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July 17, 2010 I returned up the part I had cleared on July 5, and with a friend, cleared another 0.9 mile. We got through the worst part. Beyond this, it is still grown in with annual plants like White Snakeweed, but that's not so bad compared to Blackberry. July 5, 2010 Considering how overgrown parts of this trail were in 2009, I returned to clear some of the growth. I weed-whacked the first 0.1 mile, so the trail is easier to find along FR 95. I got only as far as 1.7 miles. The big climb, the first 1.4 miles is cleared well, but the next 0.3 miles is through blackberry patches, and though greatly improved, it took me three hours to do those 0.3 miles. Beyond that, it is very badly grown in. I hope to get back to it this summer. The big climb portion of the trail is somewhat eroded, and the bike club has plans to redo the tread of the trail in many places in this section this summer. July 6, 2009 Forest Road 95 to US 250 at Confederate Breastworks on GET, 10.5 miles. This hike was taken on a rather cool and sunny day, but just after rain the day before. The first few miles were on a northwest slope, and everything was wet, including the many plants reaching into the trail. My feet felt wet until I got home, although there were 8 miles to hike after we got away from the wet plants. Fortunately I got no blisters. Some observations: There was very little Gypsy Moth damage, although we saw some on the drive and car shuttle. The topographic maps, although old (late 1960s) were fully accurate as to where the Shenandoah Mountain Trail goes. The grade of the Trail is gradual, and the tread is mostly in good condition. In just a few places was the tread leaning with the side of the ridge. Although we had to brush by many plants on the trail, we did not get any ticks. There was also no poison ivy in the entire hike. The part between FR 95 and Ramseys Draft Trail is very grown in, often with blackberry plants. I tried to clear them out, but there were too many. Stinging nettles are also present, and there is one patch not quite 3.0 miles into the hike, about where the "L" in " HIGHLAND" is on the Palo Alto Quadrangle, 1 inch from the bottom, about the center of the map. Black Locusts are thorny, and I cut as many of them away as I could. As we went on, the trail became clearer, with obvious work done after Sinclair Hollow Trail with additional clearing needed, and quite open after Jerrys Run Trail. The last few miles needed only some grass trimming, beside some fast growing branches like Striped Maple. There were no blazes between Ramseys Draft Trail and Road Hollow Trail. It's a challenge to find the trail on FR 95. Look for a yellow blaze on a tree by the road. The intersection of the Tearjacket Knob Trail, Ramseys Draft Trail, and Shenandoah Mountain Trail is not where the maps (Topographic and National Geographic) show it to be, rather it is at a point between 0.1 and 0.2 mile south on the Shenandoah Mountain Trail of the point indicated on the map.
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