Lunch in the Shadow of President Hoover
Bert Gildart: In my last post, I mentioned the potential of great discomfort by wading the Mill Prong of the Rapidan River in my boots
and then having to slog on a quarter of a mile to the Herbert Hoover Cabin, my destination. In addition, I would have had to recross the stream and then slog uphill and back almost two miles to my car.
The decision not to cross but to return the next day was made after examining the rain-covered rocks, and although the distance across the creek was not great the potential for slipping and getting wet was great, and so we postponed the trip to the Hover complex.
I want to report in this short blog that yesterday I returned with tennis shoes and shorts and so avoided wet boots—and the potential for blisters. The only discomfort was the painfully cold water, but that quickly passed, and visiting the Hoover cabin was certainly worth the inconvenience.
President Hoover came to the Rapidan Camp for rest and relaxation. He was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed fishing the many nearby creeks. Thirteen structures provided the backdrop for his vacations, which were often working vacations. Of the original thirteen only three remain: the Brown House (which has been fully restored, inside and out), the Creel Cabin, and the Prime Minister’s Cabin.
On arrival I found the setting to be beautiful and probably much as it was when Hoover retreated to Shenandoah. To him, the retreat met three key criteria: It was within 100 miles of Washington; it was located on a trout stream; and it was 2500 feet above sea level. Because of the historic significance of the area, Congress designated Rapidan Camp (as it is now called) a historic landmark.
Laurel Prong and Mill Prong converge near the camp to create the Rapidan River, and essentially that is what I saw as I sat on the porch of the Brown House and enjoyed my lunch. Below me the river flowed and it was full of deep pools that still contain trout like the ones that enticed President Hoover.
Though I am an avid fisherman, I didn’t carry equipment with me, though I saw several fly fisherman, who shared with me the information that they were using a single barbless hook and that the several fish they’d already caught had been carefully returned to the water, as regulations required.
Next time, I’ll return with hip waders and fly rod.
