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Last Updated: 07/10/09  

                                               

 Welcome to a web site full of information on hiking in the Mid-Atlantic Region (PA, MD, VA and WV) ... topo maps, 3-D maps, elevation profiles, GPS data, directions, trail notes, photos.... everything you need to prepare for an excursion into the wilderness. Information for 192 hikes and over 2430 trail miles are now available. Venues such as, but not limited to, Shenandoah National Park/VA,  George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, VA and WV, the Monongahela National Forest in WV, state forests throughout PA, Green Ridge State Forest in MD and regional, state, county and federal parks throughout the Mid-Atlantic region are represented.

 

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"Yet in the walks I take through nature in quest of truth and demonstration, I recognize a poetry in earth and sea and sky, ruled in their cycles of harmonious actions, deeper and more sublime than ever muse un- taught in science could inspire." William B. Rogers: First State Geologist of VA, First president of M.I.T. and namesake of Mt. Rogers, Va.

Bulletin Board

 

Happy Birthday Mid-State Trail, PA:

Members of the groups that support and maintain this linear backpacking trail are having a 40th Anniversary party for the MST, open to the public, at the Elk Creek Café + Aleworks in Millheim, Pennsylvania. The party is July 12th, from 2:00 to 4:00PM. The Elk Creek Café will also be tapping the new “Mid State Trail Ale”, a Northern English Brown Ale.

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Latest Published Hikes

 

Strickler Knob-Duncan Knob

Mount Rogers Backpack, VA

Grayson Highlands-2, VA

Grayson Highlands State Park Circuit, VA

Greenbelt Park, VA

 

 

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M. R. Hyker's Latest Adventure(s)

06-27 through 29-09 – Mount Rogers Backpack: In our last episode MRHyker (mild mannered chemist during the work week but your average Joe hiker on the weekends) and his trusty sidekicks had been forced by extremely bad weather conditions to retreat from this venue without completing their goals only to suffer more humiliation by discovering that their faithful steed, Big Red, had been broken into and nearly $2,000.00 in valuables impolitely removed by a group of thugs. At that moment MRHyker vowed that he would not let either foul weather or a bunch of punks keep him off of that mountain. He would be back!
 
 On this weekend he was joined by Sparky (an electrician) and Single Malt (connoisseur of fine Scotch). This time we left Big Red in the protective custody of the fine folks who manage the Grindstone Campground and took a short spur trail to the Mount Rogers Trail. This section of trail is as I remembered it: very long and gradual switchbacks at the beginning, a flat section in the middle, finishing up with a steeper grade on the AT aided by some rock steps before getting our first glimpse of the Highlands. There would be no threatening clouds or gale force winds the entire trip save for a thirty minute shower on Sunday night. Except for some haze in the valleys the views would be outstanding.

As we did before, we bypassed the Mount Rogers Summit Trail and headed straight for our planned campsite nestled in some evergreens. The spot was taken but we found an even nicer site with a view just beyond the Thomas Knob Shelter. I usually don’t like to camp in the open like this, especially at high elevations, but according to the weatherman there was little to no chance of a serious storm for the entire three day period. After setting up camp Single Malt and I grabbed some water and my GPS and set off to finally summit Mount Rogers. As usual we passed many wild ponies and would do so throughout the rest of the trip. The climb was quite gradual, first across an open meadow and then through a dense forest of Frazier Fir. We found what we thought was the summit complete with a USGS marker. Single Malt did a Yoga “Box” on top of it. Just at that moment a trio of hikers joined us, much to Single’s chagrin. Two had completed the summit before and told us that there was a second marker but they weren’t sure which was the highest point on the mountain. They wouldn’t tell us where it was because they wanted their friend to find it. Single Malt found it almost right away, another smaller and much less impressive boulder but it also had a USGS marker on it. Which was the correct one? Then the light bulb went on in my head! I switched my good ol’ Garmin to the altimeter screen (I knew this option would come in handy one day.) and stood on top of each rock. The smaller of the two rocks was five feet higher than what most people think is the true summit. (If you hiked up here before and stopped at the first marker thinking you have bagged Mount Rogers but never stood upon the second one you now have an excuse to go back and do it again.) BTW, the summit is at an elevation of 5,729 feet. That’s 449 feet higher than Denver, Colorado, the Mile High City. Once we were sure which was the true summit the two groups took turns photographing the moment for all prosperity.
 
 Having completed our first mission we returned to camp. I stopped first to fill up with water at the spring. We ate our dinners, hung our food and, with the wind dropping the wind chill considerably, called it an early night. Building a fire would have been hazardous under these conditions, especially with no water source close at hand. The wind buffeted our tents pretty good that night to the point of pulling up some of my tent’s stays, but fortunately when we awoke the next morning, we found ourselves "still in Kansas". As we broke down camp our tents became giant kites and more than once we had to chase them across the highland meadows until we had them safely in our packs. I found myself wishing for some twine. My Big Agnes Seedhouse-1 was the perfect box kite!
 
 Our intentions were to linger about camp for a while but the cool breeze compelled us to move out by 8:30. As planned, we followed the AT to the junction of the multiuse Crest Trail (code word for horse trail) and descended upon it to the Scales (A place where cattle were herded in the past for shipment). Initially I was not sure if choosing this trail was a good decision. It started off being a wide road covered with large loose rocks and lined with wood post fences. This soon gave way, however, to a much better trail that passed through several Catawba Rhododendron tunnels. We were here two weeks ago when they were in their prime but now all but a handful of blossoms were gone. It seemed like every few steps we took the scenery changed around us. About halfway along this segment we found a pretty secluded campsite close to what we think is a reliable spring. A few steps out from under the trees and you are in a meadow with a panoramic view to the west in front of you. We continued on to the Scales where we took a short break before re-entering the woods and climbing back up on the AT to its junction with the Pine Mountain Trail. Once up on top we took a lunch break and discussed our options. If we stayed on the AT we would arrive at the Old Orchard Shelter before 1:00 o’clock. Not quite done walking yet, we decided to stay with my original plans and used the Pine Mountain Trail (part of the original AT before a re-route took it through Grayson Highlands), the Lewis Fork Trail (another multi-use trail) and the short and rocky but very steep Cliff-side Trail to extend the day’s hike another two miles or so. By the time we were back on the Lewis Fork Trail all three of us needed a break to calm our wobblely knees. We lost seven hundred feet of elevation in less than 0.6 miles. That’s coming down fast!
 
 The rest of the trek was a nearly flat and wide horse trail. As with the Crest trail the initial part had some large loose rocks but this condition eventually gave way to a more comfortable walk in the woods. Even with this extension we arrived at the shelter about ten minutes before two. We grabbed a campsite below the shelter and left the shelter itself to another group that came in after us. During the day’s hike I mentioned that if we got to camp early I was going to take one of my patented power naps …. and I did just that. About two and a half hours later I was awakened by the sound of several young voices. I crawled out of my tent to find that we had been invaded by a horde of Boy Scouts and their adult caretakers. They were searching for a place to camp for the night. While the area across the trail from us was flat the ground was very rocky. I approached the leader and told him about some great grassy sites under the trees that we had passed on the way in and told him where to find them. He found them to his liking and had his minions set up down there. He returned later to thank us.
 
 After we ate Single Malt started a fire. The previous visitors had left us more than enough wood for some “ambience”. We chatted for a while as we listened to the distant thunder get closer to us. By 7:00 rain caused us to retreat to our tents. The shower only lasted for thirty minutes but by that time we were all comfortable in our reclining modes so we stayed that way. I opened the top of my vestibule door and let the cool air cascade over me. I lay there, totally relaxed, with the murmurs of the shelter group and the giddy laughter of the scouts, along with an occasional rattle of pots and pans, acting as a soothing white background noise. I think I feel asleep around 9:00.
 
 We were all up by 7:00 on Monday morning. I had decided Friday night as I was packing for the trip that I was only going to eat a power bar and drink some water for breakfast this morning as I saved my appetite for the “Hungry Man Special” at Jerry’s Kitchen and Goods. Today’s hike was only going to be around four miles of mostly flat or downhill walking. As we neared the “Lowlands”, as we called them, we found ourselves walking through thickets of beautiful Rhododendron maximum that were just starting to bloom. We then crossed Route 603 (the road we came in on) and immediately turned left onto the Fairwood Valley Trail (Yes, another multiuse trail). When I put this circuit together I included this trail primarily to prevent any need for walking on the road and thought it would be quite boring and full of horse dung (It ends at a horse campground.) While there was some of the latter scattered along the trail the “boring” part was way off target. The trail weaved in and out of dense forest with Rhodo thickets on either side and large meadows full of wild flowers with blue skies and the mountains where we had spent the past three days as a backdrop. It was a great way to end the hike. At the end of this trail I insisted we take a brief break at “the scene of the crime” before completing the last half mile of our trek. I took a short walk back down the trail and mumbled an affirmation of my vow: "See, I told you &%*#@ thugs you couldn’t keep me off of this mountain … and furthermore, I’m coming back with more like me!!!” When we reached the spur trail back to Grindstone I invited my friends to walk ahead of me. I dropped back a few yards, and, as I always do, thanked Him for one of the best hiking trips I’ve ever been on.
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07/03/09 -Strickler Knob-Duncan Knob I was joined on this relatively cool, pleasant summer day by the Mad hatter, the Traveling Knob, Shele, Terri, Sixteen Penny, Clark Kent, Indiana Moser and Cognac Jack. The plan was to assault Strickler Knob first. The latter used to be a bushwhack. Now it’s a blazed bushwhack. I’ve always wanted to do it so after I had heard several positive things about it I added it to the schedule. It really wasn’t too bad, only a few places where you had to leap or use hand over hand technique to negotiate some short climbs. Although a bit hazy the views did not disappoint. You could see the Shenandoah Valley, river and National park to the east, Massanutten South … to the south and the ridges of Waterfall Mt, Kearns Mountain and even further away, the Great North Mt to the west. We returned to the Massanutten Trail and proceeded to descend through the damage caused by the Cardinal Forest Fire in May, 2006. Nearly 2000 acres of forest were destroyed. The ascent back up to the Peach Orchard was steep. We gained 1000 feet in about 0.76 miles. Still we all made it up without issue. By this time the haze had blown out and left wonderful views in almost every direction at the top of Duncan Knob. The climb up and down looks scarier than it really is and is well worth the extra effort. From there it was a simple matter of following the Scothorn Gap Trail for 3 miles back to the cars. It was a great way to spend a day off.
 

Read More Adventures Here!

 

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Latest Outing Critiques

Name: José Calvo                                                                                      Hike: Old Rag
Date: 7/6/09                                                                                                               Rating: 4

Old rag is an old favorite and I recently re-did the hike - it did not disappoint. I would highly recommend getting there early OR LATE to avoid the crunch in the upper parking lot. That might be the one downside - the hike is so popular that you're unlikely to have your own space or silence for long. The plus is lots of friendly faces or commiseration if you're into that sort of thing.

Old rag remains unique for combining a difficult hike with some very unusual rock formations that require scrabbling and even upper body strength to lob your limbs up cracks and across a sheer cliff-like face here and there. I would not do this hike alone unless you are able to lift your body weight on your hands & arms (think push ups or better yet "dips)." The rocks make this a really fun hike.

In the summer most of this hike is in the shade, but of course the top 1/4 mile or so will expose you to a lot of sun.

Great views along the way so if you need an excuse to stop and pant, you'll get them.

Biggest downside might be how long that fire road seems at the end. It's easy to do, but by the time you get to it realizing you have over 2 miles to go, and go, and go is just painfully dull.

J

PS thank you for the fantastic web site - I've been neglecting hiking for many months, but your site (still bookmarked in my browser) makes it really easy to scope out the old haunts.

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Name: José Calvo                                                                                       Hike: Old Rag
Date: 7/6/09                                                                                                               Rating: 5

Critique: Hey! Hey!! HEY!!! This isn't really a critique so much as an alert - your driving directions are wrong! The google maps link works fine, but if you follow the route it sends you on you cannot get to old rag at all. In fact, it's been wrong so long that some VERY NICE PERSON put up their own homemade wooden sign at the turn that says "Google maps is wrong!" and gives directions that will get you to old rag.

So - yes loved the hike as everyone does, done it many times, but please update your site to give directions NOT GOOGLE MAPS :)

Thank you!

MRHyker Note: More detailed directions are in the Trail Notes. A suggestion to use them are now noted after the Google Map Directions.

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Name: Josh                                                                                                  Hike: Little Devil's Staircase
Date: 7/5/09                                                                                                               Rating: 5

Critique: This is my absolute favorite hike in Shenandoah National Park. Though you don't get the views that Old Rag or Hawksbill Summit offer, you get an enjoyable hike, a bit strenuous at times, with an active stream. The pools of water are populated by several species of salamanders, frogs and snakes, so enjoy looking under rocks. You will likely pass other hikers on the trail, but it will be quiet for the majority of your time. Wear sturdy shoes, as the rocks on the 'Devil's Staircase' are often slippery/slimy from the stream and can result in tumbles. My six and eight year-old completed the hike today (5.4 miles), so take your kids!

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Name: C Griffin                                                                                                             Hike: Dolly Sods Wilderness
Date: 06/27/09                                                                                                           Rating: 4.5

Critique: I extended the trail somewhat since we were going to have 4 days there. We did Red creek - Little StoneCoal - Dunkenbarger - Big StoneCoal - Blackbird Knob - Red Creek - Rocky Point - Big StoneCoal - Red Creek. Hands down the most diverse and beautiful scenery I have ever seen. The stream crossing on Dunkenbarger looked more like a Botanical Garden than wilderness! We camped there our first night. We found a nice campsite in a pine forest north of the creek crossing on BlackBird Knob. We put in a long day on day 3 to see Lion's Head which did not disappoint. We spent the night on a nice open area along the junction of Big Stonecoal and red creek our last night.

Tips - Make sure you wear comfortable shoes/boots. The rocky trails are no joke and can make the hike unpleasant if you are not careful. There were signs of bears, make sure you are prepared to hang your food, etc. Try to avoid filtering water on the stream/creek at Blackbird Knob - the iron content is so high that it pretty much ruined a brand new filter. I wouldn't bring kids on this adventure, I have a 7 year old that I normally take with me. Glad I didn't on this one, some of the trails are a little to physically demanding I think.

The only reason I will not give it a 5 out of 5 at this point is because I am sure there is a true 5 out there that I have not been able to visit yet.

Thank you Mr. Hyker for all of the good info. It made navigation very easy. I would recommend this trip to anyone and everyone looking for a nice mixture of solitude and scenery!

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Name: Steven Powers                                                                                                Hike: Cat Rock Circuit
Date: 6/27/2009                                                                                                         Rating: 4

Critique: Definitely a great hike... Not Old Rag great... but still great.

The only critique I have about this is that the first leg of the hike (Fisherman's Path) is a little vague, hard to find, and not an official maintained trail.

Better directions would be to simply follow the stream or the road to the cat rock trail head.

The fisherman's path itself is overgrown in most areas and impossible to follow.

Another problem I had in following these directions was that the gravel path that was supposedly near the falls is no longer there. Its all boardwalk now a days. If you do follow the only existing gravel path you will end up at the lake... which is not where your supposed to go.

Do watch out for snakes... I saw 3 (1 rattler) within the first 2 miles.

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Name: Jimmy Bair                                                                                                      Hike: Dolly Sods circumnavigation Mod 1 (sort of)
Date: June 5-7, 2009                                                                                                  Rating: 4

Critique: My 12yo son and I set out to complete this walk the first weekend after school let out for the summer. Little did I know that the days leading up to our hike would bring heavy rain to the sods. On Friday morning we drove up the fire road in driving rain and fog. We delayed our hike until the afternoon which was only slightly better with steady mist and visibility of about 20 yards.

As we moved off the fire road we found the trail nearly impassable about 200 yards in. after an hour detour around several run-offs, we came upon the trail and followed it up the ridge. The trail condition improved and we rambled on to the intersection of Bear Rocks Trail and Dobbin Glade Trial.

We took a break since the rain and mist kind of stopped. We could hear Red Creek off in the distace, but visibility hadn't improved so we didn't know what lay ahead.

We found Red Creek to be rushing over its banks. The stepping stones marking the trail lay 3 or 4 feet below the rushing water. After checking up and down stream with no luck finding a better ford, we decided to head down Dobbin Grade trail to see what we would find.

Dobbin Grade trail was impassable about a quarter mile from Bear Rocks Trail.

We decided to head back to Bear Rocks Trail, turn right head up to the ridge and find a camp. We settled in and sacked out in the fog.

The next morning we awoke to brilliant clear skies and perfect temperatures. We headed down the trail to find Red creek passable and set off for Rocky Ridge. the scenery and weather were beautiful. After lunching at the rocks on the ridge we decided to stay on the ridge for the evening. We made camp at a very cool campsite below a giant boulder about five minute walk before the trail takes you over the boulder hop. We spent the rest of the day exploring the ridge. We hiked down to the intersection with the Dobbin Grade Trail, then back to the ridge for dinner.

Sunday morning dawned just as beautifully as Saturday. We took our time backtracking over the last two days' hike and returned to our car by 1pm.

This is a beautiful hike, and even though the weather thwarted our attempt at circumnavigation, we had a wonderful time. We will surely be back.

I found the trail conditions to be just what we expected. One observation (criticism?) I have is the seemingly lack of forethought to trail signage. I have no problem with the lack of signs, (We wanted to go to the NF to practice our navigation) but I don't understand why areas like the glades going up Raven Ridge Trail where you can easily identify the trail from a half mile away are heavily signed, but when going through Spruce groves where you can't easily identify the correct trails aren't signed at all.

Thanks to Mr. Hyker for the advice and a great website!

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Name: Strawman                                                                                                        Hike: Hogback Mountain/Knob Mountain Loop
Date: 6/27/09                                                                                                             Rating: 4

Critique: Did the 10.3 mile loop version of this hike on a beautiful June day. The hike was quite nice, with some great overlook views. Also plenty of wildlife to watch, including a rattlesnake sunning itself on the Keyser Fire Road, and a black bear with her two cubs between Elkwallow and Matthews Arm. The only downside of the trail was its frequent proximity to Skyline Drive, and the associated noise. Overall a very nice hike that I would do again.

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