Little Bits in N. District

Not having a lot of time to burn 2/28, I pieced together a few odds and ends of trails in the N. District.  First I parked at Gravel Springs Gap and hiked on the AT as far as the link to the Keyser Run Fire Road.  It was a cold grey day with the temperature seeming to hover around freezing (the ground wasn't frozen).  A light dusting of snow covered the forest floor and made for some lovely scenes.

There was little noteworthy on the trail and I returned to the car fairly quickly.

I next drove up to the parking lot just beyond Hogback Overlook.  Walking north on the A.T. I passed over what I now know to be Sugarloaf (previously thought to be Hogback).  It was very cold and chill up there.

Once I got to the top of the rise, the trail turned to solid ice.  I made my way gingerly down to the junction with the Sugarloaf Trail then returned to the parking lot.  Because of the ice, I decided to throw my crampons in my pack for the next phase.



Walking south on the AT, I took the Overall Run/Tuscarora Trail.  That went down a LONG way.

I passed a very interesting footpring in the snow.  I think it might have been a cat.



I passed the Traces trail and stayed on the OR/T trail until hitting the Mathews Arm Trail at 2.3 miles.  As I descended the snow disappeared but the weather worsened.  It started snowing and frozen raining.  I picked up my pace thinking I didn't want to get caught in a snowstorm.  The Mathews Arm Trail ascended steadily and I passed by a few trails I had already hiked.  Finally I got to the Mathews Arm Campground and started a long pavement walk through the campground and up the road to Skyline Drive (I'd guess 1.5 miles).  At Skyline Drive I crossed over and took the Piney Branch Trail down to the A.T.  Then the AT lead me north to my parking area.

By the time I finished it was snowing steadily but lightly so I decided to pack it in for the day.  I had to get back early anyway.  En route north on Skyline Drive, I stopped at the pullout for the Hogback Spur trail (which I had a very hard time finding).  I sprinted up the 0.3 mile trail to the AT and returned to the car and drove home.  That completed 3 trails and 2 AT segments for me.