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By Scott Cissel
Rappahannock News Staff Writer
Appalachian Trail thru-hikers encounter one of the most challenging parts of the 2,200mile-long footpath in Loudoun County.
Known as “The Roller Coaster,” this strenuous stretch is located along the knobs and hollows of the mountainside, along 13 miles that extends from Ashby Gap at U.S. 50 to Snickers Gap at Route 7. It has several thousand feet of elevation change with several 500-foot climbs.
It was near the Loudoun border with Clarke County that a young woman died of cardiac arrest last week on an outing with an outdoor school from Georgia. Reports of the 15-yearold’s death said she was short of breath before going into cardiac arrest.
“It’s a place to take it slow - it’s grueling with constant ups and downs” said Laurie Pottiger, a longtime employee of the Appalachian Trail Conference in Harpers Ferry, W.Va.
Pottiger, who once hiked the length of the trail, recommends that “Coaster” hikers should
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