Snowden, VA on the Appalachian Trail (25 July 1974)

 Every week or so, hikers hit a town along the Appalachian Trail.  For us, 52 years ago and five days after leaving Pearisburg, our entourage arrived at Cloverdale, VA and we stayed at the Hojo on 21 July 1974.  It was a nice stretch of trail with Dragons Tooth and McAfee Knob.

You need to remember that McAfee Knob was soon to be off the Trail due to conflicts between the private landowners and hikers.  Read about this problem in my AT Book and Flack's title.  For pics, search web for the bazillion shots along this scenic (and crowded) section of the AT. The one shot I will share is Ralph's and the little restaurant on Rt 301 where I got two 7 Ups and 3 ice creams (thanks to Don).  Camped at Boy Scout LT that night with Don, Ralph and Benji, Laura and Peter the Dog. 

And an air photo from 1996 with restaurant location in the red circle.

But back to the Howard Johnson, we "showered, ate, swam.  Yes went swimming it was great!"

Air Photo from 1985.

and a post card

And my souvenir pen.

At this point we had hiked about 630 miles on the AT.

A couple days later, on 25 July 1974, we descended in the James River Valley and walked to the PO in Snowden.

In 2022, the Streetview shot looks like this.

It was a combo market, gas station and Post Office and a mail drop.   Back then it looked like this.  Our packs are on the porch.

From the AT Museum Book: 

"Snowden was a mail drop but not a place to stay that we reached on the 25th of July. At the Snowden store and PO, I got some mail and tried to replenish some food.  The store and post office has since closed, but a request on Facebook got this story about Snowden.

“The Williams family operated the store. Mr. Williams previously worked with the construction crews building the Blue Ridge Parkway. They had a motorboat and would do water skiing on Sunday afternoons…” 

While my food purchase was limited considering the choices found in full size supermarkets in other towns, Three Time AT Hiker Dorothy Laker bought bread, bologna, cookies, onions, candy, cereal and raisons, that makes my mac and cheese purchase seem bland.  I do recall getting a block of cheddar cheese that I enjoyed with saltines. It kept surprisingly well for a few days in the hot July temperatures. So in retrospect, despite my complaint, these small mom and pop general stores were vital to the long distance hiker and had the store remained open, I am sure more camping food options would have become available.   Leaving the James River at Snowden we would have to climb a mountain out of the valley to camp at Johns Hollow LT.  There we met Harry who hiked the trail in 1969, the same year as Jeff Hancock."

For Ms. Laker's story, get the Rodale Book.  Highly recommended.

For some info on Johns Hollow LT built in 1961, from an AT History site.  Here is also the NPS Photo.  

Thanks to the Natural Bridge Appalachian Trail Club for maintaining it.  

See the location of the LT on this USGS Map.

McAfee Knob was almost not on the AT (21 July 1974)

 AT hikers take a lot for granted.  Most will complain about problems on the ground but must fully realize the years of work by volunteers and the assistance of federal agencies like the NPS and USDA-FS.

Take Tinker Mountain in Virginia.  From my AT book.

Further north, the troubles along the iconic Catawba Ridge and famous McAfee’s Knob were brewing to the point that the AT was temporarily relocated to the north, forced off the mountain by private landowners in 1977.   The RATC however, put in a twenty-mile RELO in one day, eliminating a potential road walk.  They moved the trail off Catawba Mountain in 1978 to North Mountain that remained the route until the NPS bought the land in early 1980s. Since the 1970s the Roanoke AT Club relocated 120 miles of trail.  Fortunately, McAfee was open for me and my companions in 1974. 

Today this historic view is found on the Trail again thanks to the hard work of the AT volunteers who made that possible.  It is quite likely the most famous landmark on the entire AT, surpassing the shot of a hiker climbing on top of the summit sign on Katahdin.  Yet, overuse by day hikers continue to threaten the ridge and complicate the efforts of the local volunteers.

The USGS map of the area:

The Original Picture?

Here is a scan of the Guide Book Map. (red highlights are LTs).  A couple days later we were resting by the cement pond at Hojo Motel, er' LT.

AT 2,000 Milers, Jim and Hertha Flack write about this area in the ATC published book.

Flack, J and H. Flack. (1981). Ambling and Scrambling on the Appalachian Trail.  ATC.

Out of print but copies can be found from your favorite used bookstore. A delight to read!

Monroeville Mall is Dead

 An article in the New York Times highlighted the funeral arrangements for the Monroeville Mall outside of Pittsburg PA.  For the non-fright tourists out there, the Monroeville Mall was the filming location for the 1978 zombie movie Dawn of the Dead, directed by George A. Romero.

Inside I shot this video before security asked me to stop.

The film is hard to find, but try this edited copy on Archive.org/ 

Nearby, was the Monster Bash Movie Convention where I met Conrad Brooks and others. 

If this seems familiar, I wrote in the RecreationGeography blog about my earlier visit. Recreation Geography: Fright Tourism 2 and the Monroeville Mall

Reykjavík, Iceland

 While Iceland is noted for its spectacular landscape, how about some pictures of the capital Reykjavík.

First a tall landmark, Hallgrimskirkja.

Another high elevation area are views from Perlan, that supplies hot water to the city, has a museum and has a fantastic restaurant. 

By the water is the Sun Voyager. 

You will see lots of art around the city.

Gas stations are frequently self-serve, even after hours.

The center of higher education in Iceland is Háskóli Íslands.

Quaint shots around town.

Friendly people too!  

I travelled to Iceland for two academic conferences.  Great time meeting with other professors and their families.

And great cuisine.

So, put Iceland on your bucket list.