Old Rag - 7/7/12

It has been over 25 years since I hiked Old Rag.  I just never wanted to deal with the crowds and, quite frankly, the rock scrambles intimidate me.  On the other hand, I've always wanted to give it another try because the one and only time I did climb this mountain, it was a cold and rainy day and my only view was the fog that engulfed the top and kept me from seeing more than 3 feet in front of me.

When I first started training for my upcoming trip, Old Rag was out of the question.  I was too out of shape to even consider it.  So, I decided after 8 months of training (and 45 lbs) it was time to meet the challenge.  And a challenge it was! 

After arriving at 6:30 a.m. to avoid the hottest part of the day, I headed up the relatively steep ascent.  After a little over 3 miles I came upon a rocky plateau.  At first, I mistakenly took this as the summit.  "Wow, I really am in some awesome shape," I thought to myself as I enjoyed a Luna bar taking in the beauty.  "Everyone talks about how hard the rock scramble is, but the one slot I had to shimmy through and the few rocks I had to climb over were no big deal at all!"

Some out-of-towner even asked me if this was the summit and I told them I thought it was.  Boy was I wrong!  Come to find out the adventure had just begun.  I overheard someone talking about the rock scramble.  Oh?  We hadn't done that yet?  So, off I went to follow the other folks that had also arrived early to beat the heat and the crowds to hike this beautiful rock.

Thank God for a group of three guys (father, son and friend) who had arrived in the parking lot at the same time I did and were on the "faux summit" with me.  There were from Cleveland and without them I don't think I could have made it over the very challenging climbs, jumps and slots that were to come.  It was HARD.

Unfortunately, due to my ignorance of what was involved in the trek, I had packed up my new medium-sized backpack with everything I'm going to bring on my trip so as to practice with the correct weight.  THAT was a mistake!  Several times I had to take my pack off, throw it up or down to my new friends/guardian angels and propel myself in one direction or another because the pack would not fit between the rocks I was to slide between or it made me too off balance when jumping from one rock to another. 

Needless to say, I didn't take a lot of pictures as I was mostly focusing on survival!  Here's one that I took early on in the rock scramble because it made me think of the guy who got his arm caught under a fallen rock in a slot canyon out west and had to cut it off to survive (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aron_Ralston).  Yes, that's the trail going under that rock...

FINALLY, we made it to the summit.  I think the first "summit" was just as pretty.  Was it really worth all this hard work?  Yes it was because you know deep inside that you met the challenge and prevailed!

A few days later I talked to Mike Meyers and found out that the whole Meyers family - including 8 year old Bella - had done the entire hike, rock scramble and all, earlier in the year.  Humility is a good thing.

After reaching the summit I continued down the mountain, along a fire road and back to the parking lot.  The total hike was about 9.5 miles.  Did I mention this was one of the hottest days of the year?  Heat index of 110 degrees back in NoVA but it was lovely on Old Rag with what was almost a cool breeze.

So...the next really hot day in good old NoVA, GET OUT THERE to Old Rag - but bring a small backpack, no hiking poles, and be ready to scramble!

Snead Farm Loop - 6/16/12

On a day that was much cooler and less humid than a week ago, Mom and I headed to the SNP to hike the 4 mile loop that Jen, Hannah, Alex and I did a couple months ago (when we got caught in a sudden hail storm).  We could not have asked for a better day - how many times have I said that this year?  We parked in the Dickey Ridge Visitor Center parking lot and began our trek.

As before, we went in a clockwise direction, first walking through the Dickey Ridge Picnic Area where we saw a doe and her young fawn enjoying their breakfast.  If I'm not mistaken, they were smiling at the glorious day, too!

The first part of the hike follows an old road up to what remains of Snead Farm.  Although it had not rained recently, it was still surprising wet through the homesite area just like last time (when it had rained).  Maybe there's a seasonal "stream" that dampens the whole area. 

After wading through the mud, we took a left and continued at a gentle incline along the ridge, enjoying the views. This is definitely a rocky path and one must be careful to keep their eyes on the trail!  After reaching the summit, we had a good rest and yummy snack (my favorite part of any hike... hence my trail name, Snackpacker :).  Here we are, enjoying the view.  As you can see, I brought my back county backpack along again to practice with the weight.

THIS JUST IN!

Team Mont Blanc has decided to trek fast and light!  

That's right.  The group I'm going to Europe with has decided to ditch the tents, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, etc. and will instead stay in huts/motels every night of the trip.  While this is certainly the more expensive option, it will make such a difference in the thin air over all those miles!  Instead of packs weighing around 40-45 lbs, we will be able to keep them to around 25-30 lbs.  (Mine will be 25!!)  Hallelujah! 

Charles, Rachel's dad and the ring leader, is pushing to do the whole circuit (105 miles) in 8 days - that's 13 miles a day for those of you who don't want to get your calculator out.  Most folks do the whole thing in 10-11 days, so we are definitely going to have to keep our packs light - which I, of course, love being the minimalist that I am.  My only concern will be the snorers as many of these huts are bunkhouses.  Better get a good set of ear plugs!

So, no more heavy pack on my training hikes - now I'll be going for distance.  I think the longest hike I've done so far this year is just under 10 miles.  Now I'll be looking to do 11-13 miles over the remaining month of preparation.  Who wants to join me??  

I wasn't able to hike last weekend and I'll be out of town this weekend.  So, I'll be back with more entries in a couple weeks.  Stay cool in this heat - and GET OUT THERE!

Manassas Battlefield Park - 6/9/12

While the sun remained steadfast, the humidity did make an appearance today as Mom, Hannah and I set out for a 4 mile hike at Manassas Battlefield Park. I had filled my 60L backpack with most of what I would be bringing to Europe this summer to start the next phase of my training. We started with the Henry Hill Loop trail so we could show Mom the Henry House which Hannah was fascinated with the first time we came.  It was a rainy Saturday a year or so ago and we ran for cover in the Henry House, playing cards on the floor until the shower passed.  Fun memory!

After doing the 1 mile Henry Loop trail, we turned left onto the First Manassas trail and headed into the woods.  Our destination on this hike was the Stone Bridge which sits right alongside Rt. 29.  But first a stop along a creek for a little snack and rest on this very hot morning.  Here's Hannah having a good time!

More than half of this section of the First Manassas trail was out in the open so this section through the woods was most welcome.  And when we got to the stream, we were not alone in thinking it a good place to stop and rest.  Dogs and people waded in the water, cooling down and getting ready to press on.

This is my first time hiking at Manassas Battlefield and I was surprised by how many miles of trail there are.  We hiked about half of the First Manassas trail which is just over 5 miles long.  There is also a Second Manassas trail on the other side of Rt. 234 that is over 6 miles long which I will have to come back and explore.  Who knew there was so much preserved land right in the midst of the Manassas mayhem!?!?



After passing through another open area and crossing Rt. 29, we arrived at the Stone Bridge.  I didn't get a chance to read up on the history of this bridge, but it is certainly lovely.  Here's Mom just about there.  You wouldn't know from this picture, but Rt. 29 is only about 50 yards to the right!

We finished the hike around 12:30 and headed straight to 7-Eleven for a ice cold Slurpee - YUM!  In terms of my first outing with a full backpack (probably about 30 lbs), I felt good.  We'll see what happens when I get to the Shenandoah sometime in the next couple of weeks!  It's going to be another gorgeous weekend with low humidity - be sure to take advantage and GET OUT THERE, people!

Sugarloaf Mountain (again) - 6/2/2012

I decided to head back to Sugarloaf Mountain to hike the long Yellow Trail on this beautiful Saturday morning.  I have just loved the weather pattern this Spring.  It can rain all it wants during the week, as long as we have these gorgeous weekends to enjoy!

And rain it had last night!  It poured buckets more than once this week and the trails showed the affects.  This is what I looked at most of the morning:

I arrived about 7:30 a.m. only to discover that the park (privately owned) doesn't open until 8:00 a.m.  My GPS had brought me in a back way over probably 2 miles of gravel road.  Unfortunately, I had decided to drive the MINI so I could enjoy the convertible, but I didn't know I was going to be in for a muddy, gravel road.  Oh well! 

When I realized the main gate was closed, I improvised by hiking back down the gravel road where I remembered seeing a couple of trails cross over.  Sure enough, one of them was the Yellow Trail so off I went.  I can imagine that this particular fungus was quite happy with all the rain.  It probably grew several inches overnight!  :)  (My foot is in the picture so you can see how big they were!)

I hiked just over 9 miles in about 3 hours, maintaining a good 3 mi per hour pace.  There wasn't quite as much elevation change as I had hoped, but it still felt good to get the distance in.  Next week I'm going to fill up the backpack with most of my gear and see how I do.  Needless to say, I'm going to go back to hiking 4 or 5 miles so as to adjust to the added weight.  Then, as I've done over the past 2 months, I'll keep adding mileage and elevation until it's time to head to Mont Blanc in August!

Meanwhile...I passed by this lovely sight on the way home as I drove the less traveled route through MD and Point of Rocks.  Couldn't pass up a chance to get fresh, homemade ice cream.  YUM!

I think this may become a tradition (and perhaps a motivation) when going to Sugarloaf.  Yet another great reason to GET OUT THERE!

Piney Ridge Trail (SNP) - 5/26/12

I decided to GET OUT THERE and camp this weekend after seeing such good weather reports for the Shenandoah area.  Doing so would allow me to get two good hikes in, at least one of which could be relatively long with some good up and down. 

Despite my best efforts to get out to the Shenandoah as quickly as I could after work on Friday, by the time I got there all the campgrounds were full (they are all first come, first serve).  In fact, the Ranger said they had all been full since Thursday night.  Fortunately, there were still some rooms available at Skyland.  Well, I thought, I've always wanted to stay at Skyland, so I guess tonight is the night!  Of course, they only had vacancies for Friday night, so I'd have to figure something else out for Sat. night.  But that could wait...

As I examined my maps and books sitting in my little "cabin" room in Skyland, I decided on a 10 mile hike not far from the Elkwallow wayside.  As most hikes are in the Shenandoah, it was 1/2 down and the other 1/2 back up.  I got an early start (6:45 a.m.) so that I could take my time if I needed to.

Right off the bat, I got the closest view of a Cedar Waxwing I've ever had.  He was in a tree not 10 yards from me practically at eye level.  A great way to start the day!  Here's what these handsome birds look like (I did not take this picture).  Doesn't it look like he dipped his tail in some yellow paint?

It was a beautiful morning, although summer was certainly trying to make its debut as evidenced by the very high humidity.  The beginning of the hike is on a gravel road which goes by a Ranger station and a PATC cabin, crosses over the Appalachian Trail, and then bears right to begin a 10 mile loop connecting with the Hull School Trail and the Fork Trail. 

The thing about being the first hiker on a trail is that you are the one to break through all the webs formed overnight by our eight-legged friends.  Not the big symmetrical ones that we love to catch a glimpse of in the sunlight, but the random single threads of web between the foliage and often over the trail.  Fortunately, I had remembered to bring my walking pole which I swung up and down in front of me for much of the early morning.  Turns out it was a good idea to bring the pole not just for the webs, but for the occasional slick rock and two stream crossings over Piney Run at the bottom of the trail.  More than once I caught myself with my pole.  The stream was rather high due to the recent rains.  I certainly could not have made the crossings without it!

For almost all of the hike, I did not see another person but I did see some fun
creatures.  Here are 3 of them:

The middle of the loop follows Piney Run (the aforementioned stream).  I stopped for a rest and a snack at a back country campsite right next to the water.  Some previous campers had gotten creative with the rocks.  Of course, fires are not permitted in the back country of the SNP, but I still admire their ingenuity.

After the two stream crossing, the Hull School trails turns right, away from Piney Run, and begins the ascent back up the mountain.  After a short distance, it connects with Fork Trail, the steepest part of the climb.  I must say, it was quite a challenge - definitely harder than my Dickey Ridge hike.  But there something about taxing yourself physically that clears your head.  I mean, all I could really think about is putting one foot in front of the other and keeping my breathing rhythm consistent.  Very cleansing.  :)  Imagine what it will be like at 9,000 feet this summer.  HA!

Amazingly, I could actually walk the next day.  However, I decided to take it easy on Sunday and chill out at my "campsite".  Oh yeah, my campsite!  Turns out there was a guy in Luray who is trying to start a campground right along the river.  He has a couple acres and a bathhouse (with cold showers), but that's about it.  No official sites.  Very few trees.  A dock on the river.  But I was just thankful to have some grass to put my tent on.  Could have done with a warmer shower, but oh well! It was just great to GET OUT THERE and continue on my journey towards the Tour of Mont Blanc!

Dickey Ridge Trail (SNP) - 5/20/12

You know you're in trouble when your legs are sore and the hike isn't even over yet...

It hit me the other day that my backpacking trip to Europe is only 12 weeks away.  Which on the one hand is very exciting.  On the other, it's a tad concerning given my current level of fitness.  So, in an effort to step it up (and hopefully, to encourage myself), I decided to hike the Dickey Ridge trial which begins at the North Entrance to the Skyline Drive. 

About 500 yards after turning off 340 onto the Skyline Drive, there is shoulder parking on either side of the road just before and beyond the Shenandoah entrance sign.  That's because the Dickey Ridge trail begins here and continues up the "mountain" to the Visitor Center and beyond.

What I learned by parking here is that a lot of people pull over and take pictures in front of this sign.  I took pictures of a solo motorcyclist who, I learned, had just started a cross country trip the day before.  Then I took a picture of 4 bikers who were walking (or riding) advertisements for Harley Davidson.  Once the crowd died down, I began my trek.

While this is by no means a steep ascent, it is a continuous one.  So, what better place to test out and challenge my elevation gain/loss muscles.  It's 4 miles up to the Visitor Center.  Much of the hike is on a rather narrow trail, usually not far from the Drive.  There were, however, certain stretches that moved far enough away from the Drive that you could no longer hear the cars.  Here's a typical view of what I saw most of the morning.  Looks a lot like the AT (Appalachian Trail):

My O My, what a glorious day for a hike.  The sun was shining, the humidity was practically non-existent, there was a lovely breeze, and the bugs were few and far between.  I passed about 10 other hikers who appeared equally happy with where they were on this perfect day.  I love that we live so close to such a beautiful place to enjoy the outdoors.  I am so blessed!!

After about an hour and a half of uphill hiking (with one 10 minute rest/refuel break), I hit the intersection with the Fox Hollow Trail and, shortly after that, arrived at the Visitor Center.  While tiring at first, I found that if I get myself into a good breathing rhythm I can keep moving pretty well.  (Memories of running the trails around Oakton High School with the soccer team came rushing back.)  Encouraged by the good pace I had kept, I decided to do the 1 mile Fox Hollow loop before heading back down the mountain.  As I did, I enjoyed happy memories of hiking this trail with my family.  Have I already mentioned how blessed I am?

While hiking downhill is certainly easier than up, it is still challenging and requires conditioning.  I remember hiking 7 miles down into the Grand Canyon and how I could barely stand up the next day!  If we had had to do more downhill hiking on day two, I would have been in big trouble!  With the daily up and down of the Tour du Mont  Blanc, I can't risk that happening in August.

I made good time on the way down, but this is when I started to feel the soreness in my legs already starting.  Rut ro!  With the Fox Hollow loop the total distance was just shy of 9 miles which I completed in about 3 hours.  And I can actually move my legs today - so that's a good sign!  :)  Old Rag is not far off.  Then I need to add a 30 lb. backpack... Fun, fun!!  I sure hope we have this kind of weather for Memorial Day weekend.  But either way I'm going to GET OUT THERE!!  Let me know if you'd like to join me.

Thompson WMA & Sky Meadows - 5/12/12

Abby and I woke before dawn and headed to Thompson Wildlife Management Area which is located just south of Sky Meadows.  We arrived as the sun was coming up and parked near Thompson lake to do some birding. 

It was a beautiful morning and the birds were out singing their praises.  One of the first things we saw were two Spotted Sandpipers - a new bird for me!  We continued around the lake and saw a variety of species including a Brown Thrasher, Black-throated Blue Warbler, American Redstart, Scarlet Tanager, Indigo Bunting, Eastern Towhee, and a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.  Not bad for the first two hours of the day!

After exploring the lake, we got back in the car and headed to Sky Meadows right up the road.  We had heard that there were Bobolinks in the area (which I've never seen), and did our best to look for one as we passed the open fields along the way.  But, alas, the Bobolinks were being shy today.  (I would too with a name like that.)

As we drove the long entrance road to Sky Meadows we birded along the way seeing a Grasshopper Sparrow - another first for me - so called because it's little chirping call sounds just like a grasshopper (which is how Abby found it).  We also saw lots of one of my favorite birds which I call "posers" because they love to boldly perch on a wire or fence post for all the world to see.  Quite refreshing after a couple hours of looking for warblers in the tops of leafy trees!

At Sky Meadows, we hiked the 3 mile loop, going up the big hill first for a lovely view of the valley. 

I love this hike.  Such beautiful views, wooded trails and gorgeous forest vistas.  And, of course, the old homesite is always fun to see.  A couple other highlights in terms of the birds we saw along the way were a a GBH flying very high in the sky (we thought it was an eagle at first!), a Great-crested Flycatcher, a Baltimore Oriole and an Orchard Oriole.  No Red-headed Woodpeckers today, but that's okay - we'll GET BACK OUT THERE soon!