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The Dead Horse cutoff on the AT gets skipped by almost everyone and it's a real mistake
I keep seeing people plan their Virginia section of the Appalachian Trail and they blow right past the Dead Horse cutoff near Damascus without a second thought. It matters because that stretch adds 8 miles of ridge walking with zero road crossings and way less foot traffic than the main path, and I know because I hiked both ways last October and the difference was night and day. The main trail was a parade of people and the cutoff gave me a whole afternoon of quiet ridge. If you've walked it, did the water situation near the gap hold up for you or did I just get lucky?
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jake_walker13h ago
Man, the thing nobody talks about with that cutoff is the weather window. The main trail runs you through those gaps where you get funneled into wind and rain, but the cutoff keeps you up on the spine so you can see storms rolling in way before they hit. I got caught in a quick cell last spring on the main path and had zero warning, trees everywhere blocking the view. On the ridge route you at least get that heads up. Curious if you noticed the same thing or if it was clear skies the whole time for you.
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