Roaring Plains Oct 4-5-6

“WEll, ya fell on it......I'd be pissed too!”

“yep, nice pics so from everyone so far. i just got mine back today. i had film from my last three trips that i finally took in. i will try to get some of them posted tonight.”

“What's WRONG with you people. You guys keep churning out GREAT photos. It looks like you have to be a photographer before becoming a hiker. If so, I better brush up my picture taking skill rather than hill climbing skill. But I need to replace my h-e-a-v-y camera first with something lighter (canon ae-1 w/ 50-250mm). What kind of camera do you use? Do youhave any recommendations?”

“Geobeet, thanks for your info on hiking trails in WV. I'm workiing on it.

Last summer I spent one WHOLE day in the vast plains of Ravens Ridge. I didn't plan that at the beginning. I was simply following the right fork of Red Creek in search of Dobbin Grade. Then suddenly I found myself standing in the middle of vast tundra field. There were no trees except a few wind swept trees, little creeks here and there, no rock outcrops, just plain flat field. I could see the distant horizon almost a mile away in any direction. I was the only living soul. I thought I was Dr. Zivago in summer time.

To this day I still don't know how it happened. I usually don't get lost. Maybe there's a black hole or a siren in the plains of Ravens Ridge. Be careful when you go there.”

“That was Raven Ridge alright. It is other-worldly now that you mention it. No creeks up on the ridge, but could be some on the way up.

Dobbins Grade does seem to go up onto Raven Ridge. It comes south along the right fork of Red Creek, then winds back north, crosses another ridge coming off Raven Ridge, then heads west southwest before turning north northwest along the left fork of Red Creek and heading up another ridge onto Raven Ridge, if you can follow all that.

The entire center of the plateau along Dobbin Grade in this area is open meadow except for where it crosses one ridge. There was an old hunter cabin that the Forest Service burned down on that ridge.

The openness makes for interesting hiking, since you can see almost the whole plateau.

The Harman Trail meets Dobbin Grade just before it climbs up to Raven Ridge. The Harman Trail comes down off Harman Knob, and it is an interesting trail as well. To the north of Harman Knob is a stack of rocks known as Rocky Knob (I wonder how they came up with that name...) that I want to hit some day. The trail should pass over that and on to Raven Ridge on Cabin Mountain.

All of Dolly Sods North is interesting, but Raven Ridge is truly unique. There is a grassy knob about a quarter to a half mile from Cabin Mountain that looks down across Dobbins Slashings Bog and into the upper Stony River watershed. The other way it looks down across the Red Creek watershed. That, for my money, is one of the best views on Dolly Sods.

I also hear the eastern continental divide can be walked from Bear Rocks to Cabin Mountain. That should be a nice hike as well.

I plan to spend four or five days exploring up there next spring. It should be a gas.”

“i got some good pictures of folks and dog.”

“I made a giant clockwise circle walking all the way to the west, north, east and came down over the plateau between Red Creek (right fork) and Alder. That plateau provides awesome views and was my favorite.

At one of jeep trail crossings I noticed that the creek was indeed RED. No wonder they call it "Red Creek."

At Blackwater Falls St Park you can see trully black colored water cascading over the falls. Amazing!”

“Tom T - If you live in Baltimore, we are practically neighbors. Yes, I go to Appalachian Outfitters quite frequently. They are one of few stores that still do business in old fashion way, lots of personal touches. Few years ago I bought my Scarpa boots there and wore them until I developed a black toe. When Lyla saw my toe, she apologized for selling me a wrong size and offered me another pair (more expensive one) free of charge.”

“Biertree, Thank you. I'll tell you my secret, (don't tell anyone). I take lots of pictures and only show the best ones.

Birch and I have a Pentax something or nother, point and shoot with a zoom. It weighed the least of all the point and shoots, in our price range, at Costco. I like it.”

“Biertree, there was an Appalachian Outfitters in Hunt Valley, Md. five miles north of the Beltway here.
It was another creaky-floored old house like the one in Oakton.
My brother just made the pilgrimage to Oakton(80 miles) for another pair of boots.
Imagine that!
We've got Eastern Mountain Sports, Hudson Trail Outfitters, and REI within about three miles of each other in Towson/Timonium.”

“I remember an old Appalachian Outfitters somewhere in Md. when I lived in Bee-yootiful Laur-ell. I remember that creaky old floor. I bought my old North Face tent there. It lasted me about 12 years.

Then they closed that store. I wanted to sit down and cry. I stopped at the one in Oakton once, but never got back.”

“There was a Appalachian Outfitters in Ellicott City, Md.

That's the old town with what I believe was the nation's first railroad station(B&O).

Well, that store was flooded out in 1972 by Hurricane Agnes.

The Patapsco River went wild.”

“Okay, now you're tripping my memory. I was living in Laurel during Agnes. The Patuxent flooded as well. They evacked me from my apartment to the firehouse. The firehouse was 10 feet lower than the hill where my apt was, and right above the river. Spent the next day taking photos of the flood. It was awesome.

Yes, Ellicot City was the first RR station. I went up there for a festival one day and got slides of a Tom Thumb replica under steam at the station. And yes, AO was right there next to the river. That was where I bought the tent.

Dang Tom, what else do you remember of my past???

Did you ever get out to Henkels' Restaurant on the B&O at Annapolis Junction??? Biggest ham sandwiches in the universe??? Great eggnog at Christmas and New Years???

We'd go out for lunch at eggnog time, forget to go back to work, spend the afternoon quaffing eggnog, and then buy a couple quarts to take home. It was their own brand.

They closed the place down a couple of years ago. I drank a silent toast to many fine memories, some if which I even remembered.

When freight trains would go through, the entire restaurant shook.”

“biertree - i use the same "technique" as sass. take lots of pics and show the best ones. my camera is a kodak APS point and shoot w/ zoom. nothing fancy.”

“T & S - Thanks for sharing your secrets of taking good pictures. I promise I'll not tell anyone. As you may have noticed, I am new here and I am learning new things everyday. I will try:

First, take tons of pictures.
Second, throw away all photos that include anyone who
(1) didn't share beer with me,
(2) didn't carry my pack up the hill,
(3) didn't give me foot massage at the end of the day,
(4) did stink,
(5) did snore,
(6) did curse
Third, if there are any left I will put them on Webshots.

I got it! Thanks.

PS. It seems that all TTers are putting their photos on Webshots. Is it free for TTers? Do you need special program(s) or systems to use Webshots? TIA”

“It's free for everyone. You download a program (still free) when you sign up. It's easy and affordable!”

“Whoa!
Its fwee?
And here I thought I was being cheap.

Geobeet-
I was carrying mail in Rockville when Agnes struck.
Getting to Rockville from White Oak that morning took me three tries.
I was stopped by high water twice before making it to the Beltway.
There was just enough room to pass high water there somewhere near Connecticut Ave.
After work I went to Potomac, Md and got down to the River near Great Falls.
There WAS NO FALLS!!!
It was paved over with muddy water in which floated huge trees and other debris, including the occasional dead cow.
The other spectators and I were eventually chased away by park rangers.”

“Almost a month after that flood, some gas company built a new station right in the floodway along Route 1. I had pix of the site under water in the flood. Du-uh!

We heard a booming sound that kept repeating. We followed the sound, and a 50,000-gallon fuel tank had washed off its mooring and the water was crashing it into the B&O Railroad bridge. It would hit the bridge with a boom, bounce back, and the water would send it back into the bridge again.

You can normally spit across the Patuxent there.

That flood took out all the walkways out to Great Falls. It took them many months to rebuild temporary walkways. The canal was breached down at Widewater, and probably a few other spots.

But the Susquehanna Valley up in Pennsylvania took the brunt of that storm, as bad as it was in Maryland.”

“Nice pics, le Subtil!”

“Nice views down North Fork Valley and north over Dolly Sods and Cabin Mountain. Mmmmmm.”

“le Subtil - Thanks for posting. I worried that men don't take nice pics.”

“BEEEautiful LeSubtil!”

“Nice photos!

Those clouds were haulin' A$$.”

“i finally got pictures on the web! looking at them reminded me of what a nice trip it was. great area and great people.

i hope you like them. roaring plains pics.”

“roaring plains.

if that doesn't take you directly there just look for the album labeled roaring plains.”

“Great photos! I hope I find some of those wonderful vistas and colors when I go up there.”

“Nice!”

“Great Pictures Baume!!!!

TT, got the ones you sent in the mail, Saturday. Thanks alot! I didn't get any pictures of G00SE and Skullcap, thanks for sending some! =)”

“You're welcome, Sassafras!

I should've taken more photos.

So, the package made it to the mailbox, hmmmmmm.
I only had to ask the kid about six times to please take it!”

“I'd gladly send you my doubles but Tarabull has already confiscated them.”

“i finally got my pictures developed!!

Some great shots, Ill put them up tommorrow or so!”

“That's just terrible!”

“i still have a couple of pictures left on my roll of film....that's really terrible!!”

“Hey bro,.......good boots are worth the drive. Beside, I got to eat at Anita's.”

“Looks like everybody got some great pics on that trip! Of course, the odds were for it considering the scenery and the group...

Tom T, thanks for the pics. We got them Thursday. They turned out great!”

“And good boots will go a long way.

Anita good burrito!”

“I wanna go back when the rhododendrons are in bloom...”

“That would be nice.”

“i want to go back . !”

“so... when would that be?”

“january? i need a trip to try out my new bag when it gets here.”

“for rhododendron blooming I would guess late may or june but I suspect geobeet might have a better clue than I”

“Perhaps Tom T. would care to provide insight?”

“Rhododendron would be June. The Spring on the Sods trip in late May will probably feature some mountain laurel and (I hope) the early part of the flame azalea.”

“And Roaring Plains will be the second part of that trip. See Spring on the Sods in Trips.”

“i'll check this january to make sure none of them are trying to sneak by early.”

“Carefully put them back into their buds if you find any sneaking by early. Seal the buds with duct tape so we can remove it in May.”

“lol. I want to go too! Birch needs to see the Roaring Plains.”

“It can be addictive.”