Joint Hike With NBATC - Turk Mtn Loop, July 21, 2019

In the middle of a brutal heatwave, the Charlottesville Chapter met up with members of Lynchburg's Natural Bridge Appalachian Trail Club to complete a 10 mile loop hike in Shenandoah National Park on Sunday, July 21, 2019.

Charlottesville hikers included PATC members Nancy Handley, Karen and John Ballen, Claire Cline, and Michael Seth, along with hikers Patrick Cory, Lin Yang, and David Consolvo.  A group of 6 hikers came up from the Lynchburg area to also hike with us.  

Lunch on the Turk Mountain Summit with Claire, Karen Lin, and others.

Although the temperature in Charlottesville hit 100 degrees, lower temps and an occasional breeze made the hike along the Blue Ridge crest a surprisingly pleasant one for the most part.  The group hiked from Jarman Gap northbound on the A.T. to Turk Mountain, where they ate lunch and dried out from a sweaty climb.  The Turk Mountain trail was a little more exciting because of reports from other hikers of a large wasp nest near the trail.  Several folks had been stung, but none of our hikers experienced problems.

Observing trail work the PATC completed back in the winter

After lunch, the group continued north on the A.T. past Turk Gap to look at a large tree that the PATC had cut up this past winter, after it blocked the trail.  The group then turned around and descended on the Turk Run Trail to the Moorman's River Road, which they then climbed back to their cars for a 10.6 mile loop.  

Much of our group.  Photo by Claire Cline.