If you follow the periodic hike reviews here on Hawksbill Cabin, you know that from time to time I’ll include a citation from the version of “Guide to Shenandoah National Park,” which was originally published in book form in 1978. I started using this guide in 2005, as Chris and I prepared for our Half Dome ascent and were looking for trails with scenery and elevation changes.
Henry Heatwole was the author, and maintained what I consider a fairly exhaustive guide to the blue-blazed trails until he passed away in 1989. According to Henry’s son, Tony (his address can be found on the index page of the web-guide), the predecessor organization to the Shenandoah National Park Association took over the management of the Guide in 1989, and has made minor revisions over the years. The on-line version is the result of updates through 1997.
As Tony notes in the introduction to the on-line Guide, “…almost every aspect of the Park is subject to change. For example, new trails are created from time to time, and others abandoned. Rules for visitor use will change to reflect changing conditions. The state of trail maintenance, vista clearing at the overlooks, and facilities available in winter, will depend on money and personnel available.”
It is the extra details in the Heatwole guide that make it special for me – from the inscription he noted on the abandoned Pocosin mission, quoted earlier this week, to other trail details that I’ve found there. However, many vistas that he described have become overgrown with the emerging forest in the Park, and other changes have come and gone, so the Guide is now due for an update.
When I sent Tony the link to my Pocosin Trail review, he shared some happy news – the association has decided to update the on-line Guide. I don’t have publication date details, but I’m looking forward to the updates to this valuable resource. The on-line Guide can be found at http://www.ajheatwole.com/guide .
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