February 23, 2020 - Tuscarora Trail from Powell's Fort Camp to Forest Road 66

Picture of the Day

Powell's Fort Camp Abandoned Pool

Today's Hike:
Distance: 8.11
Duration: 5:30
Ascent: 1540ft
PATC Difficulty: 158

Lee 333 Progress Summary:
Trails: 24 of 108
Trail Miles: 75.92 of 345.75 miles (269.83 miles to go)
Hiked Miles: 143.56 miles

Today's Track

Entering Powell's Fort Camp

Various building are still standing

One such building, a cabin?

The inside

A pavilion

Massanutten trail intersection with FR 66

Climbing up to the ridge

The ridge insight

Ahhh, I made it.

Looking out over the valley

Found this cache box along the Tuscarora trail, nothing inside...

The trails gets rocky

The trail becomes more rocky

The trail becomes even more rocky

One of the 7 bends of the Shenandoah

Shenandoah

The ridge continues to get more and more rocky

Ditto

Ditto, Ditto

Tuscarora Intersection with FR 66 again

Took a nice long break here

The stream...uh I mean trail ...or Forest road or all three?

Strasburg Reservoir Looking South

Nice!

Clear water

Strasburg Reservoir Looking North

Intersection of FR 66 and Little Passage Creek Trail

Back to the parking lot at Powell's Fort

Done

March 24, 2020 - Papacito Pond, Elizebeth Furnace, Woodstock Tower, Massanutten and Sidewinder trails.

Picture of the Day

My Godson Cole

    This blog chronicles the hikes I've completed in the "Lee 333 Challenge". I haven't set a challenge deadline because I can't dedicate myself 100% to it. However, if the SNAP500 (or SHEN500) can be done in one year, I don't see any reason why a dedicated enthusiast couldn't complete the "Lee 333" in under a year also. I named this challenge after my initial calculation that the total trail mileage would be about 333 miles. The total has grown as I have become more familiar with the district.

Today's Hikes:
Distance: 7.35
Duration: 4:68
Ascent: 1349ft
PATC Difficulty: 141

Lee 333 Progress Summary:
Trails: 24 of 109
Trail Miles: 78.28 of 348.47 miles (270.19 miles to go)  
Hiked Miles: 135.45 miles

     Today my godson, Cole, accompanied me, we went on four short hikes rather than one long one. We are in the midst of the Corona Virus pandemic, so going out on seldom used trails was probably the best idea for today.

Hike #1 - A short hike at Elizabeth Furnace to jump on the cable bridge.

Our track at Elizabeth Furnace

Cole shaking the cable bridge

Cole shaking the cable bridge

Hike #2 - A hike to the Woodstock Fire Tower then north on the Massanutten Trail 

to the point that I finished on my last hike.

Our track at the Woodstock Fire Tower and the Massanutten Trail

Cole at the Woodstock Fire Tower

Cole at the Woodstock Fire Tower

Starting north on the Massanutten Trail from the Woodstock Fire Tower

Heading North on the Massanutten Trail

A view of the one of the "Seven Bends" of the Shenandoah River

Break Time for Lunch

Hike #3 - A hike to Papacito pond (Spanish for Daddy) on an ATV trail just down the east slope from the Woodstock Tower then continuing to the end of the road.

Our track at the Papacito pond just down the east slope from the Woodstock Tower

Papacito Pond Parking

Side trail to Papacito pond

Papacito Pond

Lots of mosquitoes at Papacito Pond

Lots of mosquitoes, they were too small to penetrate the skin

On the return hike...let the crazy walking style begin...

 See for your self :)

 

Resting before the return hike and a short rhyme

Hike #4 - A hike to finish up some minor segments of the Sidewinder trail the Mudhole Gap Forest Road that I'd missed on previous trips.

Our track on the the Sidewinder trail and Mudhole Gap Forest Road

Taking a break between hikes

On the trail again, heading up the Sidewinder trail

Looking back to the parking lot from the start of the Sidewinder trail