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Reservations:
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Shadow Mountain Escape a
Romantic Luray Virginia Cabin Rental getaway near Skyline Drive Shenandoah National Park.
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1:
The trail begins by the Blue Spruce in the
lawn near the Lodge. See the “Nature
Trail” sign on the tree where the
trail enters the woods. As you get underway
you’ll quickly pass through an old
stone wall that runs North – South
through the property. These walls were made
of the rocks collected by the pioneers of
Jewell Hollow who farmed and raised livestock
here in the late 19th century. Hard to imagine
today… these folk collected up the
rocks to make way for planting crops and
to contain livestock. Many of these type
walls still exist throughout the mountains
in the area; they range from beautifully
laid cobbler walls to loosely laid walls
as you see here. All the rocks for the stone
work you see on SME structures come from
this wall.
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2: Cedar Grove-About a hundred feet
beyond the wall, you will see a nice stand
of Red Cedars off to the left – take
a detour into that stand and notice the different
“feel” of the Cedars. The smell
is distinctly different and the woods are
darker due to the dense evergreen foliage.
These Eastern Red Cedars are remarkable trees;
they are extremely tough with insect resistant
wood, a wonderful aroma, and are usually the
first to grow in some of the toughest habitats.
They are also a good wood for building, burning
and woodworking. Go back to the path and look
at the large wild grape vines growing across
the path and up the trees. These wild grapes
grow throughout Virginia and can grow hundreds
of feet (we’ve seen them grow to 12”
in diameter). The grapes are edible and were
routinely used in the past to eat and make
moonshine and homemade wines. Lastly, (before
crossing the electric line easement) take
a peak toward the rock wall and notice the
large Sycamore growing out of it. Look up
high and see an old deer stand once used by
local hunters to harvest the many deer and
bear that pass through the land here –
there’s no more hunting here…
the animals still roam.
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3: Boalder Alley-Cross the electrical
easement and you will walk through about a
hundred feet of trail that passes by numerous
large boulders… feel the moss and texture
of the boulders. Notice the nooks and crannies
that create prime habitat for wildlife. Watch
out for snakes here! Go ahead and walk across
the simple wooden bridge up ahead and enjoy
the cool moist air and sound of the clear
mountain water.
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4:
The Stream (Pass Run)-Dip your hand in the
water and have a big sip. The water is clean
and tasty. This mountain stream is one of
two branches that cascades down the mountain
side to create Pass Run which eventually joins
another stream in Jewell Hollow to eventually
pour into the Shenandoah River not far from
Rileyville. This stream is filled with living
organisms all critical to the ecosystem here.
Turn over some rocks and don’t be surprised
to find salamanders, frogs, small fresh water
muscles, crayfish, insect larvae, fish and
numerous other surprises.
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5: Battle Ground-As you turn north
away from the stream and move back towards
the easement, note the many broken and downed
trees. This is a good location to point out
the troubling side of Mother Nature and Man.
A good part of the large trees in this area
(right side of path) were nearly leveled several
years ago by remnants of a hurricane that
passed over the area. Violent down drafts
broke and toppled many of the trees here…
it made a tangled mess of the forest at this
location. Also, you probably noticed numerous
Eastern Hemlock and White Pines along the
stretch that you just passed through. It’s
very unfortunate, but a tiny white wooly sap
sucking scale is killing the Hemlocks before
they mature… you’ll see many smaller
Hemlocks falling apart and dead… thanks
to this little beast. Look on the underside
of the tiny Hemlock leaves – the little
fuzzy white things are the killer bugs. The
majestic white pines that you see along the
stream are all slowly falling apart thanks
to the Pine Bark Beetle whose larvae (nasty
looking things) crawl under the bark and “sicken”
the tree. The wood peckers apparently find
the beetles tasty and do a number tearing
into the bark to eat them… together,
they’re a destructive team. Mother Nature
doesn’t work on our time! Unfortunately,
we’ll probably not see these grand trees
of the Blue Ridge Mountains recover in our
lifetimes. Lastly, if you look across the
stream (more obvious in the winter) you’ll
see an embankment that was used as a dump
up until the 70’s - mostly old appliances,
plastics and metal trash from old homesteads.
The dump is a sad reminder of human ignorance
and disregard for the natural environment
so critical to our quality of life. The good
news is that SME is in the process of cleaning
up the forest to include the the old dump
– a rewarding endeavor. It’s remarkable
how the wild creatures and plant life respond
when we make an effort to show respect and
work to improve habitat.
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6: The Giant Pine -As soon as you
cross the electrical easement, notice the
huge multi-trunk white pine to your left –
move towards it but don’t stand directly
under it. This is a rare tree (approximately
a century old) with essentially several large
trees growing out of one trunk. It’s
a classic example of what the Pine Bark Beetle
is doing to these trees. Don’t stand
close under this tree – especially if
there is wind. As you can see, the tree is
in decline and large limbs continue to break
off. Move towards the pond and follow along
to the left side of it.
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7: The SME Pond-The Pond was excavated
at this location due to three natural springs
that surface at this point. For most of the
year, so much water pours from the springs
that the pond stays full and the water constantly
runs out of the drain pipe into the stream.
SIDE NOTE: There are a half dozen natural
springs on SME property – when you find
them, look for the natural growing mint! During
the hot summer months, the ground water recedes
and the pond water evaporates quickly. Because
of this, we draw water from the main stream
through a 4” pipe to keep fresh clean
water in the pond through all seasons…
this allows for a healthy pond all year long
teaming with fish and other water creatures.
The pond is home to Blue Gill Fish, Cat Fish,
frogs, salamanders, a snapping turtle, and
snakes of various sort (there’s a Mama
and her off-spring water snake that claim
the pond as home and we ask they not be disturbed
– they’re harmless to humans and
provide a valuable “balance” to
the pond’s habitat). The large trees
around the edge of the pond include Ash, Tulip
Poplar (largest tree in the Eastern Forests),
Persimmon (produces a bounty of plum like
fruit) and Sycamore. Now walk towards the
left before you get to the drain pipe and
move down toward the stream.
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8: Brook Trout-Slowly walk to the
edge of the stream here and look into the
water. Native Brook Trout
(a protected species) abound in the clean,
clear water of this stream – they’re
a beautiful colorful fish (more so than rainbow
trout). Unfortunately, it is only noticeable
once in your hand… when in the water,
they are nearly perfectly camouflage! They’re
very fast and difficult to see in the water…
watch closely in the deeper pools as you slowly
approach them and you’ll likely see
one zip by. If you’re warm, don’t
hesitate to lay yourself under a little cascade
in one of the pools in this area of the stream.
You won’t believe how refreshing and
“spiritual” the experience can
be. You’ll get a kick out of the little
fish that will appear and nibble at your skin
(people pay big $ for defoliants and revitalizing
skin products!). When you’re refreshed,
slowly walk north along the stream and veer
to the right after the fence on your right
side breaks to the right. If you like, walk
up to the fence and take a peek at the garden
(spring – late summer)
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9: The Garden - Make a right up the
incline toward the house and take a look at
the garden plot and fruit trees. Here is where
some of the finest fresh vegetables and fruit
in the Shenandoah Valley are grown! For the
gardeners out there, the following is grown
here: tomatoes, potatoes, beans, onions, lettuce,
gourds, zucchini, peppers, various herbs,
current, blueberries, goose berries, apples,
plums, peaches and cherries… and more.
When you’re done imagining gobbling
down a handful of SME grown blueberries or
cherries, continue on the nature trail until
you arrive back on SME’s gravel lane
(Black Bear Lane).
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10: Black Bear Lane-The gravel lane
is at the heart of the SME complex. This lane
was originally carved out of overgrown wilderness
and has matured to the point you see today.
It has taken over a decade to complete the
lane and “clean up” the land around
it. Efforts will continue to beautify the
property and create a welcoming habitat for
the many wild creatures that let us share
this land with them. We hope you enjoyed the
little walk!
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11: Garden Plot. When the trail breaks
to the right away from the stream, just before
the road, you will notice the Shadow Mountain
Escape garden on the high ground next to our
home to your right. In late spring through
fall we’ll begin to harvest a variety
of crops from this small garden plot to include
potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, squash, herbs
and onions. |
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"Simply Charming"
Reservations: 540-843-0584
goriddle@hotmail.com
(Proudly Privately
Operated)
Escape to a Virginia vacation cabin rental in
the Shenandoah Valley. A totally unique Blue Ridge
Mountain vacation getaway in Luray Virginia
Reservations:
540-843-0584 |
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Escape
to a Virginia Vacation Cabin Rental in the Shenandoah
Valley.
A totally unique Blue Ridge Mountain Vacation
Getaway in Luray Virginia.
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SME Guest’s enjoy bonuses including:
· Complimentary home made goods gift basket
and bottle of wine for two
· Complimentary campfire (1 night per visit
period) during local burn authorized periods
· Bike or hike to SME’s nearby exclusive
30 acre hill top forest for a picnic, special
event, or simply site seeing (coming soon!!)
· Receive Shenandoah River Bass fishing
tips and recommendations
· Receive Shenandoah National Park hiking
tips and recommendations
· Real fireplace and wood-stove fires with
basic stock of wood provided during cold seasons
· Local dining tips and recommendations
upon request
· New York Style Pizza Delivery Service
direct to cabins
· Selection of Books and DVD's available
· Grills provided
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Member
of Shenandoah Valley Travel Association
& Luray-Page County Chamber of Commerce
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Contact: Karen
Riddle
Shadow Mountain Escape, LLC
1132 Jewell Hollow Rd.
Luray, Virginia 22835
540-843-0584
goriddle@hotmail.com
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