AT Hike from Ashby Gap to Rod Hollow Shelter

 Thursday, October 14, 2021

Hi Blog!

It took a couple days to recover from Birthday Weekend. With all our chores done, it was time to hit the trail again. As many of you know, one of our most favorite places to hike is along the Appalachian Trail. From our campground in Bull Run Region Park, we are only a short 45 minute drive away. For this hike, we decided to head back to the Ashby Gap. We had already hiked south from the gap. This time, we would be hiking north. There's not much of a trailhead - just a small "trail parking" sign and some blue blazes leading down the hill to the Appalachian Trail. So, here is our "trailhead" selfie!

In order to cross Highway 50/17 at Ashby Gap, the AT comes down off the ridge which means we needed to hike up to the ridge. The trail is rocky, so hiking boots are a must. Notice the "fun guys" peaking out from under the rocks.

The white blaze is synonymous with the Appalachian Trail. WhiteBlaze.net is a web site dedicated to AT thru hikers. The book White Blaze is a complete guide to the AT. No one knows for sure how many white blazes line the AT. The National Park Service estimates that there are over 165,000.

As we hiked along, the signs of fall were all around us. We are still several weeks away from peak color, but plenty of leaves were already on the ground. We noticed this little wooly bear caterpillar catching some rays on a sunny rock. Folklore says that the longer the woolly bear's black bands, the longer, colder, snowier, and more severe the winter will be. Similarly, the wider the middle brown band is associated with a milder upcoming winter. 

We were curious about the Myron Glaser Cabin. This section of the AT is maintained by the PATC (Potomac Appalachian Trail Club).  The PACT maintains 42 cabins to provide hiking and outdoor experiences for its members. Only 17 of these cabins are open to the public. These cabins extend from Charlottesville, Virginia through Maryland, West Virginia, and reach as far north as Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. Each cabin tells a unique, vibrant story; they were constructed by forest rangers, PATC members and benefactors, the Civilian Conservation Corps, and even Prohibition-era moonshiners. 

The Myron Glaser Cabin was donated anonymously, so we are not entire sure of its backstory. In 1978, the cabin was dedicated to the memory of Myron Glaser, a long time member of PATC and travel writer for the Washington Daily News.

This area was settled in the early 1800s. From 1861 to 1864, the Ashby Gap area saw several different battles during the Civil War. We couldn't determine is this was an old farm fence or a Civil War barricade, or perhaps both. The trail travels right through the stone wall.

We don't often encounter actual stairs on the AT, but when we do, we give thanks to the hard working trail crew that installed them.

Boardwalks are also fun to find, especially through wet and marshy areas.

We thought the Rod Hollow Shelter would make a nice lunch stop. The blue blazed side trail to the shelter was well marked.

The Rod Hollow Shelter was constructed by volunteers from the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club in the summer of 1985. It is located several miles north of Paris, Virginia and is the last stop before the "rollercoaster" section of the AT in Northern Virginia. One unique feature of this shelter is the double decker sleeping platform.

We enjoyed our lunch under the covered picnic shelter. There were no other hikers around since the folks who stayed the night had packed out already, and those using the shelter this night had not yet arrived.

We've seen some unusual things along the trail, but none as strange as the Osage Orange. Maclura pomifera, commonly known as the Osage orange, horse apple, hedge, or hedge apple tree is a small deciduous tree or large shrub. The distinctive fruit is round, bumpy, 3 to 6 inches in diameter, and turns bright yellow-green in the fall. Despite the name Osage Orange, it is not related to the orange. It is a member of the mulberry family. It has also been referred to as monkey ball, monkey brains, yellow-wood and mock orange.

After lunch, we hiked back up to the AT. Dave checked the trail marker to make sure we are headed in the correct direction. The next shelter southbound is the Whiskey Hollow Shelter, which is nine miles away. Luckily for us, our Jeep was parked only four miles away.

On our way back to the trailhead, we ran into several section hikers who stayed the night at Whiskey Hollow and were making their way to Rod Hollow Shelter. They were very excited to know that the shelter was large, clean and had a well maintained privy, complete with toilet paper! 

When thru-hiking, it's the little things that matter.