Dan Casey

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The challenge of the day came on Mountain Lake's aptly named Middle Jungle Trail. After a twisty, rocky single-track descent, we'd rolled across a short timber bridge and come to a steep dirt rise deep in the lush of old-growth eastern hemlocks and striped maples. It was short -- about 55 feet -- but strewn with roots and rocks.

Molly Stout was determined to conquer it. This was a matter of pride.

So far, only this hill had thwarted Stout, a Roanoke engineer who races on the East Coasters Cycling & Fitness women's mountain bike team. She walked back down and tried it again and again and again as we stood near the top.

"Go Molly, go!" the four of us shouted.

Molly picked her climb line, spun her cranks and pushed up the slope. Her bike gradually slowed. Then her front wheel turned on a rock and popped into the air. Her face twisted in frustration and she shouted a four-letter word.

Stout never made it up that rise. Neither did the rest of us, for that matter, except for Ian Webb. He did it at least three times. Considering the circumstances, he did a good job concealing the gloat.

The history

I'd been lured to this 142-year-old resort by a fancy press kit complete with glossy pictures, color slides, numerous pamphlets and the most detailed map booklet I'd ever seen.

Before that, all I knew about the place was that the movie "Dirty Dancing" (never saw it) was filmed here and that the lodge puts out a hellacious Sunday brunch. Although I haven't sampled it, this spread is legendary in Southwest Virginia (reservations required).

It turns out that Mountain Lake has quite a history. Thousands of years ago this body of water was a stream-fed gully on top of what we now call Salt Pond Mountain. A rockslide dammed the gully and created the lake, one of only two natural lakes in the state of Virginia and one of the highest east of the Rockies.

The mountain was first surveyed in 1751 by Christopher Gist, on behalf of the Ohio Land Co. Its first known owner, in 1857, was Henley Chapman, the first Commonwealth's Attorney for Giles County. He began the process of turning the mountain and its lake into the resort that it is today.

The property changed hands a few times over the next 70 years. In the early 1930s, Texas tycoon William Lewis Moody purchased it. He tore down the original wooden hotel and built the present lodge with stone native to the mountain.

After his death, Moody's daughter acquired the property. Mary Moody Northen so loved the resort that when she died in 1986, she left it to a not-for-profit foundation with stipulation that its natural beauty be preserved and protected for future generations. Today, the land is in the hands of a conservancy. The foundation contracts with a management company for the operation of the hotel.

The resort property, elev. 4,000 feet, was shrouded in wind-blown mist when Stout, Webb, Mandi Wright, Jerome Guynn and I pulled into Mountain Lake's parking lot. The lake was low, like many bodies of water in this rain-starved summer. Clouds blocked the blue sky and it was uncharacteristically chilly for July. But we didn't need sun to appreciate our surroundings.

The trails

The short rise that beat Stout on Middle Jungle trail turned out to be the hardest part of a challenging but gorgeous afternoon of biking on the Giles County resort's fertile 2,600 acres.

We chose an 8-mile route that more or less forms an outer loop of the 20-odd mile long trail system. It also pretty much covered the gamut of different types of trails.

They include wide dirt roads, sometimes rutted and rocky, which cut a swath in the forest; wide paths covered in deep green grass that hides rocks, making them tricky to navigate; and steep, winding single-tracks like Middle Jungle Trail, portions of which are lined with groves of 3-foot-tall ferns.

Few of Mountain Lake's 14 trails are as difficult as Middle Jungle. You'll know the tough ones in advance because the trail guide that rates each trail on a scale of 1 to 5.

Kyle Inman, a Virginia mountain biking race organizer, liked the trails so much that he puts on an annual race here. This year's Misty Mountain Hop, which serves as the Eastern Regional Finals of the American Mountain Bike Challenge Series, will be held Oct. 23 and 24.

The highlight

No mountain bike jaunt is complete without a stunning overlook. And at Mountain Lake, we found that up on Bald Knob, topped by a large rock formation known as Philosopher's Throne, elev. 4,350.

There are two ways to get up to the top, by Bald Knob Trail, which runs about a half mile from the lodge to the lake, and by Bald Knob Road, which is about three-quarters of a mile.

Don't even try the trail. It's closed to bikes, and with good reason. That half-mile up from the lodge is a series of large steps. Riding up it would be impossible if not suicidal.

The road is a stiff climb, but at least it's navigable. At its top, you'll find yourself looking down upon (lower) green Allegheny ridges of Giles County. Don't be surprised f you also find yourself looking down onto some clouds. We're talking high here, folks.

The ride back is an absolute romp, but be careful of the locked gate at the end. Use your brakes often and early. You'll have to climb over this.

Notes

If you're visiting Mountain Lake for a day ride, park in the lot at the lodge and ask for the recreation office.

Non-guests are charged $3 for a trail pass. That also gets you a 17-page trail guide with detailed information on each trail, including length, elevation gain, the grade and wildlife and fauna you may see along it.

Bike rentals also are available. Non-guests can get a decent trail bike for $25 for a full day, $20 for a half-day. Rates are less for guests. The bikes, by the way, don't feature shock-absorbing suspension. An adjacent gift shop sells snacks, and there's a restaurant inside the lodge.

There's lots to do at Mountain Lake besides biking. There's swimming from a beach in front of the lodge, fishing, boating, tennis horseshoes, croquet, lawn tennis, volleyball, bocci and archery. There are horse-drawn carriage rides (for a fee), lawn chess, and indoor games such as shuffleboard and ping pong.

Accommodations at the resort (these are summer 1999 rates) range from $130 to $255 per night. Given the setting, those aren't unreasonable. They also include dinner and breakfast!

Getting there

From Roanoke, drive south on Interstate 81 to Exit 118, marked Christiansburg. Follow U.S. 460 west to Blacksburg. Take the 460 Bypass around Blacksburg and continue toward West Virginia. Just past Va. 42 take a right on Route 700. Follow 700 for 7 uphill miles to the lake.