Mt. Marshall in the 60s

This incredibly warm winter continues to provide wonderful hiking.  On Feb. 22 I hiked up the Mt. Marshall trail.  As I recall, it used to be called the Mt. Marshall Fire Road.  It was gorgeous with steady uphill, walking across several lovely streams, with peekaboo views to the northeast.  Toward the top of the trail, crusty snow began to show up but the ground was never fully covered. The trail ends at Skyline Drive close to Jenkins Gap. 

Mt. Marshall Trail ... looks like old fire road no?

Stream crossing on Mt. Marshall Trail

From the end of the Mt. Marshall Trail I walked south on the Skyline Drive, past the Hogwallow Flats Overlook until the Appalachian Trail crossed the road, just south of Hogwallow Overlook.

Hogwallow Gap Overlook

The A.T. proceeded to climb the northern and then the southern peaks of Mt. Marshall.  The overlooks from both of them were splendid.

From the top of North Peak, Mt. Marshall

From rock outcrop just south of south peak of Mt. Marshall

down the AT to Gravel Springs Gap, took the side trail to the Gravel Springs Hut  which I remember visiting on my thru hike.  At the hut an unsavory looking guy who called himself Geronimo was cutting away blisters with a large bowie knife.  I split pretty quickly. 

Gravel Springs Hut

I then wandered down the Bluff Trail spying a beautiful butterfly en route.

What kind of butterfly/moth is this?

Harbinger of spring

 

The last time I had hiked the Bluff Trail I had noted in the guidebook "Boring".  The trail was pleasant enough.  I wish I had had the energy to hike down and then back up Big Devil's Stairs en route (3.2 miles RT) but I was concerned that I wouldn't get back to my car before dark.  Even though the trail did not have any fantastic views, there were some pretty cool rocks along the way.

Cool rocks on Bluff Trail

Cool rocks on Bluff Trail

I got back to the car at 4 PM so I could have done it but it would have made a 20+ mile day. 

Total for the day:

2 new side trails
17.1 miles
9.5 miles of new side trails

Total mileage hiked to date:  102.4 (including AT, sidetrails, and repeat miles)