Last week I missed my Blog day totally. That was the first
time I had missed since I started weekly blogs last winter. I was spending the
week with 15 middle schoolers in a program we called Making it Better. On Day
one of our adventure we were out to make ourselves better at the Bull Run
Mountain Conservancy located in the northwest end of Prince William County.
The conservancy preserves 800 acres of the Bull Run
Mountains. There are numerous trails to hike and more things to see. The
conservancy offers day camps in the summer, classes during the school year and
a whole host of other activities. You can find out more at www.brmconservancy.org.
We chose the Fern Hollow trail for the first part of our
hike. This took us by the remains of the Beverly Mill. The mill is a three story stone structure
that can be easily seen from I 66 just east of Thoroughfare Gap. The Mill was opened by the Chapman family in
1742 and operated up until the Civil War. During the Civil War the Confederates
used the mill as a slaughterhouse and meat preservation facility. Prior to the
Second Battle of Manassas the confederates burned the mill to prevent the meat
from falling into the stomachs of the union. The Beverley Family rebuilt the
mill 1876. Up until a fire in 1998 there was hope of restoring the mill. After
the fire the building was stabilized and is now maintained as an historical
ruin site.

We shortly thereafter joined the Chestnut Ridge Trail which
took us up to the overlook. The most interesting thing about the overlook is I
realized we were standing on the white cliff outcropping that can be seen when
you are eastbound on I 66 just east of the Plains.
Overall the hike up the mountain was 2.5 miles long and we
were exhausted. The hike down the mountain was also 2.5 miles.
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