Attention all current hikers on Va.AT/See Boomerang’s description of trail conditions out of Bailey Gap shelter{trail journals/“Boomerang” 4/10/05 entry) Very faint white blazes still visible at fork in trail after the Salt Sulfur Turnpike, are blazes from the old AT,There are no blazes indicating new trail. The War Spur register is full of entries from current hikers that took the old trail! They are asking the Roanoke ATC to please get up there and paint new blazes!! Thanks
K.Humphries
IMHO the section maintained by the Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club is the most extreme in Virginia–either extremely good or extremely bad. The year I hiked north into Pearisburg had me swearing at RATC just like K. Humphries and Boomerang over the condition of the Trail between Doc’s Knob and P-burg. But the section a day or so south of there was magnificent! Such is the work of volunteers I guess…
You might try to contact someone by going to www.ratc.org. It’s a maze of info but I’m guessing you could find someone who could look into the lack of blazing mentioned above. It does seem like something that could create a dangerous situation for hikers.
Skyline
Last week I returned from a SOBO section hike from Craig Creek Valley to Pearisburg and as K. Humphreys noted, there were numerous complaints in the Registers from the NOBOs about the blazing and lack thereof. Personally, I had no problems hiking south but I can see how NOBOs could have been confounded.
When I think of Bailey’s Gap, I remember the 3+ miles of PA-style rocks immediately to the north. For you NOBOs, this will give you a taste of PA except I don’t recall any of the individual PA rockfields lasting as long. So adjust your mileage expectations accordingly.
And enjoy Super Dave’s Trail Magic…
Cookerhiker