In 1933, members of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC) traveled to Meadows of Dan, Virginia, to hike the Dan River Gorge, including the Pinnacles of Dan. They stayed at the home of John Barnard, who had laid out and maintained the Trail in Patrick County on behalf of the ATC. Barnard led hikes over the Pinnacles and was a regular host for PATC excursions in the area. Visitors such as this group typically camped on his land or stayed in his barn.

[Reverse of image] "Members of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club at the home of Mr. and Mrs. J.R. Barnard near Pinnacles of Dan, Patrick Co. Va., July 1,2,3, 1933. Myron Avery with wheel."

The original route of the Appalachian Trail in Virginia crossed the Pinnacles of Dan, a route described by hikers at the time as second only to Mt. Katahdin for its difficulty and beauty. In 1952, the ATC moved the route of the Trail more than 50 miles north and west, abandoning this region of Southern Virginia and removing the Pinnacles from the Trail's route forever. Today the Pinnacles are accessible only by permit from the company that controls the dams in the gorge. This image comes from former ATC Chairman Myron Avery's personal scrapbooks in the ATC Archives.

This map depicts the Appalachian Trail between Roanoke and Fries, Virginia in 1940, including the legendary stretch over the Pinnacles of Dan. This original route of the Appalachian Trail was abandoned in 1952, when the Trail was rerouted west into the Jefferson National Forest to the route it follows today.