science

Peaks of Otter

Peaks of Otter is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Peaks of Otter rather than just read about it. In short: The Peaks of Otter are three mountain peaks in the Blue Ridge Mountains, overlooking the town of Bedford, Virginia, which lies nine miles (14 km) to the southeast along State Route 43. These peaks are Sharp Top, Flat Top, and Harkening Hill.

Key takeaways

Peaks of Otter belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Peaks of Otter to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Peaks of Otter from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Peaks of Otter are three mountain peaks in the Blue Ridge Mountains, overlooking the town of Bedford, Virginia, which lies nine miles (14 km) to the southeast along State Route 43. These peaks are Sharp Top, Flat Top, and Harkening Hill. The manmade Abbott Lake lies in the valley surrounded by the three peaks, behind the Peaks of Otter Lodge and restaurant. The National Park Service preserves the peaks and lake as part of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Thomas Jefferson once wrote that "the mountains of the Blue Ridge, and of these the Peaks of Otter, are thought to be of a greater height, measured from their base, than any others in our country, and perhaps in North America." Of course this later turned out not to be the case, but not before Virginia had sent stones from the peaks to be its part of the Washington Monument.

History At milepost marker 86 of the Blue Ridge Parkway stands the Peaks of Otter. Archaeological evidence under Abbott Lake indicates that Native Americans have been visiting the Peaks of Otter for at least 8,000 years for hunting, travel, and rest. European settlers started establishing the area in the mid-1700s. In 1766, Thomas Wood and his family from Pennsylvania settled a homestead on the area; National Park Service documents indicate other early residents included brothers Charles and Robert Ewing, who are asserted by some to have named the Peaks after the Ewing surname as it is pronounced in Scottish Gaelic – Clann Eóghain na h-Oitrich, or "Clan Ewing of Otter." This view may be given credence by similarly Otter-themed place names in Scotland, and the resemblance of Flat Top to Beinn Dorain in the ancestral Ewing area of Argyll and Bute. Other theories for the naming of the Peaks of Otter include the anglicizing of the Cherokee word "Otari" meaning "high places", or the naming of the mountains after the Otter River, which starts nearby and presumably got named for otters downstream.

In 1834, the first local inn was created by Polly Wood, a widow who opened an "Ordinary" in her log cabin where settlers could stay the night and get a warm meal. By the 1870s, Benjamin Wilkes had opened the famous Mons Hotel, and the Peaks of Otter was home to over 20 families, a school, a church, and the hotel. One of the families included the Johnson family, which lived for three generations until the 1930s on the now-preserved Johnson farmstead. By the early 1900s, the Peaks of Otter became a popular local tourist spot and became especially noticed by the National Park Service. Abbott Lake, the lake at the base of the peaks, was man made and created in 1964 along with the official Peaks of Otter Lodge, which still stands today.

Activities The primary activity at Peaks of Otter is hiking. There are three main peaks: Flat Top, Sharp Top, and Harkening Hill in order from highest peak altitude to lowest peak altitude. Flat Top is the tallest, and Harkening Hill is the smallest. Sharp Top is the most famous hike with its spectacular 360° view at the top. There is also a separate cliff formation on the other side of Sharp Top called Buzzard's Roost, which also has good views. For those who cannot hike 1.5 mile and 1,300 ft elevation gain trail up to the top of Sharp Top, there is a shuttle service that people up to within a 15-minute walk from the top. Combined within the three peaks is a little over 12 miles of hiking and extra attractions along the way. There is a flat, one-mile paved trail around Abbott Lake along with a 1.6-mile-loop trail to a waterfall roughly 2 miles north on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Johnson Farm is a historically restored site along one of the side trails towards Harkening Hill. The house and outbuildings are preserved in their 1930s form along with gardens and a small orchard. Visitors can take free tours of the farmhouse from June–September. From June–October the National Park Service provides various Ranger programs. There is also a small visitor center run by the National Park Service. Lodging includes the Peaks of Otter Lodge and the Peaks of Otter campground. There is also a large picnic area with outdoor grills. From atop the peaks, the nearbytown of Bedford can be seen. On the summit of the far side of Sharp Top is the site where a B-25 bomber crashed into the mountain during a training exercise during World War II. The wreckage was never removed, as it was too heavy and the side of the mountain was too steep to retrieve it. There is a small memorial on a rock at the top of the site, but the majority of the plane can still be found along the mountain. A bigger, more recent D-Day Memorial is located in Bedford.

References

External links "Blue Ridge Parkway Lodging | Peaks of Otter Lodge". Peaksofotter.com. Retrieved June 26, 2016. "Peaks of Otter, MP 86". Blue Ridge Parkway. Retrieved June 26, 2016. "Peaks of Otter - Virginia Is For Lovers". Virginia.org. June 21, 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2016. "Facility Details - PEAKS OF OTTER CAMPGROUND, VA". Recreation.gov. Retrieved June 26, 2016. Bedford, Virginia "B-25 Crash Site, Sharp Top Mountain, Virginia". Goodrow.us. Retrieved June 26, 2016. "Home - National D-Day Memorial". Dday.org. Retrieved June 26, 2016. Peaks of Otter Lodge The Peaks of Otter The "Peaks of Otter" Story Peaks of Otter Winery Five Army Men Die In Crash of B25 Bomber

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Peaks of Otter

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Peaks of Otter claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Peaks of Otter before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Peaks of Otter ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Peaks of Otter

In research: Peaks of Otter appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Peaks of Otter in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Peaks of Otter is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Blue Ridge Parkway, Landforms of Bedford County, Virginia, Landforms of Botetourt County, Virginia, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Peaks of Otter outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Peaks of Otter in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Peaks of Otter means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Peaks of Otter out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Peaks of Otter in simple terms?

Why does Peaks of Otter matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Peaks of Otter?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Peaks of Otter.