View Full Version : another lost view
i was hiking in the shenandoah over the weekend and i discovered that they've relocated the trail north of pass mtn. it used to go over a mountain past an FAA tower. there was a nice view. hang-gliders jumped off a cliff up there. now, the trail goes low and stays right next to skyline drive. that's just great. anyone know why this was done? skyline, are you out there?
some of these relocations on the trail just kill me. i remember the trail in the smokies north of russell field used to go over this place called little bald. but because the trail got eroded and kind of steep and the horses were having trouble walking on it, they relocated it away from little bald, which was one of my favorite spots in the park. i've never been too happy about the relocation off hump mountain in virginia, either. they did that, i was told, to lessen the "impact." so thru-hikers now are denied that nice view and instead get to walk a couple extra miles in the green tunnel. fabulous.
trail clubs should find a way to alert the trail community to pending relocations so people could make their views known BEFORE the relocation happens. in the case of the smokies, the horse people just rammed this relocation through and i doubt if many hikers even knew it was happening.
Amigi'sLastStand
08-21-2006, 08:19
Why do u think they care about our view? The oligarchy strikes again.:(
Lone Wolf
08-21-2006, 08:20
We blue-blazers don't worry about relos.
another good question is why doesn't the ATC site mention this relocation?
http://www.appalachiantrail.org/site/c.jkLXJ8MQKtH/b.878207/k.37BF/Relocations.htm
StarLyte
08-21-2006, 09:38
We blue-blazers don't worry about relos.
HA HA
darn right
wonder what that Blaine guy would think.......
We blue-blazers don't worry about relos.
well in this case, there's no blue blaze up that mountain either. they did their best to pile as much brush and logs as possible in what used to be the trail
Lone Wolf
08-21-2006, 12:52
Really? That's stupid. It should be a side trail.
what the fork difference does it make - just walk up the road that is maybe 8 feet from the (prior?) AT
We bushwhackers don't worry about such things!
what the fork difference does it make - just walk up the road that is maybe 8 feet from the (prior?) AT
you can do that but only if you know you can. not many hikers know that road goes up there, i'd bet. the question is, why shouldn't the trail go up there? that's where the view is.
Gray Blazer
08-21-2006, 14:41
I hope it's not because of the FAA tower. There's a similar one on Snowbird north of the Smokies on the AT.....one of my favorite places to hang out and watch the sun set over the Great Smokies. You can even drive up there. I'm with you, Mingo. They don't need to take away any of the AT views. JJ AKA Viewmaster
Ha ha! It worked...Twenty minutes with a can of white spraypaint on April Fools day and folks are still getting re-routed...
i was hiking in the shenandoah over the weekend and i discovered that they've relocated the trail north of pass mtn. it used to go over a mountain past an FAA tower. there was a nice view. hang-gliders jumped off a cliff up there. now, the trail goes low and stays right next to skyline drive. that's just great. anyone know why this was done? skyline, are you out there?
some of these relocations on the trail just kill me. i remember the trail in the smokies north of russell field used to go over this place called little bald. but because the trail got eroded and kind of steep and the horses were having trouble walking on it, they relocated it away from little bald, which was one of my favorite spots in the park. i've never been too happy about the relocation off hump mountain in virginia, either. they did that, i was told, to lessen the "impact." so thru-hikers now are denied that nice view and instead get to walk a couple extra miles in the green tunnel. fabulous.
trail clubs should find a way to alert the trail community to pending relocations so people could make their views known BEFORE the relocation happens. in the case of the smokies, the horse people just rammed this relocation through and i doubt if many hikers even knew it was happening.
The relo was not on Pass Mt. It was on Hogback Mt. It was done, as I understand, to take hikers away from what many consider to be ugly FAA and telephone company microwaves clustered at the summit. It could have also been done for security reasons, tho that would only be a guess on my part. I camped very closeby in May, before the relo was officially completed (tho it was 95% done and I hiked it) and before the former AT was closed, so I have not seen the final "product." I believe it opened to coincide with NOBO Prime Time '06.
The relo starts not far from Skyline Drive and makes a fairly straight shot to connect with the pre-existing AT, bypassing the summit. It does not "stay right next to Skyline Drive." It moves AWAY from the Drive. By the time a (northbound AT) hiker reconnects with the "old" AT he or she is about a quarter mile away from the Drive. This is not a long relo--certainly no more than 0.3 or 0.4 mi. The fact it's such a minor relo, and certainly not one to cause a hiker any confusion, may be a reason why it's not mentioned on ATC's website. The new tread, better and less steep, makes this section a bit easier BTW.
The best views were not in the area of the towers. They were just north of there. The new relo puts you back on the "old" AT in the general area of that hang glider launch point with great views, on the western side of the Blue Ridge. It might make sense to at some point install a small sign directing hikers via a blue-blaze to the launch point, which is literally just a few yards from where the relo and the "old" AT meet up. Just north of this junction (by a few more yards) is what I consider the best view--and a good place to stop for a break out on some rock outcroppings. The relo does not take this view or the outcroppings away from hikers.
The relo took many, many volunteer hours and IMHO is representative of PATC's great trail standards. I can't speak with knowledge about the Smokies' situation, but I'm certain the SNP relo went through an exhaustive review process by Park officials before it was approved. As the local trail club, PATC would have been involved in this process. Nothing gets done in the way of change in SNP without a lot of red tape, much to the aggravation of those of us who advocate change. :-)
RockyTrail
08-22-2006, 10:46
A footnote:
The FAA has plans to de-commission the VHF OmniRange (VOR) stations like the one on Snowbird by about 2009 or 2010. The date keeps slipping out, but eventually it will happen. Whether that means they will be dissassembled and removed is only a guess... For reference, here's a picture of a VOR station at Barrett's Mtn NC http://www.fly.faa.gov/Products/Information/FILO/VOR.gif
These stations transmit navigational signals to civilian and military aircraft. When you fly cross-country there is a very good chance your pilot is tracking from VOR to VOR along the airways as you fly. But the world is rapidly switching over to satellite-based GPS navigation, and as such the need for ground-based VORs is declining, soon they may be a thing of the past...
Pacific Tortuga
08-22-2006, 12:39
We bushwhackers don't worry about such things!
Nor does the other bushwacker elected in 2004 ......... we're screwed ! ......
be it some what self inflicted. Hey, green blazing......follow the money trail. :banana
Hikerhead
08-22-2006, 12:53
Is this where the tractor seats are located?
no - the tractor seats are in the South District up from McCormick Gap iirc
this is in the North District
Hikerhead
08-22-2006, 22:30
Thank goodness. I really like those tractor seats although a few need to be replaced. I wonder how long they've been there? I remember 20 years ago when I first came upon them. At that time they were keeping the field mowed and the whole side of the mtn was open.And I don't remember the towers back then. Last year I noticed the mowing has been stopped for awhile and the brush and trees are taking it back. The veiw is going away.
saimyoji
08-22-2006, 23:09
Well, the view is not really lost, you just need someone/something to tell you that its there. Like a MAP??:rolleyes: