|
Virginia
Appalachian Trail
Harpers Ferry: Hiked from parking just over the Shenandoah River bridge along 340 back into Va and up Loudon Heights. Followed the AT for 1.5 miles to the top of the ridge, then
along the ridge for about 2 miles. Nothing exciting, but the area seemed secluded, especially considering that it really isn't. Didn't see another soul. HIke up the hill is a pretty good
work out if done at a quick enough pace. I was kind of disappointed that there were no views from the top.
Elevation change: 800 ft.
2003, February 8
Intended to make my way to Buzzard Rock from the Keys Gap parking lot, but
the trail conditions were best described as treacherous. Apparently this area was
hit a little with the past week's ice storm. The trail was covered with old crusty
snow, which was coated with about a half inch of ice, making it basically a solid
sheet of ice. After about 2 miles or so, I lost interest (I turned around at the
"Tower Access Road" noted on the map) and came home. I will have to try this when
the ice melts.
Elevation change: 600 ft.
George Washington National Forest
Big Schloss: Hiked Stony Creek Trail to Half Moon Trail, to Mill Mountain Trail to Big Schloss and returned via FR 92. Part of a 2 day backpacking trip with Bill and Scott. Hike
was awesome and the weather was gorgeous (mild for November). The views at Big Schloss were breathtaking. Hike was not very steep (did the route backwards as outlined), but the uphill
climb was long (a few hours). Trail was intermittently marked, but easy to follow for the most part. Hike starts in VA, Big Schloss is actually in WV. Very beautiful scenery. Only bad
thing was there were lot of people at Big Schloss, and several backpackers.
Check out some pic's from the trip.
Elevation change: 1800 ft. Max. elevation: 3200+ (Big Schloss at roughly 2800ft.)
2001, November 10-11
Little Sluice Mountain: Followed FDR 88 to Cedar Creek Rd., to the Big Blue Trail up the mountain to the Little Sluice Mountain Trail, then down the mountain on the Bread Rd.
Trail. The hike up was steep and rocky once we got to the Blue Trail. And it seemed to take awhile. Side trip down the white blazed trail to White Rock Cliff was well worth the climb.
Incredible views back down into the valley. Hike was fairly remote, as we saw only a few hunters along the way. Only negative was that most of the trails we followed were forest roads.
The weather was gorgeous, two cool fall days. Night was a little chilly, probably in the low 30's. We (Tom, Scott, and Katie Dogg and I) weren't able to build a fire due to drought
conditions. So we made due with a few candles, sipped some drink, and retired early. Our campsite was well off the trail, and on top of a little ridge (probably about 2500 ft.) Had to
knock down a dead tree to ensure that there would be no casualties during the night! Hiked about 8.5-9.0 miles the first day, and probably less than three the second. Katie did well off
of the leash. She probably hiked twice as far as us. Photos.
Elevation change: 2000 ft. Max. elevation: a little over 3000 ft. near White Rock Cliff
Great Falls Park, Virginia (NPS)
Hiked: from Difficult Run parking to Visitor's Center (eventually) on who know's what trail. The good; the Potomac and the Falls are cool. It's a nicer and closer view than on the
Maryland side. The bad; the trails blow. No markings, and there's side trails everywhere to confuse you. I spent most of my time trying to figure out which fucking trail I was on. Also,
there were too many people (like ants). Photos.
Elevation Change: Maybe 100 ft. Probably less.
Manassas National Military Park (Battlefield)
Hiked: A loop to the east of the Visitor's Center (east of Sudley Rd.) with Sean. Path mostly followed the Stone Bridge Trail. The hike it self was not exciting, but the
battlefield is cool. Plenty of history to go around. Need to do another loop on the west side. No photos.
Elevation change: Don't know how much, but a little bit of up and down.
2001, May 12
Hiked: A loop west of Sudley Rd, following the Deep Cut Trail. Trails on this side are less maintained and not as well marked. Trail visits some interesting historical markers.
Took longer than I thought. No photos.
Elevation Change: Mostly flat
Massanutten Mountain
Hiked: GET TRAIL INFO - on a brisk sunny Sunday. The footing was tough going and slick due to the 4-6" of snow cover. This made the ascent and descent a little tricky.
The ascent up is a little steep, but not too bad. WE were rewarded with a nice view into the Luray Valley to the west, looking into West Virginia.
Other than the views about 1.5 miles in, there's not a whole lot to see, although the pond a little off the trail is a good camping spot in the summer, we are told.
Here's the view from the rocks.
Elevation change: GET INFO
Prince William Forest Park (NPS)
Route: Started near parking area "C" on the South Valley Trail, hiked west to the High Meadows Trail, then back down the Turkey Run Ridge Trail. Hiking was fairly easy, with a few
small hills, although it was a typical July day, hot and humid . Hiking along the stream was scenic. Came across a lot of others enjoying the day, including a Timber Rattlesnake
that I almost stepped on!! Lucky for me, he chose to pay me no mind, and he didn't even budge. No photos.
Elevation change: Hardly any, a few small hills.
Shenandoah National Park
Whiteoak Canyon, Cedar Run I - Tony and I followed the Whiteoak Canyon Trail along Whiteoak Run up to Whiteoak Road, then across to the Cedar Run Trail, then down to the beginning.
Amazing scenery! Frozen waterfalls, snow, beautiful streams. Steep climb for entire first half of hike, including 1.5 mile stretch of trekking thru 12 inches of snow (along Whiteoak Rd).
Toughest hike to date! Crossed Skyline Drive at top and ate lunch. Beautiful day, too. Photos.
Elevation Change: 2900 ft. Top elevation: 3400 ft.
2000, Spring
Old Rag I - Hiked the Ridge Trail up the mountain, then decended on the Sadle Trail and the Weakley Hollow Fire Road. Spectacular views along the way, especially at the top. Hike
up takes about 2 hours. Scrambling over rocks and bouldering section near the top is difficult, especially with ice coating some of the trail surface. Hiked with big backpack with extra
weight. Bad idea! Hiking pals were Scott and Bill. Photos.
Elevation change: 2200 ft. Top elevation: 3268 ft.
2000, fall
Old Rag II - See above (Old Rag I) for notes. Did not take extra weight this time. Was a group trip of about 9 people, with Bill, Deb, Lance, Eric, Michelle, Scott, and others. A
little foggy at the top (and noticebly colder). Photos.
Weather: Sunny and cool, 50's-60's. Cooler at top.
2001, early winter
Whiteoak Canyon, Cedar Run II - Lance and I followed the same route from Whiteoak I (see above). Not as much snow as before, but the waterfalls were mostly frozen along with large
ice formations along the trail. Hiked through muddy conditions. There was a few inches of snow on Whiteoak Rd., with plenty of animal tracks. Among them we spotted plenty of deer and even
a set of bear tracks. Photos.
Weather: Sunny and chilly, probably upper 30's.
2001, November
Whiteoak Canyon, Cedar Run III - Lance and friends (among them Bill and Deb, me, and others) followed a longer route than my two previous trips. We hiked on the Whiteoak Canyon
Trail up to the Limberlost Trail, to the Crescent Rock Trail, across Skyline Drive to the AT, then back across Skyline Drive to the Cedar Run Trail. The waterfalls were not frozen this
time, but they were just as impressive. We saw some impressive hemlocks at the Limberlost Trail. Nice views from the Crescent Rock Overlook, despite a brutal wind. The AT was very narrow
and rocky with cliffs on either side. It was cold, and we saw light snow flakes falling almost the entire time. I prefer this route to the Whiteoak Fire Road. I forgot my camera but I
managed to collect some photos from others.
Elevation change: 3200 ft. Top elevation: 3600 ft.
2001, December 28
Pine Hill Gap, Broad Hollow - Hiked up the Pine Hill Gap Trail, then Northeast on the Hazel Mtn. Trail, then south to the Broad Hollow Trail for the descent. Saw fire damage along
the entire route, with more damage toward the top of the Pine Hill Gap Trail. It was interesting to see how the fire affected some trees completely, some trees just at the base, and some
weren't even touched. A few good views along the PHG Trail. Spotted a couple piles of bear poo and some good rocky dens for them. I kept my eyes open, but saw nothing. Also saw pheasant
kill evidence (lots of feathers) by a spring (probably got "offed" as it was taking a drink). No sign of what got it. There were a few remains and ruins of cabins along the BH Trail that
were interesting to see. What did those people (who lived here prior to being kicked off) do back in here? I imagine the land looked quite different? Hike was peaceful, as there was no
one around. No photos.
Elevation change: 1600 ft. Top elevation: 2600 ft.
2002, January 5
Whiteoak Canyon, Cedar Run IV - Tony, Paul, and I hiked an even better loop than Whiteoak Canyon III. Instead of following the Limberlost Trail to the Crescent Rock Trail, we
crossed the Limberlost and continued on the Whiteoak Canyon Trail to Skyline Drive, where we crossed and joined the AT. From there we hiked south to pick up the Cedar Run Trail. Nice day,
a little cold at first. Unfortunately there was no snow (as I'd hoped), but the falls were mostly frozen. We briefly visited Billy Duvall climbing some ice at the second(?) falls. Too bad
I had a camera mishap or I would have had some excellent shots! We scared away a whole flock (?) of wild turkeys just before finding our lunch spot. They were hanging out along the
stream. The hike along the AT is fantastic. There are views all along that stretch of the trail, with cliffs on either side. Icy spots along that part made it tricky in some spots. There
is a spectacular little view point along the AT just before the Crescent Rock overlook parking, gazing down into the Hawksbill Gap. Paul almost didn't make it, but we encouraged him to
move on. Unfortunately, there are no photos from this trip either.
Elevation change: 3200 ft. Top elevation: 3500 ft.
2002, March 16-17
Rockytop - From Browns Gap, we made our way to the Rockytop Trail, where we hiked along the ridgeline for several miles. We (Bill, Scott, Katie, and me) dropped our packs for a
side trip to Lewis Peak, which was awesome. A great view, 360 degrees. The trail was a little steep in spots, but well worth it. The Rockytop Trail provided us with an almost constant
view along the entire length, with views into the valleys on either side (thanks to no foliage at this time of year). This part wasn't particularly difficult in terms of elevation change,
but the footing was very rocky and tricky. The descent to Big Run was steep and difficult. We camped near the intersection of the Big Run - Portal Trail and the Brown Mtn. Trail. On
Sunday we followed the Big Run - Portal Trail, which crossed Big Run several times. The last leg along the Big Run Loop Trail is fairly steep and challenging at the end, gaining about
1000 ft. in 1.5 miles. I managed to scare some grouse from their hiding spot in the brush. By the time we reached the top, the rain was replaced with an icy fog. Katie did an excellent
job again making sure that we kept the pace along the trail. Some photos.
Elevation change: 2440 ft. Top elevation: 2836 ft.
2002, October 27
Trayfoot Mountain Parked at Blackrock Gap Parking and followed the AT North to Blackrock. Views from Blackrock were very impressive and were in all directions. From there, we
followed the Trayfoot Mountain Trail to the summit, where we were greated with no views! There were some nice views as we continued on the Trayfoot Mtn. Trail. Returned via the Paine Run
Trail. We hit Shenandoah in time for fall colors and the scenery was fine. Otherwise, the hike was mostly boring aside from Blackrock. A few uphill climbs to Blackrock, then to Trayfoot,
then back to parking. Here's some photos from Blackrock.
Elevation change: 2200 ft. Top elevation: 3374 ft.
2003, March 8
Sugarloaf Hiked from MP 21 on Skyline Drive north on the AT (through snow drifts
that were a few feet deep - still) to the Sugarloaf Trail, then right on the Pole Bridge Link Trail
to the Piney Branch Trail, then back up the AT to Skyline to return home. We (Paul, Mary, and I)
were caught off guard by the conditions. It was a relatively warm weekend (mid 50's at home),
and we weren't expecting to see a foot of snow over most of the trail (but we did). That made
the hike rougher than expected, and prompted the return via the road. The Sugarloaf Trail would be
a nice trip when the mountain laurel is in bloom. Since our hike was cut short, we snapped some photos
at the overlooks (Rattlesnake Point and Gooney Run) along the Drive.
Elevation change: 600+- ft. Top elevation: 3400 ft.
2004, January 3
Sugarloaf II A variation of the first hike. Beginning was the same, but we
(Paul, Mary, Robin, Ted, Scotty R., and Oso) hung a luey at the end of the Sugarloaf Trail,
onto Pole Bridge Link, then up Keyser Run Road to Skyline, and headed south on the AT
back to the start. Mostly an easy hike, no snow to trudge thru this time (see above), with
just one steep (albeit relatively short) part on the AT to contend with. Views
from Hogback Mtn. (Little Hogback and Hogback Overlooks)were pretty cool. Unusually
warm winter day helped the hike seem short. Trip concluded with a trip to Foster's
Grille for lunch and homemade pierogies for dinner.
Elevation change: 700 ft. Top elevation: 3474 ft.
|