PATC's 90th Anniversary at Dunlodge - October 14, 2017

When something lasts for 90 years, it deserves a party.

The Charlottesville PATC chapter chose Sunday afternoon, October 15, to celebrate the founding year of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club.

As befits a birthday celebration, there was cake. There was ice cream. There was a big balloon.

More importantly, there were close to sixty PATC fans—from both the Southern Shenandoah Valley and Charlottesville chapters, including trail maintainers, district managers, hikers, and EXCOM members from the Virginia and Maryland area—who made their way to Dunlodge Cabin in Charlottesville with potluck dishes and stories to share. Steve McLaughlin, supervisor of membership, John Hedrick, supervisor of trails,  and Mel Merrit, cabins operations, along with our guest speaker, Tom Johnson, traveled hours to join us.  Those present were treated not only to a dining room table full of food and beautifully warm outdoor weather but also a fascinating chronology of PATC history.

Charlottesville chapter treasurer and professional crooner, Barbara Martin, led the group in the traditional “Happy Birthday” song, kicking off the formal portion of the evening. (If an outdoor picnic full of hikers and a raffle drawing can even be called formal.) Charlottesville Chapter President Iva Gillet hosted, and together with Martin, presided over a free raffle with a generous array of goodies from the PATC office and donations from local outfitters, Great Outdoor Provisions and Rockfish Gap Outfitters.

Eating and socializing dominated until Southern Shenandoah Valley Chapter president Dave Bennick introduced the evening’s speaker, Tom Johnson, PATC’s official archivist, past president, librarian and club historian.

Johnson kept his audience’s attention by lobbing questions at them, such as “Who was Myron Avery?”

As they soon learned, Avery was the dedicated hiker from Maine who established the first stretches of the Appalachian Trail 90 years ago in 1927. Avery purportedly kept a pace few could match as he blazed the ridge lines and the valleys between Harper’s Ferry and Front Royal in 1928—and always pushing a measuring wheel. And this was before the Shenandoah National Park was created in 1935. Avery is credited, too, with organizing the entire AT route south of the Delaware River to Springer Mountain, GA.

Johnson quizzed the audience about George Freeman Pollock (who established Skyland resort), and P. L. Ricker (early president of the Wildflower Preservation Society.) Like Pollock and all PATC hikers who would follow, these two were prominent among early admirers of the Appalachian mountains. Johnson shared tales of the “Red Triangle Society,” an early hiking group out of D.C. and fielded questions about the more contemporary histories of the regional PATC chapters, most established in the 1980s.

And after hearty applause, the raffle (and cake eating) continued.

Hats, guide books, hiking shirts, gift certificate and drinking cups were all distributed before Ted Chang and Lynn Cameron each won an Osprey backpack, courtesy of their lucky numbers and Great Outdoor Provisions and Rockfish Gap Outfitters.

For more information about PATC history, contact archivist and librarian Tom Johnson at archives@patc.net; for more about hiking with central Virginia local PATC chapters, visit http://patc-charlottesville.blogspot.com/p/hike-schedule.html for Charlottesville area hikes and http://www.ssvc.org/hike-schedule.html for Shenandoah Valley area hikes or visit http://www.patc.net/patc/.

submitted by Jeanne Siler and Iva Gillet

Mt. Pleasant/Pompey Mt. - September 23, 2017

submitted by Iva Gillet
 
Hike leaders are not perfect; I proved that by leading my group astray right from the parking lot. With several cars parked in front of the Henry Lanum trail sign, I lead my enthusiastic group of fourteen, happily chatting, a mile down the adjacent fire road before discovering the error. Jeanne Siler’s concern about arriving at the dreaded, promised ascent was delayed when the fire road descended.  Turning around to retrace our steps we arrived back at the parking lot, regrouped, and then headed off (again) but this time on the correct trail.
Fortunately for me, my hearty group did not complain (except for sweep, Bill Holman who thought it was a detour) as we headed up Mt Pleasant. Leading the way were Claire Cline, Jodi Frederiksen, and Dave Abdullah. Leading from the back were Geoff Manning-Smith and Jeanne Siler, who kept an eye in Bill. Also hiking today were Michael Seth, Bill Westin, Dennis Templeton, Marian Styles, and newcomers, Jenn and  Brandon, joined us from Buckingham for the first time. Remi, the best hiking dog ever, was very pleased to join this lovely hike too!
Hiking the loop to the top counterclockwise, we enjoyed the rocky trail and views. Though dry, fall flowers were beginning to bloom. We took the ½ mile trail to the top, heading first to the eastern view for lunch. Stunning, vast views greeted us as we enjoyed lunch and treats in the warm sunshine. After lunch, we enjoyed the other view, passing several guys (and some dogs) who were camping for the weekend. In fact, I have never passed so many backpackers on a hike. LOTS of fathers and sons, two scout troops, college friends - it was a perfect weekend for camping!
Upon completing our circuit, Bill’s promise of visiting a farm brewery still was possible, so off we headed to Wood Ridge Farm Brewery in Nelson county. Bill was able to dazzle his fellow hikers with a blind beer tasting (getting 5 out of 6 right) before returning to Charlottesville. It was also John Shannon’s birthday and we miss him on the trail!

Mint Springs Park Hike - October 14, 2017

With a forecast of drizzle and fog, it was a nice surprise to have seven hikers on the Mint Springs Park hike in western Albemarle County including David Crowe, Nancy Handly, Emerald Young (taking the photo), John Brandt, Jeanne Siler, Brad Young and hike leader, Marit Anderson.  We started out in fog, but actually the morning ended up being cool and overcast...perfect for hiking.  We circumnavigated the trails with the Fire Trail, Big Survey Trail, Little Yellow Mountain Trail, Hollow Trail, and the various lake trails.  A nice variety of ascents, descents, and flat trail clocking in at 4.88 miles and 779 ft of elevation gain.  We hiked for a little over two hours and then enjoyed our lunches by the upper lake at a covered picnic area discussing everything from health care, housing market, and catching up on each other's lives.  As we ended, the sun came out in full blast with humidity and temperatures rising.  We were all glad to have our exercise completed for the day as we went on our way!

In the distance is King Family Vineyards

This choking vine really made this tree "twisted"

Upper lake...a calm place to be

Now the fishing begins

We are ready for lunch

submitted by Marit Anderson

Crescent Rock/Upper Whiteoak Canyon Falls Retrace - August 5, 2017

submitted by Jeanne Nicholson Siler & Gabriel Garretson

With 75 individually named, pull-off-style overlooks along the Skyline Drive within Shenandoah National Park, you might wonder why anyone would trek up and down the mountain sides for miles in order to catch a good view.

An 86-foot waterfall is reason enough.

More than a dozen PATC members from both the Charlottesville and others from the PATC meetup group combined efforts on Saturday, August 5, to hike more than seven miles, first down and then up, for the chance to have a picnic lunch on a giant slab of rock overlooking the upper reaches of Whiteoak Canyon Falls.  With hike leader Gabriel Garretson in the lead and Lindsey Brown following as sweep, and 12 other hikers including Anne Colgate, CJ Woodburn, David Crowe, Dennis Templeton, Heather Stewart, Jeanne Siler, Jennifer Dice, John Brandt, Marian Styles, Patrick Cory, Schanna Chilcote, and Susan Lopez headed off from between mileposts 44 & 45 in the Central District of the Park after leaving cars at the Crescent Rock Overlook parking area. Hikers hailed from as far off as Fredericksburg and northern Virginia to join the group, testimony to the draw of PATC online posts of hiking schedules.

First stop was the under-appreciated Crescent Rock vista, barely minutes from the Crescent Rock parking lot’s southern end, (with no sign) but offering great views of Luray and the Shenandoah Valley to the west. 

Betty’s Rock trail, advertised as part of the day’s three-view adventure, ended up off limits.

A park ranger encountered just north of the parking lot declared the overgrown 0.7 mile route closed because of the growth of rare plants growing along the trail and near the rock. Rumors were spreading all summer about why such an accessible path from such a little-used parking lot might be restricted (including the possibility that rattlesnakes, hardly an endangered species, were repeatedly spotted in that area.)  Our leader, however, shifted gears easily enough and took his hikers ambling gently down the Crescent Rock Trail for a little over a mile before hitting a section of the wide and handicapped-accessible Limberlost Trail. A side trek to check out the almost boggy origins of the Whiteoak Canyon River made up for missing Betty and her rocks. A turnaround onto the Whiteoak Canyon Falls trail kept hikers paralleling the river (as it grew in size and the path narrowed) on the way to our obvious lunch spot with a spectacular perspective of the upper falls, the largest of six significant falls along the popular Whiteoak Canyon Trail. Many hikers are likely familiar with this view, but take a more difficult hike up the Whiteoak Canyon Trail from Route 600, south of Old Rag, rather than the downhill approach from Skyline Drive.

It was the kind of low-humidity Saturday, a true oddity for any day in August, that pulled hundreds of visitors away from their homes and toward the parks’ trails, making for especially dense lines of cars near the trailheads for Dark Hollow Falls, South River Falls and Lewis Falls. The cool breezes meant a couple potential swimming holes went unused, but made for smiling faces even as the group climbed the 1300 feet of elevation back to the cars. 

Garretson billed the hike as “moderate,” a label that held true on a scale of strenuousness, but not so much on any enjoyability rating. For that, the day deserved an “exceptional.”

Rocky Mountain Run/Big Run Portal Shuttle - July 22, 2017

submitted by Gabriel Garretson

     On a very hot and humid summer day, 12 hikers from the Charlottesville PATC and the PATC meetup group went on an exceptional summer water hike in Southern Section of Shenandoah National Park. Hikers included Gabriel Garretson, Steve Braintwain, Susan Lopez, Sandy DiCarlo, Marley McGrath, Patrick Cory, Norman Beil, John Brandt, Bev & Pete Fink, Dane Alder and C Hardy.  About 5 miles of the hike was adjacent to beautiful mountain streams in the remote parts of the SNP wilderness area.  After we setup shuttle, we began the hike at the Brown Mtn Overlook at MP 76.9 and descended on the Brown Mtn trail. Next we connected with the Rocky Mtn Run trail and descended until we reached the Big Run Portal trail. After lunch and splashdown, we began a gradual climb up the Big Run Portal trail to the steeper Big Run Loop trail and climbed up to Big Run Overlook. Overall this hike included 7 plus stream crossings, which everyone was able to cross without getting wet. The hike leader overheated and was the last to arrive at Big Run Overlook but was very blessed with terrific support from other hikers that waited patiently and enjoyed extra time to visit.