We concluded our Appalachian Trail hiking adventure with a visit to the Luray Caverns where companions Lynn Rush (left above) and Dot Morrison ponder the cave’s geology. In the large photo below Lynn, (from left) Noelle Silk, Ted Kmet and Dot enjoy meandering through a passageway.

THE LURAY CAVERNS--

The Luray Caverns of Virginia began their formation about 600 million years ago when the continents drifted and collided around the Earth. That created a broad shallow depression we now know as the Shenandoah Valley which for 400 million years was covered by an ancient sea.

In more recent times--yet still spanning millions of years—a fairly shallow layer of limestone, formed by that ancient sea, began to dissolve by the action of surface water percolating through that layer. The entire cavern is confined to a zone only about 100 feet thick top to bottom.

The small, hollowed-out or dissolved areas eventually were filled by water creating more dissolving and enlargement of the existing crevices. Run-off soon descends into lower levels of the Earth leaving the huge limestone chambers visitors enjoy today.

As those initial volumes of water subside to slow seepage, nature’s decorating process begins. A solution of calcium carbonate allows precipitation of lime to form deposits that grow slowly from the top of the cave called stalactites.

As that dripping falls to the floor of the cave similar deposits grow upward from the floor called stalagmites. When they eventually grow together a column is formed.

Do not expect to watch that process happen. While water drips constantly new deposits accumulate at the rate of one cubic inch in 120 years.

Today, a visit to the cave involves an hour-long meander through a stunning and nicely illuminated collection of stalactites, stalagmites, columns, and flowstone which forms draperies, frozen waterfalls, and veils throughout the cave.

All colors seen in the cave are naturally created.

My favorite cave feature was the Stalacpipe Organ. Located in a large underground room festooned with “frozen” limestone and known as the Cathedral, the organ electronically taps nearly 3 ½ acres of stalactites which produces tones of symphonic quality.

Take your jacket for your visit. While average temperatures can vary you can expect a relatively cool reading in the upper 50s Farenheit.

Since its discovery in 1878 the cave has become the most popular one in Eastern America.

More than 500,000 visitors each year attest to that.

Appalachian Trail hiking friend Lynn Rush is dwarfed by this curtained column in the Luray Caverns of Virginia. A cavern visit was the last event on a recent week-long tent camping and hiking adventure in the Shenandoah National Park. Please stop by Thursday and Fogeyisms will tell you the story of our cave visit.

Hiking companion Lynn Rush sheds her day pack and prepares to enjoy a snack break along the Appalachian Trail in the Shenandoah National Park of Virginia (above) and reads entries in a trail hut, guest register (small photo below).

MOUNTAIN ‘MOTEL’—
With some blisters, some bears and some poop

We had a luxurious rest in the mountain sunshine that day as we explored one of the more than 250 huts along the Appalachian Trail (AT); this one pictured above in the Shenandoah National Park of Virginia.

The huts are scattered all along the AT and, like this one, are usually three sided with a roof covering some arrangement of permanently installed sleeping platforms with a nearby privy—pretty Spartan accommodations by civilized standards, but a welcome relief to weary hikers faced with an overnight stay in a cold, wet woods.

That may sound like a lot of huts but this trail of over 2,000 mountainous miles stretches from Maine to Georgia and all of the trail’s customers are walking.

A delight of our hut visit was reading through the guest register notebook where hikers who stop by pen their often humorous, sometimes soul-searching, thoughts and signed by a “trail name”; a moniker often accumulated by the serious, through hikers.

Here’s a sample: “6/17 In from Big Meadows for a snack and to get out of the crazy rain...I got soaked. Sunny now. On to Skyland for some good eats and a bed.” Signed Spoon-Steen.

This entry was embellished by a caricature of a soggy hiker dreaming of a dry pillow, a blanket and a bed.

On the internet regarding the Pinefield hut, this hiker wrote, “...Path from shelter to outhouse crosses over stream. Makes for tricky midnight trips to answer the call of nature...Two bear poles, both close to shelter...Next water supply travelling north is either from Loft Mt. campground (during season) or Ivy Creek, about 5 miles north. Signed Kncats.

Another hiker noted online: “I stayed there alone 1 night the third week of April this year (06). Hung my food on the pole in back and would’nt you know it a bear came down and nearly tore the pole out of the ground. He growled and snorted for about 10 minutes while I lay silently in a fetal position inside the hut holding a hiking pole and buckknife praying he did not come around the front. He finally gave up and left after about 10 minutes.

I did see a beutiful moon rise over the ridge out side the front of the hut at 3:10 in the a.m. My guns are not as dangerous as Ted Kennedy's car.” Signed Cannonball

Remember folks, these hikers often are traveling alone and carrying everything they need to survive in a very heavy backpack—food, clothes, shelter; everything—even their garbage.

They may be out there in the wilderness weeks or months at a time.

It could be days between hot showers. It could be weeks between home-style meals. Calls of nature are answered—somehow.

In the next lower photo are “Spoon-Steen’s” musings mentioned above. In the bottom photo it says: “5 meals, 4 blisters, 3 bears, 2 poops, 1 sunset and 32 miles later....” Signed Rufio.

I bet these hikers have lots more stories to tell.

LIFE CYCLE

OF THE

MONARCH

BUTTERFLY

Without the milkweed plant we have no Monarch butterflies. It is the only plant the Monarch caterpillar eats in that phase of its life cycle.

Around my neck of the woods both the plant and the butterfly are becoming scarce but we certainly found them thriving recently in the mountains along the Appalachian Trail in Virginia.

The total lifetime of the Monarch spans just 6 to 8 weeks. In that brief period it goes from egg to caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly...then death.

It grows inside the egg for about for about 4 days then hatches into the caterpillar stage and munches on its milkweed plant as larvae for about two weeks. Then they suspend themselves from a handy perch by secreting an adhesive from their tail.

There, in the shape of a reverse “J” they cover themselves in a transparent chrysalis as a pupa where, over a period of some 10 days they metamorphose into a butterfly.

Their lives also involve a stunning migration.

We’ll join them on their life cycle journey as they hibernate over the winter in Mexico and southern California. Then, in February/March they will reawaken, find a mate then begin the long flight north where they will lay their eggs—and die.

These special Monarchs will have lived about 4 to 5 months through the long winter and migration.

During March/April the first generation of the season is born; egg, caterpillar, chrysalis and adult. The second generation repeats in May/June. The third generation repeats in July/August.

The fourth generation which we observed and photographed above occurs in September/October—but does not die. It migrates south and lives six to eight months before it starts the next life cycle of these magical and amazing creatures.

___________
Search key words: Monarch butterfly life cycle. Photos by the author except the adult which is from Monarchbutterflyusa.com/cycle which also contributed to this story and for which we express our gratitude.

A HIKE IN THE WOODS—

Our base camp was at an elevation of some 3,500 feet--not very high by Himalayan standards but more than 2,000 feet above the highest point in Ohio.

We got our tents pitched that arrival night just before a hefty rain storm hit our campground in the Big Meadows area of the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. The tent rattled and snapped in the wind as I drifted off to sleep hoping for a night of dry comfort in the howling weather with temperatures quickly plummeting to an overnight low of 50.

Dawn arrived as a quiet glow in the tent fabric and I noticed my left hand was dry as it explored a sleepy reach around the air mattress while the rest of me remained buried somewhere in my blanket reinforced sleeping bag.

It’s not fun to get dressed while you can see your breath but the reward of discovering a platoon of whitetail deer munching grass in the fog just outside the tent flap made the discomfort dissolve.

I was glad it wasn’t a platoon of black bear; sightings of which occurred all around us during our week’s visit including one bear romp right through our shower/laundry area.

We were launching ourselves on what turned out to be fairly grueling hikes totaling some 14 miles on the Appalachian Trail (AT) and another 10 or so on intersecting, local trails in this 100 mile long park along the Skyline Drive.

That first day’s stroll was on a local trail to the Blackrock Lookout at 3,721 feet above sea level. From there we endured a steep, rocky descent; down, down and down some more to the Lewis Spring Falls, an 81 foot shower of water in the woods.

This outing took 2.5 hours and covered 3 miles, 1.3 miles of which were on the AT—my first ever!

The following morning we launched out of the Skyland Campground area and climbed to the Stony Man Overlook at an elevation of 4,010 feet with the town of Luray, VA far below. On a later drive into that town we noted a valley temp of 78 degrees which dropped to 61 as we climbed back up the mountain.

The prettiest hike of our visit was to the Dark Hollow Falls; a little over ½ mile long drop of 440 feet along a mountain stream with high rocks and even higher trees—everywhere. It was easy to imagine being sequestered in a primordial forest.

Our most challenging hike slapped us in the legs when we launched on an immediate and hour-long 30 degree climb to the summit of Hawksbill Mountain; at 4050 feet elevation, the highest point in the park.

From there the ridgeline dropped below 3,000 feet before challenging us to ascend another 700 feet on a 6 mile trek back to our base camp.

When I got done with that one I felt like I had walked from Mansfield to Cleveland—twice.

On all of our romps through these heavily forested mountains I was constantly on the lookout for bears; often finding fresh evidence of their being in the trees and munching on acorns.

I never saw a bear.

But, I’m still pondering Lynn’s question, “I wonder how many bears saw us?"

___________

In the small photo above an AT blaze--the white rectangle--is visible on the tree to the right.

THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL--

and The Shenandoah National Park









Thank You God

Dark Hollow Falls near the Appalachian Trail in the Shenandoah National Park provided a delightful setting for this picture of our hiking/camping group. Pictured from left are Ted Kmet, Noelle Silk and Dot Morrison, all of Gainesville, FL, yours truly, and Lynn Rush of Mansfield. Ted, who summers in Ohio, Lynn and I spent a week tent camping and hiking in the park. We were joined in our adventure for several days by the Gainesville ladies.

Saturday we will share some photos of the hiking adventure and Tuesday, a story on the hikes themselves. Thursday will feature a story on the metamorphosis of the Monarch butterfly and we will tell you about the "huts" used by overnight hikers along the AT in the following Saturday's story.

A delightful side-bar to our outdoor adventure in the Virginia mountains was a visit to the Luray Caverns. That story will conclude our coverage of this marvelous experience.