July 14, 2020 - Woodstock Tower West Un-Named trail(s)

Picture of the day

    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. 

Today's Hike:

Distance: 2.45

Duration: 1:39

Ascent: 1043ft

PATC Difficulty: 71

Lee 333 Progress Summary:

Trails: 33 of 118

Trail Miles: 98.37 of 289.36 miles (190.99 miles to go)

Hiked Miles: 182.2 miles

Today's Track

    Today's hike was a last minute decision late in the day. With not much time on my hands I chose to pick up a loose end from a previous hike and see what else I might discover in the area. I'm discovering more unnamed and unmapped trails as I progress through the Lee 333. Eventually I'm going to have to rename the Lee 333 Challenge because the total number of miles will probably exceed 400 miles.

Massanutten Trail near the Hang Glider Launch Point

   On my last hike I missed a small section of the Massanutten trail where is crosses Woodstock Tower road to just before the Hang Glider Launch Point so that's where I started. I parked on Woodstock Tower Road and hiked up to the point where I'd intersected Massanutten trail last hike where I turned around and went back to the car. 

The first of the Woodstock Tower West Trails just off on Woodstock Tower Road
The first of which passes under the Glider Launch Point

    From there I hiked west (downhill) on the road until I found an unnamed trail with several side trail and loops. I'm going to call them the Woodstock Tower West Trails.

The trail was unexpectedly nice

   I followed the trail down the mountain and found a few branching trails. I marked the branches on my GPA as I descended and then hiked them on my way back up.

    On the map above, the yellow star near the center of the map indicates a trail that was on my map but not actually there. On the other hand there were trails that I found that were not on the map. After exploring all the trails I'd marked on the GPS, I returned to the car passing under the Launch Point at sunset. 

Poisonous Mushroom (Possibly Death Cap Mushroom)

Hiking back up to the car, sunset was coming.

The unnamed trail passes just below the Glider Launch Point

Sunset from just below the Launch Point

This trail, off the Woodstock Tower Road, is only 50 yards long until you reach private property

    I drove down hill passed yet another unmapped trail. I parked there and was growing dark but I wanted to get in one last short exploratory hike. I donned my head lamp and headed down hill again.  The short trail connected two loops in the road. I hiked back up to the car in the dark.

Hiking up Woodstock Tower Road after dark

The camera makes the sky look bright, but I needed a headlamp.

Back at the car on Woodstock Tower Road

    Finally, as I drove down hill towards Woodstock, I spotted yet another extension of the trail I had just finished hiking heading towards the Forest boundary. That trail will have to wait for another day. On the map above it's the yellow star in the upper left.