticed that the ink on the infamous forgotten trail map had smeared almost beyond recognition from the small amount of rain it had previously been exposed to…it would have quickly become useless out in the conditions we experienced.

All in all it was a good day with pleasant company. We shared interesting conversation on a range of subjects as we walked along and by the end of the trail could all feel the satisfaction of having challenged both ourselves and the elements.

Elliott Knob - April 9, 2011

2011-04-16T20:05:00.007-04:00

A view of clouds

The overcast sky, with possible rain, probably kept the number of people at our meeting place to 7. So not long after nine, I decided there was no point waiting for other people. As predicted, there was fog on Afton Mountain, which slowed us a little, but then we saw a notice of an accident ahead, I diverted through Fishersville, unnecessarily it turned out.

Michael Seth met us at the trailhead, which is high enough to be foggy. We set off, hoping for clearing. Despite the cool conditions, most people removed some clothing to avoid sweating on the climb. At 1 pm we reached the top and had an excellent view of fog. It seemed to get thinner, but did not clear, even with a cool breeze. One hiker was quite impressed with the new (to us) chocolate and orange cake, and hot chocolate. The downhill return was as foggy as the morning to finish a day everyone enjoyed.

Unified Trail Maintenance - March 26, 2011

2011-04-10T21:05:00.005-04:00

A cool, overcast day may have kept away some people who had expressed an interest in helping maintain trails today. However, Pete Fink and Bev Maresca showed up, as did Andy Willgruber who had observed some fallen trees on the road to Little Calf Mountain. Andy set off by himself while the rest of us made a stop at the Rockfish Gap toolbox. Here I made a poor decision to take 3 McLeods and no shovels, based on thoughts of regrading rather than what we actually did. Pete used his saw for the first time in cutting a large bittersweet vine.

The goal for the day was cleaning, remodeling and possibly creating water drainage structures of this section of trail whose overseer is long time member Connie Wright. A week earlier, I walked most of the section, finding that existing waterbars needed cleaning. So we started cleaning some existing waterbars, remodeling some recently created runoffs made by putting some outslope on short sections of trail. Soon I realized that Pete and Bev did not need any direction in cleaning or remodeling of water control structures, most of which are a waterbar-grade dip hybrid. In addition to clearing out recent debris and vegetation growth in runoffs, we widened the entrance to the drains in the hope of getting water off the trail without having to make a sharp turn, and dropping debris on the trail. Digging we did in previous years made opening the runoffs easier than it might have been. If I had taken Pete’s advice and brought a shovel, it would have been even easier. As usual, one of the problems clearing runoffs were the briars which pricked us when trying to clear debris, and the mats of grass in the runoffs, which showed that trail maintenance is a holistic task.

Some of the tasks for maintainers are treadwork- moving earth and rocks with McLeods, picks and perhaps shovels; vegetation trimming; blowdown removal; invasive plant control. Today they came together. Some run offs were blocked by fallen tree, others by mats of stilt grass (a prolific invasive weed), other by briars which in one spot also protected some bittersweet vines which were strangling a tree. If we could stop the invasive plants, treadwork might be easier.

As we neared an overlook, I suggested we had done enough for the day, which was by now one of the longest work trips I have had. On our return, I counted 47 water diversion structures, which I thought was an impressive effort. In the future, they will need cleaning again, and clearing of overgrowth, and possibly more remodeling, but this day’s work will make that easier to do, and easier to see what else could be done.

Andy Willgruber reported a successful trip to Little Calf Mountain, meaning the road to the top is drivable so summer mowing can be done.

Hawksbill and Stony Man - April 2, 2011

2011-04-10T19:45:00.001-04:00

Iva Gillett and Marit Gay co-led the group of 14 hikers on April 2, 2011 to Hawksbill Mountain and Stony Man. We met at AHS and caravanned with four cars up to Thornton Gap. As we were driving on Skyline Drive we were in a cloud of snow flurries.

Hawksbill Summit

The weather did not deter our plans, however, as we first went to Hawksbill Mountain to hike the 2.9 mile trail. The group enjoyed the circuit hike on the Appalachian Trail, Lower Hawksbill Trail and Salamander Trail. We had a variety of weather from sunshine to snow and hail. John Shannon and others took some time out to cut up a large tree blow-down on the path. Then we continued to the summit. The view of the Shenandoah Valley was spectacular from Hawksbill Mountain, the highest peak in the Shenandoah National Park at 4,050 feet.

Lunch at Skyland

With snow on the ground, wind, and cold temperatures we were ready for lunch at Skyland after completing the first hike. We enjoyed the meeting area off the lobby to have our meal and warm drinks from the restaurant. Dennis Templeton started a fire for us in the beautiful, stone fireplace. We were quite cozy!

Leon Gorman, Bailey, and Wanda Hamlin departed from the group after lunch to return home. The remaining 12 hikers began a 3.5 mile loop by first ascending Stony Man, the second highest mountain in SNP at 4,010 feet.

Stony Man peak

We had a wonderful view of the valley, including incoming clouds of snow and hail showers. We continued to the mountain of Little Stony Man. A large group of students from the College of William and Mary were rappelling on the cliffs, so we stopped to watch and catch the view for a few minutes. At this point we continued on the AT until we intersected the Passamaquoddy Trail.

Ice on Passamaquoddy Trail

Ice on the rocky descent made for some careful stepping, but no casualties occurred. Beautiful dripping ice formations lined the trail. We proceeded back to the parking area via the horse trail.

It was a wonderful day of hiking and the group also included John Brant, Marian Styles, Don Davis, Brad Young, Liz Lyons, Barbara Shenefield, Bev Moresca and Pete Fink.

Submitted by Marit Gay

Vining Tract - March 19, 2011

2011-03-23T17:56:00.000-04:00

Hitting the trail in the Vining Tract

It was a day of firsts. In the first of more to come, the PATC - Charlottesville Chapter and PATC - Southern Shenandoah Valley Chapter embarked on a joint hike with subsequent potluck and optional stay at PATC's Conley Cabin in the 300 acre Vining Tract. Not just the first joint hike, but this was also the first organized hike on this property. Perfect weather for hiking, in the 60's with sunny skies, as hike leader extraordinaire Iva Gillet greeted 21 hikers with the accompaniment of 3 canine hikers this day.

View from PATC's Mutton Top Cabin

We began our 5 1/2 mile loop along the Boundary Trail with a climb and found that we will need to return for some trail clearing due to several blow-downs along the trial. We then descended the trail toward Mutton Top Cabin and made a side trip to a hidden cemetery that trail map volunteer Bill Holman had discovered earlier. Passing Mutton Top, we stopped by an impressive chimney on our way to Johnson Cabin. After a brief trip to an unmarked overlook, Howard and June Ratcliffe headed to Conley for lunch since they needed to return early. Water was gushing from rocky cliffs as we proceeded on an old CCC road toward an unmarked trail that would take us toward the Vining Cabin. There was some grumbling as we ascended a very steep section of trail and then descended on an equally steep downhill with water flowing though the trail. However, the views and beauty of the day made up for the challenge.

Remainder of an old homestead

Lunch on Caddies Run in Falls Hollow

Vining Cabin at Mutton Hollow

We had a lunch break beside Caddies Run in Falls Hollow, a flowing stream where Ken Moss found a red salamander. Brian Muszynski and Beulah sighted a bear as they were out front. After a peaceful waterside break, we continued on to the Vining Cabin. As no one was in residence, we were able to walk around the lovely home and enjoy the view from the porch. During this break, Beulah and Tom Johnson's clever dog, Sam, retrieved sticks for whoever would throw them. After admiring the setting and amenities of the Vining Cabin, our group proceeded onward for the final climb.

Après-hike at PATC's Conley Cabin

We twisted our way up the mountain toward Conley and the side trip to Morris cabin was abandoned for the thought of a cold beverage on arrival at the cabin. While Marie Moss and Michelle Faragan departed for an early return trip to Charlottesville, the rest of us gathered potluck items and our beverages and enjoyed the view and camaraderie. It was a great opportunity for Michael Seth and Jean Fraser to compare hiking exploits with Tom Johnson, Karen Ramsey, and Bryan Bruns. We were able to persuade Marian Styles and Andy Willgruber to stick around before departing for their evening commitments (Andy's stash of dark chocolate was the deal clencher for Marian).

Après-hike at PATC's Conley Cabin

Chapter presidents Lindsay Brown and Karen Waterman were able to discuss their PATC leadership challenges. Dan Ralston and Ken Moss were seen appreciating the taste of a good brew after a good hike. Jim Stephens had guarded the cabin all day, while reading, and was on hand to spearhead the grill. Teresa was cabin hostess as she is recovering from a hurt knee. Many hands helped organize the feast and we were well underway when Mark and Betty Gatewood emerged from their water bar work trip. John Shannon, never satisfied if there is work still to do, arrived later to enjoy the fun. Bev and Pete Fink provided bean salad, while Don Davis' deviled eggs were also popular.

Après-hike at PATC's Conley Cabin

As the sun began to set, those who remained were able to enjoy the amazing view from Brian Muszynski's telescope. He was able to find Monticello before the sun set. With the full moon rising, we were given close appreciation of the rabbit image on the moon and its radiance. We hope to enjoy future fellowship of joint hikes and other cabin stays. It's the best part of the PATC!

Iva Gillet

Saving Trails and Trees - March 19, 2011

2011-03-20T20:44:00.003-04:00

The Flying McLeods started their 4^th season on the trail leading to Hightop in the northern part of the southern district of Shenandoah National Park. It was the usual foursome of Mark Gatewood, Al and Andre Dahler and John Shannon who went to rehabilitate water bars on this section maintained by Radar, a person only seen maintaining trails, but a recent illness has prevented him from getting out. We cleaned some waterbars, reset logs for several, replaced the log for one and completely remodeled one rock waterbar. Also in a few spots we made little runoffs where the shape of the land suggested we could easily drain water off the trail. We did a little tree and branch clearing also. At lunch, we all enjoyed pumpkin cake. By now, the wind died down so we experienced the expected pleasant temperatures. On the way out, Mark Gatewood counted 43 places where we improved drainage.

During the day we saw several people. One backpacker trained as a marine biologist in Townsville and therefore recognized an Australian; two trail maintainers who admired our waterbars, and have problems with theirs because of the many rocks on their section; one couple who recognized and thanked us as volunteer maintainers.

Today also realized there are items which would help us, but not even Google can find; non-stick McLeods; a trail roller to give a smooth finish to water bars (once procured, I wonder if this heavy off-road moving object would appeal to our former tank commanders). I also needed Kevlar pants for trail work for protection against saws which slip out of place.

After stopping work on waterbars, I went to a section of AT north of Doyles River to see what works needs to be done that is too heavy for overseer Connie Wright. There were no fallen trees, but as expected, waterbars needing clearing. A number had definitely caught some debris. When we clean them, we will probably look at some remodeling to see if more debris can be diverted off the trail to reduce future cleaning. I spent some time cutting some bittersweet in the hope of saving some trees from strangulation. I noticed how one patch we have been clearing seems to have little bittersweet growing into the trees and shrubs, but spring may reveal more plants on the ground hoping to grow up into trees.

After looking and cutting, I headed to Conley Cabin to dine with other members on the Charlottesville and Shenandoah Valley Chapters.

Turk Mountain - March 12, 2011

2011-03-12T19:54:00.028-05:00

Today's hike was originally planned as a makeup date from a hike originally postponed from January 8, when Skyline Drive was closed due to snow and ice. The weather had an impact on this excursion as well, though, but it wasn't a problem of the Drive being closed that caused a disruption. Rather it was an overabundance of that which has been too rare in our region over the past several years...rain. With over 5 inches of rain in the Charlottesville area in the last week, water levels were high throughout the region, with flooding in some low areas.

At Jarman Gap before hitting the trail.

This situation had caused serious consternation for hike leader Ken Moss for the previous couple of days, as he saw local streams flooded and during a trail maintenance trip into the Park on Friday had seen the rare sight of water freely flowing down what are normally dry gullies above Skyline Drive. All of those smaller flows were certainly meeting lower down the mountain to form ever larger streams of rushing water, with yet lower areas likely to be formidable torrents, likely making crossings difficult. Pre-hike anxiety over this situation caused the hike leader to contact the Chapter's Dean of Hiking Experience, John Shannon, to inquire as to his considered opinion on the feasibility of crossing the Turk Branch and South Fork Moormans River on the lower sections of our planned itinerary. His learned opinion could essentially be boiled down to indicate "maybe".

Heading north on the AT from Jarman Gap.

Thus a group began gathering in the parking lot of Albemarle High School on Saturday morning, wondering what awaited us on the trail. The weather forecast promised mostly sunny skies and high temperatures in the 50's at higher elevations, but it was still chilly and somewhat overcast as 16 hikers embarked on the drive to Jarman Gap, though we noticed clear skies to the west. Among the group was newcomer Lossie Wilkerson and OASC member Alex Pepkin, accompanied by our own Iva Gillet and Dan Ralston, who were doing some leader qualification training for OASC. Arriving at the Jarman Gap parking area it was still gray and cool.

Scenic pause at Sawmill Run Overlook.

Descending briefly from Jarman Gap on the South Fork Moormans River Fire Road, we soon turned north on the Appalachian Trail where we quickly heard and saw the gurgling upper reaches of the river, normally little more than a trickle at this elevation. Further along the AT we noticed trail erosion and water freely flowing along the trail in at least one spot, as we walked along the increasingly active stream, which had spread out into several channels as it gathered strength from feeder streams. Across the Moormans River Valley we had fine views of Bucks Elbow Mountain as we started climbing along the eastern edge of the Blue Ridge, leaving the river behind as the sun finally broke through and warmed us. We eventually reached a more level section of the AT and crossed Skyline Drive at Sawmill Run Overlook, providing views of Sawmill Ridge, the Shenandoah Valley and our destination, Turk Mountain. After a brief, windy stop to admire the view, we continued north on the AT, crossing through a more open area with scrub pines providing further views of the rocky crest of Turk Mountain, during which Leon Gorman, his faithful companion Bailey and Lossie Wilkerson turned around to return to their car for a shorter day on the trail. The rest of the group eventually reached the Turk Mountain Spur Trail just south of Turk Gap. We took this mile-long trail down through a saddle between the backbone of the Blue Ridge and Turk Mountain before climbing to the summit for a well deserved lunch top with fabulous views of the Shenandoah Valley to the west.

Summit of Turk Mountain.

During our pleasant, sunny 45-minute lunch break at the summit we met another group which had already attempted a descent of the South Fork Moormans River Fire Road, having planned to climb back up to the AT on the Turk Branch Trail, effectively following our planned itinerary in reverse. After several difficult crossings of the Moormans on the way down, they eventually reached a crossing that was impassable due to high, rushing water and turned around, retracing their steps back to the AT. They counseled us to abandon any attempt at completing our planned loop hike via the Turk Branch and South Fork Moormans River, claiming that any crossing would be dangerous and very wet. Upon hearing this news, which served to confirm our suspicions, it was determined to abandon the plan and return to Jarman Gap via the AT for an out-and-back hike.

Summit of Turk Mountain.

Upon returning to Jarman Gap, after having covered a total of about 8.5 miles, there was discussion concerning options to make an attempt at reaching Little Calf Mountain by continuing south on the AT to extend the hike by 5 miles, to just go home or to make a stop at Blue Mountain Brewery for refreshments on the way home. Most hikers felt it had already been a good day and elected to head home, to include John Shannon, Sue Tansey, Dave Borszich, Eileen Seaman, and Don Davis, as well as Iva, Dan and Alex. Hike Leader Ken Moss led a splinter group on a detour to Blue Ridge Brewery accompanied by Barbara Shenefield, Brad Young, Pete Fink and Beverly Moresca. Marit Gay remained on the mountain to do trail work along the AT near the Crimora Lake Overlook.


Junction of AT and South Fork Moormans River Fire Road.

Though the original plan fell apart due to high water, everyone seemed to feel that the right decision had been made to alter the hike. It turned out to be near-perfect weather once the sun came out and warmed into shirt sleeve temperatures for most. It was still a spectacular trail with great views and a good time was had by all.

Bear Church Rock - March 5, 2011

2011-03-06T18:28:00.004-05:00

Saturday's hike to Bear Church Rock started on a cloudy morning, with light rain and hike leader Lindsay Brown wondered if anyone would show up. Well, the question was quickly answered when 13 other hikers arrived at the parking lot.

Lunch in a cloud, just below Bear Church Rock.

We were happy to have 3 first timers with our group, Karen and Ian Cooper and Martin Henderson...hopefully we will see them again on future hikes. The small parking lot at the end of Route 662 had quite a few vehicles, many were fly fishermen trying their luck, but with a little maneuvering, we were able to get all the cars safely parked.

The initial climb was steady and the rain held off as we ascended to the junction of the Stanton River Trail and the Jones Mountain Trail. The hike leader, along with Martin Henderson and Eric Christenson, took the gradual incline to the McDaniel Hollow Trail junction while the others all headed up the steep incline of the Jones Mountain Trail. We all connected at the rock outcropping for lunch and a nice view of the clouds we had been hiking in all morning. Visibility was about 60 feet.

Turn around! The "view" is the other dirsection!

John Shannon lead a small expedition up to the actual "Rock" which included the Coopers, Sue Tansey, Liz Lyons, Eileen Seaman and Brad Young. John Brandt took his own private trip to the Rock before descending with the others. Not expecting an improved view from the summit and having previously "been there, done that," Dave Borszich, Marian Styles and Ken Moss started back down the mountain ahead of the main group. No wildlife today with the exception of a few dogs on leashes and two horses being ridden at the parking lot, just a good hike with a great group.

Lindsay Brown

Welcome to the PATC - Charlottesville Chapter blog!

2011-03-05T22:33:00.002-05:00

A blog (a contraction of the term web log) is a type of website. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual or a group with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. Blog can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

Our blog is interactive, allowing visitors to leave comments...it is this interactivity that distinguishes a blog from other static websites. Here you will find articles describing recent hikes, Chapter news and other items of interest to members. We hope you will find this new communication method both timely, useful and even entertaining!

Besides this blog, another important communication tool used by PATC - Charlottesville Chapter is our webpage, which is where you will find our most up-to-date hike schedule. Please make a point of visiting it often, as new hikes and changes will be posted there. Hint: be sure to bookmark the webpage (or save as a favorite) so that you will be able to navigate to it regularly to check the schedule.

Why a blog?

PATC - Charlottesville Chapter has produced a newsletter since our earliest days. The format and frequency have changed many times over the years. As new technologies arrived (electric typewriters, photocopiers, word processors, computer printers, email, the internet, etc.), we tried to take advantage of such capabilities. Yet, though we adapted the newsletter to those technologies over the years, we essentially continued to follow a traditional model of assembling and producing a mini-newspaper on a scheduled basis. This is a very labor intensive process and demands a significant amount of time and effort on the part of those responsible for writing, assembling, formatting, producing and distributing each issue. Essentially, our methods of dissemination progressed with the times, but it has eventually lead us to a situation of producing an archaic format via far more capable channels.

Thus we have come to the point of asking ourselves...what is the goal here? What is the purpose of the newsletter? The fundamental answer, we believe, is that our purpose is to communicate Chapter information in a timely and effective manner with our members and friends. For years a newsletter format has been the method we used to achieve that purpose. Yet the time has now come to step back from this routine and evaluate if a traditional newsletter format continues to best serve our purposes in a world where the flow of information is undergoing a revolutionary shift and newer methods may far better serve our purpose.

What has caused us to relook the concept of a newsletter? Besides the time and effort issues mentioned above, the timeliness of a scheduled newsletter is a significant weakness...particularly when it is only published on a quarterly basis. By the time an issue "goes to press", much of the information is already months old...we weren't just producing "yesterday's news tomorrow," but "yesterday's news two months from now." Besides reporting on the previous three months of Chapter activities, the quarterly publishing frequency also demanded that we attempt to schedule future hikes up to three months in advance. This has been a continuous struggle, as hike leaders have found it difficult to forecast their availability for leading hikes so far in advance. Preparing a complete hike schedule on a quarterly basis has thus proven to be a major obstacle to producing newsletters on time. Producing a more frequent newsletter addresses some of these issues and has been tried over the years, but the increased production frequency greatly increased the workload of the editor to the point of being untenable. We believe that moving from a traditional newsletter to a blog format can address many of these issues in a satisfactory manner.

Fundamentally, we believe that the internet has evolved into an essential and pervasive communication platform for the 21st Century, similar to the ubiquitous adoption of the telephone in the mid-20th Century. The rapid and continuing evolution of the internet has caused a seismic shift in information access for the entire planet, while a second generation of web technologies (Web 2.0) has introduced a participatory environment which empowers everyone to become not only a consumer of information, but a participant in the production of information as well. Our intent is to take advantage of these new tools and methods to achieve the goal of more timely and effective Chapter communications with our membership.

We believe that a blog format can provide a more than satisfactory platform for disseminating Chapter news and other pertinent information. One of the most obvious advantages is the immediacy of a blog. When an article is written by an author, it is immediately published to the blog page and becomes available for everyone to read...no more waiting three months to get the information out! Imagine being able to read a hike report, including photos and maybe even a video, the same day the hike was made!

Blog posts are published sequentially in reverse chronological order, so that the most recent news items appear at the top of the blog. Layout of the blog page is much simpler, with adequate tools for formatting and even spell checking included within the blog application. This makes blog posting significantly easier than editing a newsletter. The fact that the publication process is done one post at a time cuts down on the effort of assembling and editing a larger compilation of news articles all at once. Photos and even video can be included at the discretion of the author. The blog software application is accessed through one's web browser, thus all potential contributors have access to the authoring platform...and at no cost! Older blog posts are archived and are always available for access...no more digging through the closet looking for an old issue...and the entire blog archive is searchable.

Besides the benefits of easily posting articles in a timely manner, the blog format also introduces the interactive capability of allowing readers to comment on posts. Did the author overlook something of importance in a hike report? A reader can add a comment to provide the missing information. This also allows for the possibility of open discussions on a topic that can be shared by all. We hope that Chapter Members and other hike participants will feel free to comment on our blog posts in order to develop a more vibrant and interactive communication capability.

Currently, we envision using the blog to post news items, hike reports and other similar information...we don't currently plan to post the hike schedule here, so that blog readers won't have to sort through the chronological list of posts to find the last published hike schedule. Our intent at this point is to continue to utilize the Chapter website to post the current hike schedule.

This is just an introduction to our new Chapter blog. In future posts we will not only report on Chapter activities, just as we have always done in the newsletter (that hasn't changed!), but we will also introduce techniques for you to gain additional utility from the use of the blog format to make it an even more effective and timely communication platform. We look forward to the challenge!

Welcome to our brave new world!