Brews & Views - AT Roller Coaster to Bear's Chase Brewery (Rating: B)

You must read the following NVHC Sign-in Sheet Statement/Liability Disclaimer, https://nvhc.com/signin.pdf and then answer the question that you will see when you RSVP with "I accept" to be permitted on the hike.

This is a 7.5 mile point-to-point hike with about 2,000' of elevation gain along a portion of the Appalachian Trail's infamous "Roller Coaster," starting from where the AT crosses Morgan's Mill Rd (more on that later) and heading north to the Bear's Den Overlook. We will then cross the road to Bear's Chase Brewery to claim our reward for a lot of sweaty hill climbs.

Because this is a point-to-point hike, we will meet at 8:50 am (please be prompt) at Bear's Chase Brewery (33665 Bear Chase Ln, Bluemont, VA 20135), and park most of the cars in the far reaches of their parking lot (further from the Brewery itself). We will then pack into as few of vehicles as possible, and depart by 9:00 am to drive 4.5 miles south on Rt 601 (Blue Ridge Mtn Rd) and then as we get to Mount Weather, we will turn right on Morgan's Mill Rd, and go another 1.5 miles to our trailhead (39.07237,-77.91218).

From the trailhead we will reach Hollow Brook Falls at .7 miles, and a viewpoint at Buzzard's Hill at 1.7 miles. From there our next stop will be the Sam Moore Shelter at mile 3.5 and Bear's Den around mile 7. Don't let the distance fool you, this is called the roller coaster for a reason, so we will earn our beer, so this hike has a DIFFICULTY RATING of B (and it is a high B7. There are NO port-a-johns at the trailhead, and the first privy is at Sam Moore Shelter.

Bring plenty of water. I hike at a 2.5 MPH pace on the flats (slower uphill), and stop at all trail crossings and photo points. I hope to make the brewery by 1pm, so bring a snack if you would like, but they have a good menu at Bear's Chase. We will stay for a beer or two, and then shuttle driver's back to the cars that are at the trailhead.

Dogs are permitted on this hike in accordance with the NVHC Dog Policy. https://tinyurl.com/nvhcdogpolicy. The Brewery itself is also dog friendly.

Leader: Dale Johnson (540-454-5592 (off during business hours))

I will close RSVP's at 9pm on Wednesday the 17th (so you won't get promoted to the hike while you sleep), so if you need to make a change after that just message that so we are not waiting for you.