AT Project in VA - Brown Mountain Creek Community

Appalachian Trail in VA Project – 5/25/13 – Punchbowl Mountain Overlook to U.S. 60 – 10.9 Miles

A confession:  I cannot find my notes of this hike and I have only a few photographs.  This will be a short blog post. Some of you will be relieved.

The day started where yesterday ended, at a pull-off on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Other hikers were assembled there but they headed trail south while I set off all by my lonesome going trail north.  A short hike today with a U-shaped elevation profile, going downhill, then flat, then uphill to end at U.S. 60. 

Remember yesterday’s wind worries?  A good example across the trail

Pedlar River Bridge

The AT passes near the Lynchburg Reservoir

The interesting part of this hike is along Brown Mountain Creek.  Several benches and sign boards relating the history of the Brown Mountain Creek community, a freedman's village established after the Civil War, are spaced along a 1.5-mile section.  I wish I had read up on this area before my hike (I did afterwards).  The stories are fascinating. 

A summary from the Appalachian Trail Guide to Central Virginia:  “Brown Mountain Creek Valley was farmed by slave labor from around 1800 to the end of the Civil War.  In 1868, a former slave purchased the land and built a series of cabins, the remains of which are still evident.  He rented the cabins to former slaves who sharecropped the land.”  This means that they compensated for the use of the land by paying the owner ¼ of the proceeds from their crop each year.    Descendants lived in the valley until the land was purchased by the Forest Service in 1920. 

A long winding rock wall follows the creek, built to provide protection against flooding.  The valley is small and narrow and I could easily picture the modest fields of corn and small gardens.  At this time of year vegetation was lush, but with a little exploration the foundations of houses and outbuildings could be found.  I saw a beautiful rock walled spring but vegetation obscured it so I couldn’t get a good photo.  

Winter would be an excellent time to visit this area.  It reminds me very much of the Old Settlers Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park where rambling rock walls, stone foundations and towering chimneys evoke bygone days of robust communities living that simple but hard life.

Here is an interview with Taft Hughes, a former resident of the Brown Mountain Creek community, taken 20 years ago as part of an oral history project.  So glad that his words have been preserved!   

Brown Mountain Creek flows on down the valley and past a shelter named after it.  I stopped at the shelter for my last break since my ending point at Highway 60 was only two miles away.  I caught the last 10 minutes of quiet for the weekend there – as I got closer to the road, I passed a strung-out group of Boy Scouts, troop leaders, and parents heading to the shelter.  Isn’t it great to see people getting outside?

“Observe as you walk.  Be aware that history surrounds you.  Keep your eyes and mind open to explore the secrets held by the land.”  ~Sign board at Brown Mountain Creek, Appalachian Trail, VA

AT Project in VA - James River to Punchbowl Mountain Overlook

Appalachian Trail in VA Project – 5/24/13 – James River to BRP Punchbowl Mountain Crossing – 10.9 Miles

My husband Jim and I are getting pretty good at combining hiking and biking adventures.  In 2009 Jim biked the entire Blue Ridge Parkway with me driving the support vehicle.  Each day I dropped him at the start of a section, I would do some short hikes in the area, and picked him up at the end of his section.  A nice dinner, a B&B for a good night’s sleep, repeat.  It was a memorable vacation.  And now I have a hiking project that rubs up close to the BRP…

Memorial Day weekend, fantastic weather forecast.  Jim and I headed to Lexington, VA with a plan for me to cover 38 miles of the AT northbound from the James River to connect to Spy Rock Road, where Cathy and I started what I fondly refer to as the “brutal backpack” just a few weeks ago.  

The AT crosses the James River and US 501/130.  At the parking lot I was unnerved by two roaming dogs barking at our car.  Will they follow me into the woods?  

No, the dogs were too lazy to cross the road as I headed trail north.  Within two minutes, the world was left behind as the woods enveloped me and I knew it was going to be a great day. 

Memorial plaque on a footbridge

I hereby declare this Mountain Laurel Appreciation Day

Okay, tulip magnolia blooms are pretty, too

The climb up from the James River is a serious one, gaining 2,000 feet in 3 miles.  Going up I caught glimpses of the James River below.

The reward at the top – lunch with a view

I was not alone at the summit.  A couple of college students hiked up and strung up their hammocks for a unique afternoon of reading and relaxing.  A big reward for a big effort!

Flowers, flowers, flowers all day long.  Did you know that spiderwort comes in many colors?

Carolina vetch

Solomon’s seal

Rhodies again

Flame azalea

There were strong winds and I had more than one moment of concern from cracking limbs.  Forget about snakes and lions and tigers and bears in the woods – I am much more spooked at the idea of a tree limb coming down on my head.  I kept moving at a steady pace with a heightened awareness of what was happening around me. 

View from the summit of Bluff Mountain, site of a former fire tower and where the body of a little boy was found after going missing for five months in 1891.  A reminder that people lived and died in the Virginia mountains.

The story of Emmett (Ottie) Cline Powell as told in the ATC’s Appalachian Trail Guide for Central Virginia goes like this:  “Little Ottie was not with the other boys as they returned to Tower Hill School with wood for the stove.  A dragged stick in the path suggested he had turned the wrong way.  The weather was cold.  The search party grew to hundreds over many weeks.  His father, a country preacher, ran a newspaper notice that described his son: ‘not very tall for his age, light hair, blue eyes, a fair complexion, and is very intelligent.’  Five months later, four young men were using ‘the old Bear Trail’ to cross from Amherst County to Rockbridge County, when their dog began barking on the top of Bluff Mountain.  Little Ollie’s remains had been found, his hat still on his head.” 

I am learning that there are many waypoints on the AT in Virginia, gravel road crossings, intersecting  trails and gaps (how many Salt Log Gaps are there? More than one).  About every 5 or 10 miles there is a shelter.  Using David “Awol” Miller’s A.T. Guide, it’s easy to track progress and stay oriented to where I am and where I’m going on the trail.  And of course, the elevation profiles let me know when to eat a power bar in preparation for getting myself up those steep climbs. 

Almost before I knew it, I was at the Parkway where Jim waited for me.  He had been happily riding his bike up and down like a little kid.  Outdoor therapy is the best.

"When the morning's freshness has been replaced by the weariness of midday, when the leg muscles quiver under the strain, the climb seems endless, and suddenly, nothing will go quite as you wish -- it is then that you must not hesitate." ~Dag Hammarskjold

Hump Mountain From A Different Direction

Appalachian Trail – 5/11/13 - Southbound Hwy 19E to Hump Mountain – 10 Miles

About two years ago I hiked on the AT with the Carolina Berg Wanderers from Carvers Gap to the summit of Hump Mountain…and turned around and hiked back.  Now looking for a moderate hike to put on the Berg calendar and invite some guests, I decided to conquer Hump Mountain from the other direction.  Ten miles round trip, all the way up and all the way down.

Joining me and five Berg members were my friend and book club buddy, Leida, who is hooked on hiking and has indoctrinated her husband, Carlos.  

The Appalachian Trail wanders back and forth across and sometimes straddles the North Carolina-Tennessee state line.  Our hike started at Highway 19E in Tennessee and headed southbound.   Hump Mountain is located in North Carolina at the northern end of the Roan Mountains, the longest stretch of grassy bald (highland meadows covered in thick grass and sparse trees) in the Appalachian range and considered one of the most scenic sections of the AT. 

Weather forecast?  Terrible, of course, 70% chance of rain and thunderstorms.  So we’re goin’. 

Spring flowers continue to thrill:  fringed white phacelia

Can’t find this one in my flower book

I’m pretty sure Carlos was taking a flower photo here

Large-flowered bellwort

Purple wakerobin

Wood-betony – one of my favorites

A steady climb on a winding, rocky trail.  Overcast but no rain yet.

Three miles into the hike we arrived at Doll Flats, where the AT crosses back into NC south- bound, for some “smoky” views down into the valley.  For northbounders this is the last location for camping on the AT in North Carolina.  Leida, Carlos and I were enjoying a leisurely walk and the rest of the group had passed us; however, now the skies were looking a little more serious so we picked up the pace bit.

Coming out of the woods for the final time to approach Hump Mountain, clouds were gathering fast, the wind was picking up, and the rest of our group was coming down from the summit.  Carlos and Leida opted to turn around then.  I went for my goal of reaching the top. 

Thar she blows – Hump Mountain - Objects in photo are farther away than they appear

The rain hit me about halfway to the top.  There was no thunder or lightning, just wind and stinging rain, and I struggled to pull my rain jacket out of my pack and get it zipped on.  Cloud cover enveloped the mountain and sight distance was very limited.  Are we having fun yet?  Out of the clouds a couple of hikers appeared, heading for lower ground.  I kept climbing, repeating a few favorite vulgarities with each step.  If only I had hiked faster earlier…but who knows whether or when bad weather will finally strike?

The Stan Murray plaque near (but not yet at) the summit of Hump Mountain.

I confess I don’t know exactly where the summit of Hump Mountain is.  I couldn’t see very far in any direction.  I know I kept walking on the trail until it began to descend and then I turned around and hustled my booty back the way I had come. 

And wouldn’t you know, I outran the clouds as they chased me back down.

Once back in the trees I caught up with Barbara, one of the Bergs, and we stopped in the now drizzling rain to catch our breath, eat a bite and laugh at the absurdity of crazy people who hike in the rain.  The remainder of the hike down to the trailhead was sloppy and slippery with no stopping.  So the weather forecast was a little bit right, but even a wet day on the trail is better than sitting at home, right?

Dry clothes and a barbecue restaurant – what a great way to end the day!

“A rainy day is the perfect time for a walk in the woods.”  ~Rachel Carson

AT Project in VA - Hello Rockfish Gap

AT-VA Backpack – Day 3 – 5/5/13 - Paul Wolfe Shelter to Rockfish Gap – 5.2 Miles

Around 40 degrees, still felt warmer in the shelter than in my tent the previous night.  As long as the mice don’t make themselves known I could get used to this.  The only thing that disrupted my sleep was a slow leak in my sleeping pad that I had to blow up twice during the night.

Mill Creek flowing in front of Paul C. Wolfe Shelter

The local AT main- tainers’ club has installed a convenient bear pole near the shelter.  It’s a tall metal pole with several small hooks, about 15 feet high.  You hang your food bags using a detached long pole that also features a short hook.  I had some trouble hanging my bag – the weight of the bag and pole together were too much for me – so Waldo did it for me, but I was able to retrieve it myself.

We had a very short hike out, five miles.  Cathy made a plan for us to shuttle Waldo and Paranoid into Waynesboro and drop them at a motel.  Since I was a little slower and still sore, I left a few minutes earlier than the rest.  My lead was erased, though, when I headed down a side trail rather than northbound on the AT.  I realized my mistake after just a few minutes of steep downhill, but that meant a few more minutes of steep…uphill back to square one. 

Spiderwort

May apple

The AT Guide to Central Virginia gave me a heads-up to look for the Lowe family cemetery on an unmarked side trail.  The Shenandoahs are much like the Great Smoky Mountains where people were bought out to make way for the Park.

Remnants of the Mayo cabin and homestead

So I arrived last at the car parked at Rockfish Gap where the others were waiting with chattering teeth – the thermometer was barely at 40 degrees.  We waved goodbye to the entrance to Shenandoah National Park (see you soon!)  Dropped the guys off in town, drove a long way home, took a full week to walk normally again.  Gee, I love backpacking.  When can we go again?

I have two doctors, my left leg and my right.  ~G.M. Trevelyan