Click on the trail marker to see the trail map. (While not shown on the map, there is a parking lot at the trailhead.)
The equinox and the full moon provided a good excuse for a hike to Black Rock and Annapolis Rock overlooks on the Appalachian Trail. The forecast was almost perfect, cool and windy with mostly clear skies, sunset at 7:23 PM. The moon, 99% illuminated and just 20 hours from full, rising at 6:34PM.
With no foliage on the trees I could watch the first sunset of spring from Black Rock then hike a portion of the trail by the light of the full moon.
Walking silently through the woods under the light of a bright moon. Pretty good way to welcome springtime if you ask me.
Sunset and Graffiti
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Sunset at Black Rock
The closest access to Black Rock overlook is via the trail that follows the old Bagtown Road roadbed, parallel to Black Rock Creek up the mountain to intersect with the Appalachian Trail near the site of the old Black Rock Hotel. That trail, with the lower portion re-routed to the south bank of the creek is now known as the Thurston Griggs Trail.
Moderately steep, rocky and wet the trail climbs for just under a mile until it intersects the AT near what is now the Pogo Memorial campsite where the Black Rock Hotel once stood. Turning south on the AT the trail climbs less steeply for about a half mile to Black Rock overlook (short side trail marked with blue blaze).
After capturing the sunset at Black Rock I continued south on the AT, now level and wooded along the summit ridge, with the glowing remains of the sunset to the west and bright full moon rising through the trees to the east, reaching Annapolis Rock overlook just before the last orange colors of the sunset faded to black in the west.
At Annapolis Rock I watched as the moon to climbed higher through the trees casting a bright glow and deep shadows on the rocks and cliff around me.
It was after 9 PM with the moon high in the sky when I left Annapolis Rock. The light from the moon was more than sufficient to follow the trail safely including watching my footing. I carried a light but ever needed it. I did need to stop occasionally for a brief period while a passing cloud darkened the moon. I made it back to my car by 11 PM including a second stop at Black Rock.
Turns out Thurston Griggs is a pretty interesting character and one who probably deserves to have a trail named after him.
One Man's Window on the Twentieth-Century
(Autobiography of Thurston Griggs)
This autobiography describes some periods and events in the life of Dr. Thurston Griggs, including 3 months spent in Germany when the Nazi party was gaining popularity, and several years spent in mainland China in Canton and Peking (Beijing) before and after World War II. Graduate education at Harvard and his experiences as a Conscientious Objector during World War II are the subject of several chapters. There is discussion of his musical and play-writing pursuits, his ground-breaking invention of a speech-transcription process for voice recognition in the 1960's, and his work on behalf of the Appalachian Trail and the hiking community in the Potomac Appalachian region.
