TT 14 D=STONY MAN (HW3273)

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State: VA
County: Page
Quad: Old Rag Mtn
Location: N 38° 35.871' W078° 22.317'
Elevation: 4011 ft.
Designation: TT 14 D=STONY MAN 1928
Setting: Rock Outcrop
Type: Transit Traverse Station
Year: 1928
Established By: USGS
Recovered: 01 October 2006

Rich and I expected that the hike up Stony Man Mountain would yield an easy tri-station find. We never expected to have so much trouble with this one! After resting for a while nestled in the rocks at the overlook in order to stay out of the wind and catch a bit of the view, we hiked back into the woods toward the tri-station coordinates. We found the station disk itself easily enough, and RM 2 followed soon afterward. But a thorough search lasting well over an hour failed to turn up RM 3. We measured, probed, even checked bearings other than that listed on the datasheet in case there had been a mistake made in transcribing the data. We were simply unable to find the 2-foot square boulder anywhere.

We searched well into the afternoon, and then decided to give up on RM 3. RM 1 (the azimuth mark) was still left for us to find! But we had no success with this mark, either. Several times we drove the 4.7 miles from the Skyland entrance (trying, in fact, both the north and south entrances as the datasheet description does not specify which was used). But the details of the description didn't match what we encountered at either spot. While at the gift shop later on, we happened to come across a book of historic photographs, and we spotted a long-gone stone building called the Sexton Shelter. Could this have been the stone house mentioned on the datasheet? I later discovered its location on an old map, and the details seem to fit. This could very well help us zero in on the azimuth mark. I'm looking forward to returning to Shenandoah, and finally finding this disk!

A report on the condition of this station and RM 2 has been submitted to NGS, along with the following recovery note:

The station disk and RM 2 were recovered in good condition as described. Some of the concrete holding RM 2 in place has eroded, but the disk still appears to be set solidly in the rock outcrop. Handheld GPS WAAS-corrected coordinates for RM 2 are 38 35 52.6(N) 078 22 18.4(W).

RM 3 was not recovered after an extensive search. No 2-foot square rock outcrop was found at the given distance and direction from the station mark.

RM 1 (azimuth mark) was not found. The given distance was driven from the entrance to Skyland Resort and the nearby rock outcrops were searched without success.

Zhanna

NGS Official Description, 1933 (see datasheet for recent updates) :

DESCRIBED BY COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 1933 (MAH) STATION IS ON STONY MAN CLIFF WHICH IS IN THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS ABOUT 6-1/2 MILES SE OF LURAY, VIRGINIA, AND 1/2 MILE NE OF SKYLAND. REFERENCE MARKS ARE STANDARD BRONZE DISKS SET IN CONCRETE IN DEPRESSIONS IN OUTCROPPING BEDROCK. REFERENCE MARK NO. 1 (AZIMUTH MARK) IS 4.7 MILES N OF THE ENTRANCE TO SKYLAND ON THE SKYLINE DRIVE. IT IS 17 YARDS NW OF CENTER LINE OF SKYLINE DRIVE. ABOUT 50 YARDS NNE OF POINT OF INTERSECTION OF CURVE. ABOUT 100 YARDS N OF STONE HOUSE. IN LARGEST ROCK OUTCROP IN A GRASSY CLEARED AREA. REFERENCE MARK NO. 2 IS E OF STATION IN LARGE ROCK OUTCROP. ABOUT 1 FOOT S OF N EDGE AND IN CENTER E AND W OF SAID OUTCROP. REFERENCE MARK NO. 3 IS S OF STATION IN A 2-FOOT SQUARE ROCK OUTCROP WHICH PROTRUDES ABOUT 18 INCHES ABOVE THE GROUND. IT IS 5 FEET LOWER THAN STATION. TO REACH FROM SKYLAND GO 0.25 MILE E TOWARD SKYLINE DRIVE. TURN LEFT AT ARROW STONY MAN PEAK 0.76 MILE. FOLLOW ARROW STONY MAN TOWER 0.45 MILE TO END OF TRUCK TRAVEL. CONTINUE 0.2 MILE TO OLD FIRE LOOKOUT TOWER AND STATION. STATION IS STANDARD U.S.G.S. B.M. MARKER STAMPED TT STA. NO. 14 D 1928. IT IS ABOUT 30 FEET W OF OLD WOODEN FIRE TOWER. IT IS EXPECTED THAT THE OLD WOODEN TOWER WILL SOON BE REPLACED WITH A STEEL STRUCTURE. STATION IS IN THE TOP OF LARGE ROCK OUTCROP AND ALONG W EDGE OF SAME.