A cloudy post-Christmas Monday saw seven hikers exploring never-before-explored trails near Douthat State Park. The hiked portion of Fore Mountain Trail starts northwest of Clifton Forge - near the city reservoir, and climbs to the southwestern part of Douthat State Park, where it meets the park's Middle Mountain Trail and Stoney Run Trail. (The rest of the trail continues west to Covington.)
The trail was in great shape - always a nice surprise on new trails! (We found out later that this section is maintained by the Alleghany Highlands Trail Club.) The group hiked 11.8 miles total (shorter than the projected 12.3 mile length) and ascended nearly 2000 feet, mostly in the first third of the loop. Parts of the loop were very well signed at intersections, but other parts were not as well labeled. A GPS with the route highlighted proved very useful at a few points in the loop.
The group was on the trail starting at about 10:15 and the hike ended at about 3:45. Hikers included PATC veterans John Brandt, Barbara Martin, Susanna Williams, Michael Seth and hike leader Jeff Monroe. Also attending was Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club member David Horst, who has hiked with the PATC before.
Michael and Jeff agreed that future group hikes in this area should explore the rest of the Fore Mountain Trail and, north of Douthat, the Little Mare Mountain Trail.
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