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Valentines Hike and Three Springs Hostel: A.T. Central VA Hogcamp Gap

2/14/2015

1 Comment

 
Groundbird Gear blog: Hogcamp Gap Appalachian Trial Central VA. Review on Three Springs Hostel. Hiking with a dog. Made in USA dog gear. www.groundbirdgear.com
I realize Valentine's Day isn't a hugely popular "holiday." But we can probably all agree that celebrating love, whether Agape, Philia or Eros is important no matter what form that celebration takes. This year for us, it did not come in the form of Russel Stovers and flowers. (Although I do like getting flowers and prefer any chocolate but Russel Stovers!) I'm so glad our celebration came in the form of a night at Hogcamp Gap and a night at the fairly new Three Springs Hostel in Central VA on the Appalachian Trail (North of Rt 60/Buena Vista, South of the Tye River).

Our church had a sermon on "What is Love" (queue the Haddaway song) recently. There is no one definition! Because love is not easily definable, it must be other-worldly: out of this world! On Wed night as we were pitching our tent under a perfect blanket of vast cosmos, we were engulfed with this other-worldly LOVE. Seemingly so unreachable for some, and yet always SO near to ALL. 

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
    let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
12 Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
    let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
Psalm 96:11-12
Groundbird Gear blog: Hogcamp Gap Appalachian Trial Central VA. Review on Three Springs Hostel. Hiking with a dog. Made in USA dog gear. www.groundbirdgear.com
Groundbird Gear blog: Hogcamp Gap Appalachian Trial Central VA. Review on Three Springs Hostel. Hiking with a dog. Made in USA dog gear. www.groundbirdgear.com
Groundbird Gear blog: Hogcamp Gap Appalachian Trial Central VA. Review on Three Springs Hostel. Hiking with a dog. Made in USA dog gear. www.groundbirdgear.com
You know us, love of course also comes in the form of a sweet black and white face, always so thankful for these trips to "the woods" as he calls it. We enjoyed some day hiking in the Mt. Pleasant/Hogcamp Gap area and let me tell you, it was nice to not carry a full pack!
Groundbird Gear blog: Hogcamp Gap Appalachian Trial Central VA. Review on Three Springs Hostel. Hiking with a dog. Made in USA dog gear. www.groundbirdgear.com
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Groundbird Gear blog: Hogcamp Gap Appalachian Trial Central VA. Review on Three Springs Hostel. Hiking with a dog. Made in USA dog gear. www.groundbirdgear.com

Three Springs Hostel
http://www.threespringshostel.com/

It was so great to meet Oma and Marcia, the owners of the Three Springs Hostel! We sure enjoyed our stay and were glad they allowed Cooper since it's the off season and we ended up being the only hikers there that night. One of our plans for this mini trip was to spend Thurs night on top of Priest Mountain at the shelter and it was probably below zero up there with high winds, so-- glad we didn't!

The hostel's first season was last year and I'm sure they will have even greater success this year. For $54 (tax included) you get a comfy bunk in the 6 bed bunk room, Oma makes you dinner and breakfast, you get to love on Skiddy the kitty, laughs from Marcia, a shuttle from either Hogcamp Gap or Rt. 60, and long distance calls from the landline. A pretty great deal! We had spaghetti with meat sauce and a salad for dinner, yum! And breakfast was fried eggs, bacon, toast, cheese grits and Marcia tried out her new test kitchen recipe, a ham omelette made in the waffle maker! The food was great!

The property has a neat story. The land was originally owned by the owners of Sweetbrier College. They passed it down to an adopted son and at that time it was 100 acres. He had a working farm and then sold it to a guy who made it into a hunting retreat. That man created the pond out front which is fed by one of the three springs. I asked Oma if anyone swims in there and she said not by choice, it is just too cold! This place is so special and I guarantee you will have a great rest here. Folks like Oma and Marcia add to the atmosphere of the AT trail family. They love to serve and their mission is to make your day full of light and healing.
Groundbird Gear blog: Hogcamp Gap Appalachian Trial Central VA. Review on Three Springs Hostel. Hiking with a dog. Made in USA dog gear. www.groundbirdgear.com
Groundbird Gear blog: Hogcamp Gap Appalachian Trial Central VA. Review on Three Springs Hostel. Hiking with a dog. Made in USA dog gear. www.groundbirdgear.com
Groundbird Gear blog: Hogcamp Gap Appalachian Trial Central VA. Review on Three Springs Hostel. Hiking with a dog. Made in USA dog gear. www.groundbirdgear.com
Groundbird Gear blog: Hogcamp Gap Appalachian Trial Central VA. Review on Three Springs Hostel. Hiking with a dog. Made in USA dog gear. www.groundbirdgear.com
Groundbird Gear blog: Hogcamp Gap Appalachian Trial Central VA. Review on Three Springs Hostel. Hiking with a dog. Made in USA dog gear. www.groundbirdgear.com
Groundbird Gear blog: Hogcamp Gap Appalachian Trial Central VA. Review on Three Springs Hostel. Hiking with a dog. Made in USA dog gear. www.groundbirdgear.com
Groundbird Gear blog: Hogcamp Gap Appalachian Trial Central VA. Review on Three Springs Hostel. Hiking with a dog. Made in USA dog gear. www.groundbirdgear.com
Oma, the hostel owner
Groundbird Gear blog: Hogcamp Gap Appalachian Trial Central VA. Review on Three Springs Hostel. Hiking with a dog. Made in USA dog gear. www.groundbirdgear.com
Groundbird Gear blog: Hogcamp Gap Appalachian Trial Central VA. Review on Three Springs Hostel. Hiking with a dog. Made in USA dog gear. www.groundbirdgear.com
Groundbird Gear blog: Hogcamp Gap Appalachian Trial Central VA. Review on Three Springs Hostel. Hiking with a dog. Made in USA dog gear. www.groundbirdgear.com
Groundbird Gear blog: Hogcamp Gap Appalachian Trial Central VA. Review on Three Springs Hostel. Hiking with a dog. Made in USA dog gear. www.groundbirdgear.com
Groundbird Gear blog: Hogcamp Gap Appalachian Trial Central VA. Review on Three Springs Hostel. Hiking with a dog. Made in USA dog gear. www.groundbirdgear.com
Groundbird Gear blog: Hogcamp Gap Appalachian Trial Central VA. Review on Three Springs Hostel. Hiking with a dog. Made in USA dog gear. www.groundbirdgear.com
Groundbird Gear blog: Hogcamp Gap Appalachian Trial Central VA. Review on Three Springs Hostel. Hiking with a dog. Made in USA dog gear. www.groundbirdgear.com
On Friday we climbed Tar Jacket Ridge up from Hogcamp. We found some ice on the dirt road and tried out our new MICROspikes. They work great! 
Groundbird Gear blog: Hogcamp Gap Appalachian Trial Central VA. Review on Three Springs Hostel. Hiking with a dog. Made in USA dog gear. www.groundbirdgear.com
Groundbird Gear blog: Hogcamp Gap Appalachian Trial Central VA. Review on Three Springs Hostel. Hiking with a dog. Made in USA dog gear. www.groundbirdgear.com
Groundbird Gear blog: Hogcamp Gap Appalachian Trial Central VA. Review on Three Springs Hostel. Hiking with a dog. Made in USA dog gear. www.groundbirdgear.com
Running to keep warm, it was 5 degrees
Groundbird Gear blog: Hogcamp Gap Appalachian Trial Central VA. Review on Three Springs Hostel. Hiking with a dog. Made in USA dog gear. www.groundbirdgear.com
Groundbird Gear blog: Hogcamp Gap Appalachian Trial Central VA. Review on Three Springs Hostel. Hiking with a dog. Made in USA dog gear. www.groundbirdgear.com
Groundbird Gear blog: Hogcamp Gap Appalachian Trial Central VA. Review on Three Springs Hostel. Hiking with a dog. Made in USA dog gear. www.groundbirdgear.com
The top of Tar Jacket Ridge
Groundbird Gear blog: Hogcamp Gap Appalachian Trial Central VA. Review on Three Springs Hostel. Hiking with a dog. Made in USA dog gear. www.groundbirdgear.com
Groundbird Gear blog: Hogcamp Gap Appalachian Trial Central VA. Review on Three Springs Hostel. Hiking with a dog. Made in USA dog gear. www.groundbirdgear.com
Groundbird Gear blog: Hogcamp Gap Appalachian Trial Central VA. Review on Three Springs Hostel. Hiking with a dog. Made in USA dog gear. www.groundbirdgear.com
Groundbird Gear blog: Hogcamp Gap Appalachian Trial Central VA. Review on Three Springs Hostel. Hiking with a dog. Made in USA dog gear. www.groundbirdgear.com
A view of the Religious Range.
1 Comment

Winter Backpacking on the A.T.: Three Ridges and Mau-Har Loop

2/2/2015

2 Comments

 
My friend Kathleen and I decided it was time, once again, to get out of Baltimore City and high-tail it for the woods! We ended up picking just the right two days for this strenuous overnight trip. It was not too windy nor too cold and we had clear skies! Couldn't ask for better weather for an end-of-January backpacking trip! We parked at Reed's Gap (aka Reid's Gap) in Virginia (about 20 miles South of Rockfish Gap/Rt 64/Rt 250/Waynesboro; South of Shenandoah National Park. Please note: The Blue Ridge Parkway was closed and we used 664 to get up to the parking area. As usual, this busy trailhead was filled with cars. We got there around noon on Sat. The hike up shadow-cast Bee Mountain was a bit slippery with packed snow and ice from other hikers. It is a relatively steep climb and we noticed that there were chunks of ice the size of large gravel mixed in with the packed snow: possibly fallen icicles.
Groundbird Gear blog: Three Ridges Mountain on the Appalachian Trail and Mau-Har Trail. TATC-maintained section. Winter Backpacking trip with a dog.
Groundbird Gear blog: Three Ridges Mountain on the Appalachian Trail and Mau-Har Trail. TATC-maintained section. Winter Backpacking trip with a dog.
Kathleen was really glad to be back in the rhodo-lined trail!

In about 1.7 miles we reached Maupin Field campground and shelter area. We didn't walk down to the shelter, but kept up our pace and continued on, now climbing Three Ridges Mountain. This loop hike is very special to me. I've hiked it with many friends throughout the years prior to my thru-hike. It's about a 3.5 hour drive from where we live and so worth the drive for the views and incredible workout. You don't soon forget this hike, as your body reminds you of it a couple of days after and the overlooks become ingrained in your mind. It has become a special place for my family as well: my parents are now members of the Tidewater Appalachian Trial Club, the group that maintains the A.T. from Rockfish Gap to the Tye River, including Three Ridges and the Mau-Har Trail.

Groundbird Gear blog: Three Ridges Mountain on the Appalachian Trail and Mau-Har Trail. TATC-maintained section. Winter Backpacking trip with a dog.
Groundbird Gear blog: Three Ridges Mountain on the Appalachian Trail and Mau-Har Trail. TATC-maintained section. Winter Backpacking trip with a dog.
Groundbird Gear blog: Three Ridges Mountain on the Appalachian Trail and Mau-Har Trail. TATC-maintained section. Winter Backpacking trip with a dog.
A nicely built stone staircase on the way up to the first overlook: "Hanging Rock" on Three Ridges,.
Groundbird Gear blog: Three Ridges Mountain on the Appalachian Trail and Mau-Har Trail. TATC-maintained section. Winter Backpacking trip with a dog.
Kathleen making some lunch on top of Three Ridges, Hanging Rock Overlook
Groundbird Gear blog: Three Ridges Mountain on the Appalachian Trail and Mau-Har Trail. TATC-maintained section. Winter Backpacking trip with a dog.
Cooper taking a break at the overlook.
Groundbird Gear blog: Three Ridges Mountain on the Appalachian Trail and Mau-Har Trail. TATC-maintained section. Winter Backpacking trip with a dog.
Cooper's yellow and grey Trekking Pack. The ridge in the background is what we are about to descend.

We decided it would be nice to make our hot meal at the overlook instead of waiting for camp when it would be dark and cold. (Who enjoys doing "the dish" in the dark and cold at camp in winter??) There was a cold wind on Hanging Rock but the sun and view warmed us and we all enjoyed the break. From this spot we climbed another 300 feet in elevation to the tree-covered top of the mountain and then began the 3.5mi descent and lost 2,000ft in elevation to Harper's Creek Shelter. (Knee killer). 

Groundbird Gear blog: Three Ridges Mountain on the Appalachian Trail and Mau-Har Trail. TATC-maintained section. Winter Backpacking trip with a dog.
Groundbird Gear blog: Three Ridges Mountain on the Appalachian Trail and Mau-Har Trail. TATC-maintained section. Winter Backpacking trip with a dog.
Groundbird Gear blog: Three Ridges Mountain on the Appalachian Trail and Mau-Har Trail. TATC-maintained section. Winter Backpacking trip with a dog.
Groundbird Gear blog: Three Ridges Mountain on the Appalachian Trail and Mau-Har Trail. TATC-maintained section. Winter Backpacking trip with a dog.
Groundbird Gear blog: Three Ridges Mountain on the Appalachian Trail and Mau-Har Trail. TATC-maintained section. Winter Backpacking trip with a dog.
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The obligatory selfie for our mothers. I can hear my mom saying now: "This is the epitome of what it means to 'Enjoy your youth.'" This photo makes us look like we're 20! :)
Groundbird Gear blog: Three Ridges Mountain on the Appalachian Trail and Mau-Har Trail. TATC-maintained section. Winter Backpacking trip with a dog.

This section of the A.T. is a doozy even for thru-hikers. It's one of those rare occasions of 3,000ft of elevation gain and loss within 10 miles. Three Ridges is on one side, the Priest on the other and the Tye River in between. If you have several days for a trip, I recommend hiking Three Ridges, the Priest and Spy Rock and get a shuttle back to your car from the fish hatchery near Spy Rock or go all the way to Hogcamp Gap.

Groundbird Gear blog: Three Ridges Mountain on the Appalachian Trail and Mau-Har Trail. TATC-maintained section. Winter Backpacking trip with a dog.
The Priest Mountain viewed from Flat Rock Overlook on Three Ridges Mountain.
Groundbird Gear blog: Three Ridges Mountain on the Appalachian Trail and Mau-Har Trail. TATC-maintained section. Winter Backpacking trip with a dog.
Groundbird Gear blog: Three Ridges Mountain on the Appalachian Trail and Mau-Har Trail. TATC-maintained section. Winter Backpacking trip with a dog.

We had some laughs when we got to camp and realized the tent we had carried was not the tent we thought we were carrying! Powder River and I have a nice non-free-standing tent collection from Tarptent, Six Moon Designs and Gossamer Gear. I give all the credit to Powder River for the gear/tent obsession which led us to starting Groundbird Gear for backpacking dogs. Anyway, in our gear storage area at home, all of the tents are lined up on a shelf in similar sized stuff sacks. The Tarptents are made from the same pale green-grey silnylon. Instead of grabbing the tarp and inner of the two-piece Tarptent Stratospire, I had grabbed the single-man Contrail and the inner of the Stratospire. It actually worked out with me, Kathleen and Cooper piled into the one-person tent. We were quite warm and thankfully there was no condensation so our bags which were touching the tent walls did not get soaked. I will be marking the outside of each tent's stuff sack!

Groundbird Gear blog: Three Ridges Mountain on the Appalachian Trail and Mau-Har Trail. TATC-maintained section. Winter Backpacking trip with a dog.
Harpers Creek Shelter
Groundbird Gear blog: Three Ridges Mountain on the Appalachian Trail and Mau-Har Trail. TATC-maintained section. Winter Backpacking trip with a dog.
Groundbird Gear blog: Three Ridges Mountain on the Appalachian Trail and Mau-Har Trail. TATC-maintained section. Winter Backpacking trip with a dog.
Groundbird Gear blog: Three Ridges Mountain on the Appalachian Trail and Mau-Har Trail. TATC-maintained section. Winter Backpacking trip with a dog.
I'm sure this is obvious to many, but I did not realize it until Kathleen pointed it out: it's called the "Mau-Har" Trail because it is the trail between the MAUpin Field Shelter and the HARpers Creek Shelter! Duh, Bobwhite!
Groundbird Gear blog: Three Ridges Mountain on the Appalachian Trail and Mau-Har Trail. TATC-maintained section. Winter Backpacking trip with a dog.
Groundbird Gear blog: Three Ridges Mountain on the Appalachian Trail and Mau-Har Trail. TATC-maintained section. Winter Backpacking trip with a dog.
Groundbird Gear blog: Three Ridges Mountain on the Appalachian Trail and Mau-Har Trail. TATC-maintained section. Winter Backpacking trip with a dog.
As you may recall from my blog post about our trip to Grayson Highlands this November, Kathleen LOVES to identify fungi! We weren't really sure what this stuff was, possibly decaying chicken of the woods... best not to eat it! :)
Groundbird Gear blog: Three Ridges Mountain on the Appalachian Trail and Mau-Har Trail. TATC-maintained section. Winter Backpacking trip with a dog.
Kathleen started speaking poetry as we climbed the Falls of Campbells Creek on the Mau-Har. She said "The Appalachians aren't about the mountains, but about the rivers. The rivers carved the mountains and placed the boulders." I never knew theses mountains are sandstone. You can tell because when the rock breaks it makes "play-dough" shapes instead of right angles. Also, sometimes I've seen sand on top of mountains and this explains why! I always new the Appalachians were ancient but if I knew how they were formed, I had forgotten. Thanks Kathleen!
Groundbird Gear blog: Three Ridges Mountain on the Appalachian Trail and Mau-Har Trail. TATC-maintained section. Winter Backpacking trip with a dog.
Groundbird Gear blog: Three Ridges Mountain on the Appalachian Trail and Mau-Har Trail. TATC-maintained section. Winter Backpacking trip with a dog.
The Mau-Har Trail is not for the faint of heart. It has grueling ups and downs. Well worth it for this fun 3/4 mile section next to the Falls of Cambells Creek. Can't wait to go back in July and enjoy those swimming holes!!
Groundbird Gear blog: Three Ridges Mountain on the Appalachian Trail and Mau-Har Trail. TATC-maintained section. Winter Backpacking trip with a dog.
Groundbird Gear blog: Three Ridges Mountain on the Appalachian Trail and Mau-Har Trail. TATC-maintained section. Winter Backpacking trip with a dog.

Yeah, it took us about 3 hours to do the 3.8 miles from Harpers Creek Shelter to Maupin Field. I say that just to show how strenuous the Mau-Har Trail is. Quite worth it and we were looking for a good workout! The temperature dropped as we came back up to the Maupin Field Shelter and I put the camera away. The descent down Bee Mountain back to the car was so icy, I wish we had micro spikes!! No joke! We had to slide down on our butts and then skip the last bit and just walk on the Parkway to get back to the car. We immediately drove into Waynesboro and since Wheezies Diner (terrible name, I know) was closed, we ate at the Mexican restaurant across from the infamous Tastee-Freeze. Yum! I'm not sorry that I was too tired to make it to the Super Bowl party when I got home. We had a great weekend and I'm so glad we were able to break up the dreary urban winter that drags on and on here in Baltimore! It's much nicer to be out in the cold and moving than caged in a grey city. Thank God for healthy bodies and beautifully maintained trails through the most special parts of Creation!

2 Comments

Grayson Highlands and McAfee Knob, VA

11/10/2014

4 Comments

 
Since my (Bobwhite's) 2011 Southbound thru-hike of the A.T., I have been wanting to return to Southwestern Virginia. More specifically, Powder River and I have discussed doing a big 150 mile section from Rockfish Gap to Catawba in Autumn with our sweet boy Cooper. Well, this year we put in about 25 miles and it was grand... great fellowship with our dear friend Kathleen and amazing scenery and the woods were alive with color. We'll keep that longer hike on our clipboard. Maybe we'll even tackle it as a full-on winter hike... the crazies that we are! :)
Photography: photos on our hikes are primarily taken by my husband Jeff, a.k.a. Powder River: www.jeffsellenrick.com
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Our hearts were aglow as we entered the rhododendron tunnel. The woods of Southern Appalachia resonate with us and we long for them from our concrete jungle, Baltimore. Kathleen has committed much of her adult life to serving as an educator naturalist in our National Parks. Most recently, she worked at the Smoky Mountain Institute at Tremont. During her time there, she became an expert in fungi. We had a lot of fun identifying many types of fungi on this trip.
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Kathleen identifying Jelly Fungus on the trail sign.
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We planned to hike for 4.5 days, camping 4 nights on a 45 mile loop hike of the Iron Mountain Trail and Appalachian Trail through Grayson Highlands. On my thru-hike through this section of the A.T. I was doing around 20 mile days. I was hiking with a very strong athlete, "Teeney," and we had our trail legs for sure. The point of this small section hike was to just enjoy our surroundings and each other. Cooper also isn't cut out for 20 mile days, although he could get there if we built him up to it. Cooper enjoys his surrounding via lots of interesting smells, and macro beauty. He's not really a guy for overlook vistas, but more for the "macro" world that is right in front of him. He does have a stance we call "pride rock," there will be a picture later, in which he stands on a nice boulder and surveys the world around him. His goal for the hike was to score lots of treats, especially smoked mozzarella from Kathleen, and score lots of kisses and butt rubs from his lady Kathleen.

If and when we do a longer section hike around 100 miles, we will probably average 15 miles in Fall (fewer hours of daylight) and maybe 18+ miles in summer (more daylight). It is pretty funny how much night hiking we typically do. And we did a bit on this trip too! The frustration of it is always searching for the shelter/campsite and the nagging feeling that maybe you've missed it! Cooper stays on leash during night hikes- his senses are always alert and maybe more so at night when all the animals are out, and we would never want to risk him tracing a scent and then not being able to find us in the dark. Again and again, he proves to us that his night vision is no better than our own. Although his night footing is far superior to our own!
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As you can see from the image above, the blaze orange really helps make us visible even in low light conditions- in this photo the sun was setting. We hiked about 45 minutes in the dark before finding our shelter for the night, the Straight Branch Shelter on the Iron Mountain Trail. We chose to start our loop hike heading Northeast on the IMT from the Beartree Parking Area so that we could "build up" so to speak as we made our way around to the magnificent balds of Grayson and the climax of summiting the highest peak in Virginia, Mt. Rogers. (Mt. Rogers is actually covered in trees and there is no overlook on top, or on the way up, but it was cool to see Mt. Rogers from the IMT and know that's where we were headed!) The IMT is "old A.T.": it used to be the official A.T. and then a re-route was developed through Grayson Highlands. We are so glad the official Trail is now through Grayson! It is a highlight for many hikers, especially thru-hikers who do spend most of their days in the Green Tunnel. 
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The first night was pretty cold but we did ok and Kathleen is now inspired to buy a nice down sleeping bag and replace her old, not very warm synthetic! Cooper once again was inspired to crawl in my bag with me, although he himself has his own sleep system. The photo above is from our lunch break at the Cherry Tree Shelter on the IMT. About a mile after this spot we joined the Appalachian Trail and started moving trail-South.
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Cooper is always exhausted after a day of hiking. Here he is wearily looking out from Old Orchard Shelter (our second night camping) towards some guys who had a fire going and were hanging out. He is not one for crowds, even small crowds after a day of hiking. He definitely would not make a good Nobo, one more reason why he is my spirit animal. We set him up warm in the shelter so he could watch us making dinner at the picnic table in front of the shelter. Soon after, we put him to bed in the tent. 
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The next morning we enjoyed hiking through some abundant green moss and ferns on our way up to the balds...
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As soon as we got to the clearing, the beginning of our bald mountain hike, some rangers on an ATV drove up to us and warned us about the impending storm. Half a foot of snow and 50mph winds. We were planning on camping at Thomas Knob Shelter that night, at the foot of Mt. Rogers. Yeah, we changed our minds!!! We instead changed our plans and hiked on the Crest Trail to make our way over to where the wild ponies live (Grayson Highlands) and then make our way out to the road to look for a hitch back to our car!
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Cooper was not at all stressed or disheartened about the change in plans!
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Butt scratches from Kathleen!
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Pride Rock stance by Cooper
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Kisses with Kathleen!
We found a couple of cars willing to help us. Powder River got in a car with some Texans who were in the area geo-caching and he got to geo-cache a bit with them as they made their way to our car. Kathleen and I hitched with a nice couple out to Rt. 58 where we pitched a tent to stay out of the cold rain and wait for Jeff. Ended up being about an hour wait... the hitch was much longer than we though (17 miles!) . We are always thankful to the generosity we find in fellow man when we hitch. Thru hikers rely on hitches to town to re-supply and it is nothing new to Powder River and I.

We eventually made it to Damascus and were glad to be warm. We stayed at a new hostel for us, Woodchuck's and enjoyed the company of many other hikers who were also glad to be warm and dry. The next morning, we woke up to snow! Sadly we didn't take any photos. We headed out of town with a hiker named Gumby who just so happened to need a ride to the exact place we planned as our next destination of our altered trip: Catawba, VA. We had a great two hour ride getting to know Gumby. We dropped him off at the hostel in Catawba where he planned to stay for a while and do work-for-stay. We then headed up to the trailhead for the A.T. and made our way up to camp at the most photographed place on the A.T., McAfee Knob. We had a nice 4 mile hike to the Catawba Mountain Shelter, where we camped for the night. We attempted to hike up to the knob, and did get very close that night, but darkness and cold wind sent us back down to our sleeping bags. The next morning we left our tents set up and hiked to the knob soon after sunrise.
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The hike up to Catawba Mountain Shelter
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Interesting rocks along the way...
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Smelling that breeze!
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So windy, it'll make your ears stand up!!!
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He's such a looker
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Our attempted evening walk up to the knob... rock steps help with the accent.
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McAfee Knob in the morning. Yes, Cooper is on leash!
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My guys! Powder River and Cooper
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We didn't stay up there very long, it was incredibly cold and windy. The sky and fall colors made for some awesome photos! We returned to the campsite, packed up quickly and made our way back to the car and the famous Homeplace Restaurant in Catawba!!!
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Family style meal at the Homeplace
Adventure Dog Blog Hop
This post is part of the Adventure Dog blog hop, hosted by DOGthusiast and Tiffany's Diamond Dogs every Tuesday.
4 Comments

Black Rock overnight hike in Shenandoah National Park including Jones Waterfalls

6/1/2014

1 Comment

 
My Mom and I went out for a second time, this time her neighbor Mic joined us, and it was Mic's first backpacking trip! My Mom so wanted Mic to have a good time, enough so, so that she might consider becoming my Mom's hiking partner. We had such a good time that we actually added a 1000' foot drop (and climb back up) down the blue blaze Jones Waterfall/Doyles River trail. At around 2:30 when we came to this side trail, we realized we'd be very early into camp (Black Rock Hut) and we might as well get some more hiking in. Adding this blue section was a good experience for everyone to see what climbing mountains is all about, because the A.T. through this section (Loft Mountain Campground to Black Rock Gap) is very very flat. And highly recommended to beginner backpackers. This section also has a great reward at the end, if you hike South from Loft Mountain, Black Rock is one of the best views in the Shenandoahs, next to Mary's Rock! ***Dogs must be on leash in the Park, and this is no joke. There are seriously bears everywhere and Mamma Bear will easily be able to kill a dog to protect her cubs. Cooper would surely die if he was off leash in the Park. 

Night One: Car camped at Loft Mountain Campground (the campground was fully reserved, but we took one of the walk-in sites)
The Next Morning: We set up our car shuttle, with one vehicle at Loft Wayside and the other in Black Rock Gap (0.7mi hike South from Black Rock Hut). Mic's husband kindly dropped us off in Loft Mtn campground so we didn't have to hike up to the Trail from the Wayside. From here to Black Rock Hut is about 7 mi. Our blue blaze added about 3.5mi.
Night Two: pitched tents at Black Rock Hut. A few good tents sites here, great piped spring and decent shelter.
The Next Morning: very short walk out to the car in Black Rock Gap
Groundbird Gear's hiking blog. Lightweight, custom fit, made in USA dog packs. For backpacking, thru-hiking, hiking with your dog!
Mic and my Mom posing in their pink shirts with the Mountain Laurel.
Groundbird Gear's hiking blog. Lightweight, custom fit, made in USA dog packs. For backpacking, thru-hiking, hiking with your dog!
The A.T. through the Shenandoahs is so lovely, hardly any rocks, nice packed dirt. Many thru-hikers find their wings in the Park and start amping up to 20mi days because of the easy grade and perfect smooth trail.
Groundbird Gear's hiking blog. Lightweight, custom fit, made in USA dog packs. For backpacking, thru-hiking, hiking with your dog!
We have joined the Sawyer Mini water filter craze and will most likely switch to using it instead of Aqua Mira (or maybe carrying 1/4 full bottles of Aqua Mira as a back-up). The Sawyer is really easy to use, weighs next to nothing and only costs $20!
Groundbird Gear's hiking blog. Lightweight, custom fit, made in USA dog packs. For backpacking, thru-hiking, hiking with your dog!
Jones Waterfall, 1.5 miles off the A.T.
Groundbird Gear's hiking blog. Lightweight, custom fit, made in USA dog packs. For backpacking, thru-hiking, hiking with your dog!
Groundbird Gear's hiking blog. Lightweight, custom fit, made in USA dog packs. For backpacking, thru-hiking, hiking with your dog!
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We hiked through the boulder field at Black Rock from the back side of the overlook. Mom and Mic were not too happy with me for making them go the "long way." Oops. Made for a nice little workout before the view though! Cooper loves navigating the rocks and does a pretty good job. If he comes to a part and needs some help, the Groundbird Gear harness double handles make it easy to pick him up.
Groundbird Gear's hiking blog. Lightweight, custom fit, made in USA dog packs. For backpacking, thru-hiking, hiking with your dog!
The Black Rock Overlook
Groundbird Gear's hiking blog. Lightweight, custom fit, made in USA dog packs. For backpacking, thru-hiking, hiking with your dog!
Black Rock. Me (Bobwhite), My Mom and Cooper
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Mom's first hike, Hogcamp Gap to Spy Rock, VA

4/13/2014

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Groundbird Gear's hiking blog. Lightweight, custom fit, made in USA dog packs. For backpacking, thru-hiking, hiking with your dog! Hogcamp Gap, Appalachian Trail
Since my 2011 AT sobo thru-hike, my mom has been inspired to get involved in Trail life. She started with trail magic to me and my friends during my hike and since has joined her local chapter AT club, the Tidewater Appalachian Trail Club, which maintains one of my favorite sections on the entire trail, Reids (Reeds) Gap to the Tye River, including Three Ridges Mountain and the Mau Har Trail. I chose this hike for her first backpacking trip in the mountains for it's minimal elevation gain and fantastic final overlook at Spy Rock. Cooper fully enjoyed himself, as always!
Groundbird Gear's hiking blog. Lightweight, custom fit, made in USA dog packs. For backpacking, thru-hiking, hiking with your dog!
The greatest elevation gain of the hike: up Tar Jacket Ridge from Hogcamp Gap parking/camping area, about a 500' climb.
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Best water source during the hike between Hogcamp Gap and the Seely Woodsworth Shelter is down an old woods roads (dirt) a wee bit South of this intersection, to the East. (The opposite direction from the Lovingston Spring Trail)
Groundbird Gear's hiking blog. Lightweight, custom fit, made in USA dog packs. For backpacking, thru-hiking, hiking with your dog!
Groundbird Gear's hiking blog. Lightweight, custom fit, made in USA dog packs. For backpacking, thru-hiking, hiking with your dog! The Religious Range, Appalachian Trail, VA
Nice view of the Religious Range from the top of Tar Jacket Ridge.
Groundbird Gear's hiking blog. Lightweight, custom fit, made in USA dog packs. For backpacking, thru-hiking, hiking with your dog! Appalachian Trail, VA
Groundbird Gear's hiking blog. Lightweight, custom fit, made in USA dog packs. For backpacking, thru-hiking, hiking with your dog! Seely Woodsworth Shelter, Appalachian Trail.
there are some nice tent sites at this shelter
Groundbird Gear's hiking blog. Lightweight, custom fit, made in USA dog packs. For backpacking, thru-hiking, hiking with your dog!
Cooper in his red Groundbird Gear jacket, on top of my Montbell red sleeping bag. Making breakfast in the morning at Seely Woodsworth.
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We did not camp here, but this is a very nice campsite North of Seely Woodsworth, called Porters Gap.
Groundbird Gear's hiking blog. Lightweight, custom fit, made in USA dog packs. For backpacking, thru-hiking, hiking with your dog! Spy Rock, Appalachian Trail, VA
Cooper really enjoyed exploring the top of Spy Rock and the double handles on his Groundbird Gear harness made it so easy to lift him up the tricky parts of the rock scramble to the top.
Groundbird Gear's hiking blog. Lightweight, custom fit, made in USA dog packs. For backpacking, thru-hiking, hiking with your dog! View of the Priest and Three Ridges from Spy Rock, Appalachian Trail
Spy Rock. View of the Priest and Three Ridges (the furthest back ridge, the gap in between them is the Tye River). This is one of the very best overlooks on the AT. It is one of the only 360 degree viewpoints on the AT in VA.
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    Author:

    Bobwhite
    (Marie Sellenrick)
    A.T. SOBO 2011

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