Powhatan Scout Camp
I had the opportunity to hike with a friend, who was mapping Maple Branch and its feeders streams for an environmental project. We were hiking at Camp Powhatan, which is owned by the Boy Scouts. The property manager of the camp drove us to our beginning destination with the last half mile on private property and four-wheel drive a necessity. We had to gain about 500 feet of steep elevation to gain the ridge of Chimney Mountain. We then dropped into the valley to the headwaters of the stream. The rest of the trip was a pleasant downward hike where Maple Branch feeds into Big Macks Creek. The trails were once maintained by the Boy Scouts. Reportedly, after Hurricane Hugo swept through the area in 1989 the trails were damaged and the Boy Scouts decided to no longer maintain the trails. During this hike, we observed the trails appeared to be in surprisingly good condition. Animal traffic and maintenance by hunters may account for this. We observed multiple bear tracks in the snow and some claw marks on a tree. Recent cold weather also provided some beautiful ice formations along the stream.