September 30th - Our Cub Scout Pack had a meeting in Damascus Virginia, and afterwards we drove over to Backbone Rock (via Highway 133) for a nice ~1.0 mile hike.  Our friends, Phillip Scharfstein, Phil Scharfstein, Jared Jones, and Phil Jones joined Campbell and I for this trip.

We began at the parking area at Backbone Rock, and crossed the road to find the Backbone Falls trailhead.  We ascended some steps and took a left, but realized we had gone in the wrong direction.  After turning around we soon found Backbone Falls on a trail with numerous man-made rock steps (most likely constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps).  The falls had almost no water due to dry weather, and the darkness of the ravine didn't give us very good photo opportunities, but the boys explored and spent some time in this area, while the two Phils and myself took some pictures. 

(Click all images for larger photos)

Phil Goes Over Some Bike Safety With the Scouts After the Pack Meeting	Phillip, Jared, and Campbell	The Boys at the Base of the Falls
	Small Cascades Near the Falls
The "Three Mountaineers"		Backbone Falls With Very Little Flow

Following the falls, we came back out to the road and walked through the Backbone Rock tunnel.  It's very interesting to know that this small tunnel was carved out in 1901 for train passage by a timber company.  It's also interesting that after the tunnel was built, and the track was laid, that the train's smoke stack was too high to pass through it. So the top of the tunnel had to be hand chiseled to eliminate this problem, which is evident in the photo below.

We then ascended some impressive rock steps (that I've read were built by the CCC in the 1930's) and began our climb up the 75 foot high rock.  The trail crossed directly over the rock and had no railings so we didn't venture too close to the edge.  There are also some bridges and more steps on top of the rock to connect the trail.

After crossing over Backbone the boys had fun playing on some rock outcroppings, and then we made our way back down to the parking area to complete the loop.  The boys then explored Beaverdam Creek for quite some time before we left.  Everyone had a great time on this short, but very interesting hike.

The Backbone Rock Tunnel		Jared, Phillip, and Campbell at Backbone Rock
	Cam and Bill On Top of Backbone Rock
Walking Across the Top of Backbone Rock	A Bridge on Top of the Rock	Phillip and Campbell Explore Beaverdam Creek

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