The highpoint for Rockingham County is called “The Flagpole” for some reason; in reality, the summit is a gently-rounded open hump along a ridge called Slate Springs Mountain, located in the county’s southwest corner near the West Virginia state line. The map shows a road leading to the highpoint, although its condition (especially for small rental cars) might be questionable. Nearby is Reddish Knob, the summit for this immediate section of the Appalachian Mountains and a border-line 2000-foot prominence peak. Reddish Knob is about 35 feet higher than The Flagpole, but it lies in neighboring Highland County, also along the West Virginia line. A paved road leads to that summit, and both peaks can be reached from the same junction of forest roads at Briery Gap.

After our arrival in Millwood, the rains had come on strong but the weather forecasters were calling for a break in the systems for about a day – mid-day Saturday to mid-day Sunday – so we arranged it so that I could take the car early Sunday morning and make (hopefully) quick work of both peaks. I left Millwood very early – before 5 a.m. – and hit the road for the approximately 100-mile journey to these here parts. I followed Interstate-81 south about 70 miles past Harrisonburg then took highway VA-257 west through the towns of Bridgewater, Dayton, Ottobine and Briery Batch toward the forested range. Weather so far was holding steady. Some fog and mostly overcast, but no rain – yet.

Eventually the state highway gives out and turns into George Washington National Forest Road XX, which I followed about 7 miles to the range crest, a small pass called Briery Gap at the Virginia-West Virginia boundary. No sign marks this spot but it is pretty obvious what it is. The right (north) gravel and dirt road goes to The Flagpole and the left (south) paved road goes to Reddish Knob, while straight ahead leads down into West Virginia. I got out briefly and immediately got knocked back by the cold and the brisk wind – blowing ominous and making quite a roar as it blew through the swaying trees. The car’s outside temperature gauge read 41 degrees, and I didn’t have my jeans with me. I hoped maybe our little Chevy Malibu rental would handle the three miles or so to the summit, so I gave it a try. I eased the car up about a mile but had to park early, as the roads were way too muddy for my comfort (in dry conditions after hiking the peak, my opinion is the car might have handled the road but it would have been slow going). So I put on my sneakers and started the two-mile hike to the top.

I was pretty damn cold (I had a good jacket, which helped), but as long as I kept moving I stayed warm, and I made good time. I simply followed the road north then east, gaining about 500 feet in the two miles as the summit slowly got closer and closer. I was concerned all hell would break loose with the rain, so I didn’t dawdle. Finally I arrived onto the summit hump, walking up it and snapping some quick photos. I’m sure the views on a clear day are lovely, but unfortunately this time I was just here to check it off the list. Without taking a break I started the walk back to the car. The whole time the wind blew steady with gusts about 40 m.p.h., and the sky was a dark gray, but no hints of rain. I was back to my car within 90 minutes and I didn’t take the time to change. I drove back down the road onto the pavement. So far so good.

From here I went south up the paved road for the three miles to the summit of Reddish Knob. The road is very steep and narrow but in good condition. It had plenty of blind curves and oncoming traffic could pose a problem in some places, but I was pretty confident there wasn’t anyone else up here this blustery morning. I arrived on top of Reddish Knob after about 10 minutes. What a disappointment. The top is the parking lot, and there is ugly graffiti everywhere. Again, just here to check it off the list. I drove back down and continued down back into civilization. Incidentally, the Ottobine area is home to (I think) some fairly traditional Mennonites. As I drove down they were coming up the road in their horse-drawn buggies, going to church I would assume. The area is heavy with Mennonites and not necessarily Amish, and I even saw some riding bicycles, which I think the Amish avoid. In any case, it added some flavor to the day. Back onto the interstate I got slammed with rain, pretty much the whole way back to Millwood, so I would say I timed my visit well. The truth is that The Flagpole is probably a nice day hike in good weather and I just caught it on a bad day. Oh well, such is the luck. Still, I had fun and was happy to get some exercise in. Reddish Knob, on the other hand, is only worth it to list-lovers.