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rootofnewt) wrote2006-06-18 11:10 pm
rootofnewt) wrote2006-06-18 11:10 pm
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Hiking to the Glass Hollow Overlook: Old Howardsville Turnpike/AT/Dobie Mountain Trail
After taking out the recycling, boy and I sacked out on the couch, enjoying the air conditioned respite from the 95F temps outside.
And then came the topic of hiking.
"It's hot."
"It's 5-10 degrees cooler in the mountains."
"It's still hot."
"There's a breeze."
"It's really hot."
And so forth. Finally, we decided that the air conditioned car ride to our mountain destination would be just as enjoyable as sitting at home. So then came the decision of where to hike:
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explodingcat wanted to sit on a rock and write.
I wanted to hike.
He wanted to hike, but not too far or too hard . . . and mostly for the dog's sake.
So I hauled out one of the AT sectional maps. I suggested the Glass Hollow Overlook, he agreed, and we were off. On a crisp winter day, you can see the mountains clearly from Charlottesville. Today, they were hazy from Crozet: pale outlines silhouetted against a white sky.
We parked at Humpback Gap on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Instead of taking the death march to the Rocks (right hand path), we chose the blue-blazed trace of the Old Howardsville Turnpike. The Turnpike was a road which led over the Blue Ridge from the Shenandoah Valley (farmfields) to the James River Canal System, at Howardsville. I enjoy walking traces--there are often old walls, old ruts, and the sunken hollow of a very old path so many folks before me have traveled.
Sure enough, the woods were comfortably shady, breezy, and green. I did see evidence of drought--the spiderwort isn't faring well at all. When native flora is suffering, you know the water situation is dire.
After about 2/10 of a mile, we hit the AT. The AT South followed the road trace, but we were heading north, toward our destination. It was a pretty easy hike below the ridge of Dobie Mountain. Lots of black cohosh, snakeroot, stonecrop, and hairy goatstongue. I saw some whorled loosestrife, but neglected to get our picture.
We found our spur trail to the overlook after 8/10 of a mile and hiked down down down. Along the way, we passed some Indian Pipe, which will surely make it up on flickr in the near future. Jericho ran ahead, eager to explore.
The overlook was perfect for a hot day: Jutting out into the wind, but still shaded by trees. The rocks were reasonably flat, comfy for sitting. The ant, sweat bee, and black fly population was a bit high for my liking, but the worst of all? TINY little gnats that BIT. I had a lightweight long-sleeve shirt, though, so I was able to save my skin.
Boy wrote and I read. We watch a turkey vulture spiraling through the updrafts. We admired the trees of Glass Hollow and surrounding mountains. The Rockfish River Valley, beyond the opposite ridge, was a hazy patchwork of farms and forests.
Eventually, we decided to head back. We returned to the AT and again headed north 2/10 of a mile, to the intersection with the Dobie Mountain Trail. Turning south on that trail, we hiked for a mile back to the parking area. It was a gorgeous day for a hike in the shady coolness. I think this hike will remain a favorite, especially in winter, when the entire AT stretch should provide views of hollows and valleys.
And then came the topic of hiking.
"It's hot."
"It's 5-10 degrees cooler in the mountains."
"It's still hot."
"There's a breeze."
"It's really hot."
And so forth. Finally, we decided that the air conditioned car ride to our mountain destination would be just as enjoyable as sitting at home. So then came the decision of where to hike:
explodingcat wanted to sit on a rock and write.I wanted to hike.
He wanted to hike, but not too far or too hard . . . and mostly for the dog's sake.
So I hauled out one of the AT sectional maps. I suggested the Glass Hollow Overlook, he agreed, and we were off. On a crisp winter day, you can see the mountains clearly from Charlottesville. Today, they were hazy from Crozet: pale outlines silhouetted against a white sky.
We parked at Humpback Gap on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Instead of taking the death march to the Rocks (right hand path), we chose the blue-blazed trace of the Old Howardsville Turnpike. The Turnpike was a road which led over the Blue Ridge from the Shenandoah Valley (farmfields) to the James River Canal System, at Howardsville. I enjoy walking traces--there are often old walls, old ruts, and the sunken hollow of a very old path so many folks before me have traveled.
Sure enough, the woods were comfortably shady, breezy, and green. I did see evidence of drought--the spiderwort isn't faring well at all. When native flora is suffering, you know the water situation is dire.
After about 2/10 of a mile, we hit the AT. The AT South followed the road trace, but we were heading north, toward our destination. It was a pretty easy hike below the ridge of Dobie Mountain. Lots of black cohosh, snakeroot, stonecrop, and hairy goatstongue. I saw some whorled loosestrife, but neglected to get our picture.
We found our spur trail to the overlook after 8/10 of a mile and hiked down down down. Along the way, we passed some Indian Pipe, which will surely make it up on flickr in the near future. Jericho ran ahead, eager to explore.
The overlook was perfect for a hot day: Jutting out into the wind, but still shaded by trees. The rocks were reasonably flat, comfy for sitting. The ant, sweat bee, and black fly population was a bit high for my liking, but the worst of all? TINY little gnats that BIT. I had a lightweight long-sleeve shirt, though, so I was able to save my skin.
Boy wrote and I read. We watch a turkey vulture spiraling through the updrafts. We admired the trees of Glass Hollow and surrounding mountains. The Rockfish River Valley, beyond the opposite ridge, was a hazy patchwork of farms and forests.
Eventually, we decided to head back. We returned to the AT and again headed north 2/10 of a mile, to the intersection with the Dobie Mountain Trail. Turning south on that trail, we hiked for a mile back to the parking area. It was a gorgeous day for a hike in the shady coolness. I think this hike will remain a favorite, especially in winter, when the entire AT stretch should provide views of hollows and valleys.
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http://va.water.usgs.gov/drought/index.htm
Is your dad into weather? Hydrology? Potatoes?
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hugs
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The Howardsville Turnpike trail - is that one that breaks off into the Anderson (Anderton?) loop trail? (it's 3 miles, also from the left of the Humpback lot...). I've been looking for a good hike to start off my season, and I was looking for one with a view..
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They keep renaming trails. From the left (north) of the Humpback lot, you have the Dobie Mountain Trail. The Albright Loop (seems to be new) runs with the AT and the Dobie Mountain Trail and branches off from both.
The Howardsville Turnpike Trace is the trail that goes straight from the parking lot, straight through the weeds, with a sharp right turn, then a hard left turn. It follows the obvious Turnpike trace. After .2 miles, it meets up with the AT and the southbound AT follows the Trace for a bit. (Without measuring, it looks like roughly half a mile).
Do you have any of the PATC maps? Map 12 for the AT covers the Pedlar district of the GW National Forest and shows the Trace and the other trails.
The view from this hike is more modest than outstanding, but I liked it quite a lot. It's very pretty. It would probably be amazing in less humid weather.
My favorite hike is Bearfence Mountain in SNP. Great 360 views. Fun rock scramble. Death defying trailblazes. Another view is from Hawksbill in SNP. We usually hike from the upper lot, but there's a nice hike to be had by parking in the lower lot, taking the AT south, then taking the spur trails to the top before coming down the fast way back to the parking lot. Hawksbill has more dramatic views. It's also often rainy/cloudy, even when it LOOKS perfectly sky blue. Crazy mountain.
I'm told Spy Rock (down by Montebello) is awesome, maybe we'll do that this weekend.
Of course, it's now too hazy to provide any outstanding views. Those are best had in winter.
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Albright, not anderson...I knew it started with an A. That's the last one I did. It wasn't bad. Mostly level, with some rocky parts.
Now I think I know which one you're talking about with the Trace. Last year I did a little bit of that, except instead of going Straight, Right, Left, I went Straight, Right, Right and went south on the AT for a bit, then turned around and came back. (had to get a hiking fix with limited time. :))
I'll have to pick up that map soon. My days off are wonky and I never have a LOT of time to go anywhere, so I have to stick close to home most days - Humpback's usually a good place for me to start...
Thanks for answering my questions! I promise I'm not a creepy LJ stalker. :)
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You might like White Rock Falls, from the Slacks Overlook on the Parkway, but I don't recommend hiking it until the drought breaks. The Catoctin Overlook, from the picnic area between milemarkers 8 & 9 on the BR Parkway (drive way back, back, back. Take the trail to the right of the small parking area).
You can park at Dripping Rock, cross the parkway, and hike south on the AT for a little ways. There's an overlook on some cliffs down trail a bit. the AT goes along the cliffs, so you can't miss it.