Monday, April 14, 2008

Dahlgren Chapel to Bear Spring Cabin

On Friday, I parked at the Dahlgren Chapel parking lot and headed south towards Bear Spring Cabin. This would be a 12-mile hike total. At this point crossing Old National Pike at Dahlgren Chapel will represent the 24-mile mark of the Maryland Challenge. The most important feature of this stretch is the climb up Lambs Knoll.

Lambs Knoll represents the last significant climb of the Maryland Challenge, with an elevation gain of 700 feet in just less than 2 miles. For me this climb was not too difficult, the trail is well marked and there are few if any obstacles. However, I imagine this to be a different story when we arrive here in June having completed 24 miles of hiking. The top of Lambs Knoll has three communication towers, which were obscured by morning fog. Additionally, there are some rock outcroppings, which on a clear day would provide a nice view of the valley below.


At the bottom of the White Rocks

Today, I decided to take the White Rock Trail to Bear Spring Cabin. The trail is relatively steep as it descends Lambs Knoll toward Mountain Church Road. Bear Spring Cabin sets at 900 feet of elevation and the trail is just over 1 mile in length. Unlike the Appalachian Trail, the White Rock Trail is less traveled and there was a large amount of leaves and debris scattered across the trail. If it were not for the blue blazes I probably could not recognize the trail itself. It took about 20 minutes to make my way to the cabin, a rustic looking building with a small campground. The area looked like it had not been used in awhile. I took pictures and made my way up the trail, this time it took some time to make it back to the top and catch the Appalachian Trail.


Bear Spring Cabin

This area is also significant for the battle of South Mountain, a Civil War battle fought in September of 1862. There is a monument to fallen Union General Jesse Reno along the trail. This area of South Mountain was a major thoroughfare during the 1860s and it was seen as a strategic advantage to have control of the mountain passes.


Reno Monument

The hike was another success, and I am feeling prepared for the 40 miler in June. I will try and up the mileage this month to get ready for the all day hike.

1 comment:

Gittlemr said...

I know that no one has posted to this site in a while, so speaking of bears I finally did the research to see what to do in case of bear attack. This is from the Applachine Trail Conservancy website:

Bears. Black bears live along many parts of the Trail and are particularly common in Georgia, the Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountains national parks, and parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. While attacks on humans are rare, a startled bear or a female with cubs may react aggressively. The best way to avoid an encounter while
you are hiking is to make noise by whistling, talking, etc., to give the bear a chance to move away before you get close enough to make it feel threatened. If you encounter a bear and it does not move away, you should back off, speaking calmly and firmly, and avoid making eye contact. Do not run or "play dead" even if a bear makes a "bluff charge."

If you are actually attacked by a bear, you should fight for all you are worth with anything at hand – rocks, sticks, fists.

I think that the last paragraph is the most important. Hoepfully that won't be necessary. If we are attacked I believe the plan is to trip Darren and run.