Shenandoah National Park Views from Above and Below

 A few weeks back I found some time on Sunday morning to take my first trip of the spring up to Skyline Drive.  We were destined for our first sunny day in the 80's, so I thought I might find a view to look down at our lovely Valley.

I settled on Blackrock Summit, which is the southern peak of the little saddleback that hosts Big Meadows Lodge up in Shenandoah National Park.  They say you used to be able to see the lodge from the brick terrace at Hawksbill Cabin, but the trees have grown in now and it is obscured.

That's no problem - a view of the peak hangs over the road into the neighborhood, so I'm reminded of it's proximity nearly every time we visit the house.

As it turns out, the next weekend was the annual spring planting event at our neighbors' Wisteria Vineyard.  While I had some chores to take care of at Hawksbill Hop Yard, Mary wanted to go and work in the vineyard to plant some of the new vines, so I dropped her off and headed over to the farm.

Later, when I came by to pick her up, the group was socializing out in the vineyard, near a spot where there is a great view of Blackrock Summit and the lodge.  So I took a short walk over there and snapped a photo of it, enjoying the symmetry of the experience I'd had, visiting there last week to have a look down at the Valley, and now having a look up at the peak.


One final one - on the way to the summit that day, I stopped at the Pinnacles Overlook on Skyline Drive to take in another favorite view.  This one is of Old Rag, which stands off to the east of the drive.

These days we're keeping too busy to visit the Park as much as I'd like.  Instead, I'll treasure the short time I do get to spend there - and these photos will help me to do that.

Just Back

We're just back from a road trip to Charlotte, NC, where we attended a birthday celebration for my dad.  We had a nice couple of days down there for this family event, which was held by a lake in a local park down there.  My brother, sisters, and step family came into town from all directions.

Mary and I drove down overlapping with some of our usual drive to Luray, and I just happened to catch this unusual view - for me, at least - of Old Rag Mountain in Shenandoah National Park.  It was taken as we drove by in Etlan, VA.  Looking at this, it's kind of fun for me to think that Hawksbill Cabin is only 10 miles west of here, as the crow flies.

Old Rag Saddle Trail and Weekly Hollow: A 75 @ 75 Hike

Old Rag as seen from Skyline Drive.

When I set out on the “75 @ 75” project, I didn’t include the Old Rag hike on my list, even though it is one of the most popular moderately difficult hikes in Shenandoah National Park, and in the greater Mid-Atlantic region. That popularity is exactly the reason I kept it off the list; besides, I enjoy a weekly update on that beautiful trail from Bob Look’s blog (see the blog roll to the right for “Old Rag Patrols”) and I did the hike four years ago (check the label “old Rag”).


Still, hiking buddy Tom asked if I wouldn’t mind doing this one again with him, since he hadn’t done it before, and I thought we could make a go of it as long as we didn’t try it on the weekend. Tom had an August reservation for a campsite at Big Meadows that ran Thursday – Saturday, so we chose that Friday to make a go of the trail. It was a good choice, as we only encountered about a half dozen hiking parties coming our way on the trail.

(Time is running out for Tom, as it has for my other hiking buddy Chris: Tom and his wife are expecting twins in November, so this may have been our last hike together for a while; Chris and his wife had a son in July, so he won’t be able to join us for the time being either.)

My request was that we do the trail in reverse direction from how it is usually done. Both of us are desk jockeys and I wanted to be sure we had a great experience, especially since I had some trouble on the hike the first time. I figured that we could summit Old Rag as an accomplishment and not be disappointed if we had to turn back on the rock scramble.

Google Earth image of the hike.

Old Rag parking, about a mile from the old small lot, which is not used anymore.

Old Rag fits into the “75 @ 75” plan because of its length and elevation change: Heatwole has it as a 7.2 mile circuit with 2,380 feet of climbing. The out-and-back route we took along the Weekly Hollow and Old Rag Fire Roads and Saddle Trail is 4.2 miles each way, but adding the nearly one-mile trek from the parking area to the trailhead makes the hike about 10.3 miles, as I have tracked it in my logbook. The trusty Casio Pathfinder indicated that we had climbed 2,249 feet net – which was remarkably close to Heatwole’s calculation.

The hard cores among my readers are going to ask, “What’s so interesting about Old Rag if you leave out the rock scramble?” It’s a good question, and one I’ll answer by quoting from Heawole, specifically regarding the Weekly Hollow Road section:

“The former village of Old Rag was near here, and the Old Rag Post Office was at the road junction…Originally, the Park intended to preserve some or all of the mountaineer homes in this area. But maintenance proved too difficult, and the houses were torn down shortly after the end of World War II.”



Tom on a rock.



Me at the summit.

Heatwole notes that the road has been relocated a few feet, but as we were hiking with good light, you could plainly see the old road trace, and there were a few scattered stones around that appeared to have been shaped for use as building materials. Also, if you check out the Google Earth image, there is a little envelope icon at the location of the old post office...

So in addition to the summit, distance, and elevation, a final attraction of this version of Old Rag is the cultural reference of the area, before the Park was formed. That is definitely an item on the checklist for “75 @ 75” hikes.

Summit photo, with view and "buzzard baths."

I’ve got a few photos I took from the area around the summit of Old Rag, which is listed as 3,291 feet. The geology is very interesting, and there are resources that explain why the rock scramble was formed and help interpret why these large boulders occur at altitudes on top of the mountain. They are beautiful, and exceptional weather the day of our hike gave us some spectacular views.

Another view near the summit.

As we made our way back to parking, we encountered four men in military style boots carrying heavy packs on the trail – then I saw a pick-up with a crew cab in the lot with a Quantico sticker. For Marines looking for a training workout, this hike accommodates.

On a final note, Tom and I bookended the hike with a morning stop at Central Coffee Roasters in Sperryville and an evening stop at the little burger joint at the crossroads of US 211 and 522. The folks at the coffee shop were very cordial, and allowed me to park the car in their lot for the day so we could carpool down to the mountain – thanks and a tip of the hat!

A Fall View of Old Rag

On my way to Stonyman on Saturday night, I caught sight of Old Rag’s northwest face in the harsh fall sunlight, all those rocky promontories gleaming there, shining in reflection – in fact, the exposed granite on the mountain is one of the main things that makes it so unique on the Blue Ridge. I had to stop at one of the best views of the mountain from Skyline Drive, the Thoroughfare Mountain Overlook. From there, you can scamper down a path through a meadow to a couple of large boulders, then climb up and get a look from only a couple of miles away.


There’s also a good view from the Hawksbill Mountain summit, but it offers a view of the southwest face. Both of these views will give you a good idea of how the mountain got its name – from the deposits of “Old Rag Granite” that is exposed in a long ridge along the summit. Most mid-Atlantic area readers know about Old Rag, the rock scramble through all of that rock is a very popular destination.

Old Rag Mountain is located in Madison County, just south of Sperryville; Wikipedia has its summit at 3,291 feet. According to Hiking Upward, it is probably the most popular hiking destination in our region. I’ve added links at the end of this post for reference to this information.

There’s a third resource with information about the mountain that I like to check from time to time. One of the blogs I follow is Bob Look’s, who is one of the volunteers that patrols the summit during peak hiking season and other times. He has a relationship with the NPS, the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, and the Old Rag Mountain Stewards (ORMS) – in addition to providing helpful information along the trail, ORMS is very active in searches and rescues on Old Rag.

A look at Bob’s blog will not only give you an idea of this organization’s commitment to Old Rag, and all the training they go through to stay ready for the call when it comes, but it also has links to additional useful information about the hike. And he has a few colleagues that also keep blogs – a browse of all of these will give you a good idea of the experience of this mountain, as well as its beauty.

And here on Hawksbill Cabin, we also have our Old Rag story – you can find it by clicking on the Old Rag label at the end of this post. About three years ago, Chris and I set out and did the scramble as a day hike. It wasn’t crowded on our day, but from the experience I’ll add my own recommendation – everyone who’s up for the challenge should try this one. 

Finally, I like to take a look at Google Earth, where I have a push pin at the Hawksbill Cabin location.  Zooming out, the mountain is almost due east of us, about 6.5 miles away on the other side of the Blue Ridge.  So as I approach from the east, Old Rag is like a beacon to me.

Here are the links I mentioned above:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Rag
http://oldragpatrolsbyrsl-blook.blogspot.com/
http://www.hikingupward.com/SNP/OldRag/

After a few minutes of enjoying the view, I headed back up to the overlook and my car. I met a couple in the lot who also had stopped – they described being arrested by the beautiful sight of the mountain off in the distance. I offered to take a picture of the two of them with the mountain in the background, and then headed off for my little outing on Stonyman.

Third Blackrock Hike in the Sun

Since discovering this hike back in September, it has really grown on me. And I've been wanting to take Mary out to it so she could experience the short but invigorating rock scramble here.

It also makes a nice juxtaposition to the scramble at Bearfence Mountain, which I posted about last week, a scramble that is similar to the longer and much more challenging one on Old Rag.

Here is a picture of Mary picking her way along the path that leads down from the summit of Blackrock. This trail winds down the hillsides in the back ground and can form a part of a longer hike that follows the ridge tops in this view.

Clicking on the photo will show the detail of the rock layer - metabasalt, in fact - that forms the top of much of the ridge in the Park, and of Old Rag. This layer is visible in the little peak directly ahead of Mary.

My Park geology books say that there are as many as five layers of this rock evident on the peaks, with intervening layers of sandstone and limestone varieties. In essence, there were successive volcanic periods and a time where the area was a sea bed, before the continental collisions occured that forced these layers up into the eastern range of mountains. As I learn more about this I will post some follow-ups.

In the meantime, here is Mary in the little gap in the rocks. The stone on Blackrock is quartzite, which is actually one of the sea bed layers, as opposed to the metabasalts of Bearfence and Old Rag. That's part of what makes this one interesting, I guess - that the scramble is over these sedimentary rocks as opposed to the metamorphic, previously igneous layers at the other hikes.

Here is a last parting view of the mountain as we began to head back to the car. This photo is taken from a little stretch of the AT, which hikers can follow down from the summit back to the parking lot. There is also a fire road through this area, so a loop can be stitched together, adding a little variety to the outing.

Tech-watch geek: Those GPS Trek-tools

This post is not exactly about a tech watch, but I’m categorizing it with that label, since it is about similar gear.

Yesterday my buddy Chris told me he was looking into a "Spot" GPS tool yesterday – these are the devices that can journalize your location on a map, and also send out a 9-1-1 call if you run into an emergency. Coincidentally, I came across this interesting news story about using the locators on Sunday.

“FRESNO, Calif. - Last month two men and their teenage sons tackled one of the world's most unforgiving summertime hikes: the Grand Canyon's parched and searing Royal Arch Loop. Along with bedrolls and freeze-dried food, the inexperienced backpackers carried a personal locator beacon — just in case.

In the span of three days, the group pushed the panic button three times, mobilizing helicopters for dangerous, lifesaving rescues inside the steep canyon walls.

What was that emergency? The water they had found to quench their thirst "tasted salty."
If they had not been toting the device that works like “Onstar” hikers, "we would have never attempted this hike," one of them said after the third rescue crew forced them to board their chopper. It's a growing problem facing the men and women who risk their lives when they believe others are in danger of losing theirs.”
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33470581/ns/us_news-life/

By the way, from the NPS Grand Canyon website, here are the warnings about the Royal Arch Loop trail: “…The Royal Arch Loop is appropriate for experienced canyon hikers only, walkers who have paid their dues and acquired the appropriate wilderness skills, whose experience allows proper rigging of rappel anchors, and who can easily and safely rope down vertical cliffs. For such people the Royal Arch Loop offers a top drawer canyon adventure, replete with more natural beauty than humans can absorb. For those lacking the required skill and judgment this hike offers about a million ways to get into serious trouble in a remote part of the Grand Canyon.”

I’ve actually been thinking about these products to add to my gear while I continue exploring the hikes of Shenandoah National Park. I’ve enjoyed posting hike reviews on the Hawksbill Cabin site and have even considered compiling them into some sort of a guide, recognizing that they need a bit of technical enhancement information that gear like this could provide.

In my research I checked the Outside magazine gear guide to see if any of these accessories were reviewed or recommended there – none were. Chris had read a number of reviews, most of which indicated that there was trouble with the devices – not in the emergency call mode, but because the map tracking element failed to transmit – something you wouldn’t find out about until you returned from your adventure. Imagine returning from your once in a lifetime trip (one that you were well prepared for, not like our hikers above) only to find the GPS marker from where you saw the grizzly on Denali hadn’t been recorded, or your swordfish mark off Saipan was not to be found?

Maybe it’s a gene pool thing, heading out unprepared like this, trusting in one’s own resourcefulness to stay safe, but it’s just common sense to realize that these devices aren’t going to replace good preparation for a rigorous hike. That’s coming from someone who won’t even do Old Rag without a shakedown hike to prepare – and it is patrolled by qualified volunteers (see http://oldragpatrolsbyrsl-blook.blogspot.com/ for more information about what these folks do). It can't be underestimated, how important it is to know your own limits and limitations.

Winter Sunday in the Park

We enjoyed the light dusting of snow that was left on everything around the cabin this weekend that we decided to take the drive up to the SNP to take a look around, settling on Limberlost as a little outing - and if we felt brave, we thought we'd try Betty's Rock again, having been turned back there in the summer due to bears.

I'll post on the two trails later, but for now, here are a couple of photos in the Park...I like to go up in the winter for a few reasons, not the least of which is how few people there are out in the Park. But also, with the leaves down, you really get a sense of how rough the mountain terrain is - it's easy to forget this when the leaves soften up the picture, and on a clear day you have a good chance of seeing something you hadn't noticed before.

For example, here are photos of Old Rag, from the Pinnacles overlook, and another of Hawksbill Mountain, from the Crescent Rock overlook. Two favorites. In both, the sharpness of the ridge lines are highlighted.

Another interesting site for us was these ice falls along Skyline Drive on Stoneyman. We'd seen them from about 4 miles away in the clear and sunny air. We even saw one up on Stoneyman - I'd say approximately on his right cheek there. I got out of the car to get closer and took the photo of this big one. It was 40 feet or so tall, and had that light blue tone they get. Really a nice surprise to happen on these.

Hawksbill Mountain Holiday Hike - part 1

I mentioned last week that Mary and I set out on the short hike to Hawksbill summit last weekend. We were greated by a sparkling day - in the mid-sixties, with a lot of the haze that typically hangs over the Valley cleared out by a front that had moved through, bringing the warmer air with it.

Once we were on the trail, this inviting view of the fairly easy way ahead greeted us.

Here are a couple of photos from our drive up to the trail head. There were a number of visitors in the Park, having taken inspiration in the weather change, even though all of the facilities are closed at this time of year. Since there were typically no other cars in most waysides, I pulled off more frequently than I typically would have.

Here are two photos overlooking the Valley, first in the direction of the New Market Gap, and second, looking north of Luray.

Next, a photo of Old Rag Mountain - I think this is the clearest shot of it I have ever taken from Skyline Drive.

Whiteoak Canyon - a moderate day hike

This is the third and final of the three day hikes I explored during my recent vacation - Whiteoak Canyon. I chose the downslope approach, which requires a drive on the eastern border of the Park. You pass Old Rag Mountain (photo here, and there is a blog entry in November 2007) on the way to the trailhead.

The hike is included in the "Easy Day Hikes" book, but it is listed as the most difficult. If you do the whole route, it entails climbing up or down the entire ridge of the Park...as with many of the SNP hikes, this means either starting with a downward or upward climb, and reversing on the way back.

Here is a part of the review from the "ajheatwole.com" site (review of the route starting from Skyline Drive):

"Whiteoak Canyon has been called the "scenic gem" of Shenandoah, which is an understatement. It's a place of wild beauty—a shady place of great boulders under tall hemlocks, of cascades and pools and sheer rock walls, and a steep gorge with six waterfalls. The trail, from the Drive to the first (and highest) waterfall, is in good condition, and the walking is easy. But farther down it gets steeper, and parts of it are rough and rocky.

As you might expect, this has always been one of the most popular places in the Park. Long before there was a Park, Whiteoak Canyon was the principal playground for the guests at Skyland. At that time the first falls could be reached by road. At the top of the falls were a bridge, a dam, a swimming pool, and bath houses. This spot was the scene of picnics and barbeques throughout the summer. Now the top of the falls has partially returned to its original wild state. But its popularity continues. The parking area holds 40 cars; on summer weekends you'll find the parking area full, and the canyon disappointingly crowded."



After parking at the trailhead - on Friday morning, there were about 10 cars in the lot - the route crosses private property on the way to the trailhead. Once there, at the eastern entry, there is a gently sloping walk for about 3/4 miles. At first, the trail crosses stream beds, sometimes on bridges like this one - some of the streams are dry and others have water in them.

Hiking in the woods along these streambeds reminds me of so many other hikes - even Yosemite - but during this hike I also remembered a short walk to a waterfall in the Black Forest of Germany. I was with a group tour heading to Lucerne and we'd stopped for lunch (and most of the others were led to a cuckoo clock shop).

My plan was to hike the whole canyon and catch all of the falls - there are many in this canyon, some of the most scenic ones in the Park.

This last photo for the day is of a small ford of the stream - the trail across leads to another wilderness route through the forest. From here, the trail begins to climb more steeply, while the stream bubbles and gurgles over rocks and through pools, as gradually you come to the first of the falls.

I'll continue the review of this hike in tomorrow's entry.

Memorial Day Hike - Hawksbill Summit

On Memorial Day weekend, we set out for our first hike of the year up in the Park. After stopping in to visit some of our friends in town, and breakfast at the Brookside restaurant (right near SNP HQ on 211), we made our way to the Upper Hawksbill trailhead for the short hike to the summit.

Along the way, we bought our annual pass to SNP – a difference this year is that you can buy a pass for this Park only, which we did – in the past we’ve bought passes for all NPS parks. We also made a stop at one of the Skyline Drive overlooks to snap this photo of Old Rag.

Here’s the Hawksbill Summit hike description from http://www.ajheatwole.com/guide/log2/log23.htm
“HIKE: Hawksbill Summit. Round trip 2.1 miles; total climb about 520 feet; time required 2:00. A fairly easy hike on a graded trail and a fire road. Good views from the summit. …The trail goes into the woods from the drinking fountain. After a short steep stretch you have a steady, easy climb through young oak forest….”

The summit is the highest point in SNP, we enjoy going up there several times a year. Also, the peak is directly to the east of us at the Hawksbill Cabin, we see it every time we are driving home.

There is a lesser peak that I have yet to learn the name of – shown in this photo. Clearly this one is about 500 feet shorter than Hawksbill, although from the valley, the perspective makes it appear the same height.

Another photo, this time a gratuitous view of the Valley towards Luray, and one of Mary on the outcroppings with her new sport pack, which we picked up earlier in the day from Evergreen Outfitters. For these short hikes, we travel lightly, mainly only packing water and snacks – so the small pack is just right for us.

On the way back down to the trailhead, we detoured off the main path for a moment to take a look at the Appalachian Trail, which runs along this ridge on the west side here. There is a short detour on the AT here, as an ongoing Hawk restoration project protects some nesting sites on the ridge.

As we reached the trailhead, we encountered a deer foraging through the forest. In this part of the Park they are pretty domesticated, unphased by humans nearby for the most part, unless there are sudden movements or loud noises. You often run into them at this trailhead or just inside the woods at the start of the hike.

New Art in the Cabin

Back in March, I posted about some post cards I’d found on eBay that showed some of the landmark views off of Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park: http://hawksbillcabin.blogspot.com/2008/03/old-post-cards.html

I had picked up an alphabet card from the Flea Market in H-burg – “Greetings from Skyline Drive” – and planned to somehow display all of them on the so-called gallery wall of the cabin. This is where we also have a relief map of the Blue Ridge and Shenandoah Valley, a photo of the Half Dome in Yosemite (I hiked it in 2005), and my award from Chris for “Best Business Trip Ever: Seattle, January 1999” …

Among the postcards were one of Hawksbill Mountain, Old Rag Mountain, and a view of Page Valley from the Drive. Since we bought the Cabin, I’ve hiked Hawksbill several times, most recently with Mary on Memorial Day, although I’ve yet to post on that. And I hiked Old Rag with Chris last November.







The framing work for these cards was done by Vicki at The Main Frame in Luray – we’ll have some additional work done out there in the future. She also framed the poster that Mary won in the auction back in March – we haven’t picked a spot for it to hang yet.

Old Rag Hike and Ascent - Tuesday November 13

Following our successful climb of the Half Dome in Yosemite in 2005 (view at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half_dome and scroll down for the famous “Cable Route”), Chris and I decided to do the Old Rag hike in SNP on Tuesday.

From http://www.hikingupward.com/SNP/OldRag/ , the Old Rag Mountain hike in the Shenandoah National Park is one of the most popular hikes in the mid-Atlantic region. With many spectacular panoramic views, and one of the most challenging rock scrambles in the park, this circuit hike is favorite of many hikers but can be crowded (that’s why we went on a weekday).

The hike features great views, but features a mile long rock scramble that is challenging due to its steepness, and for forcing passage through cracks in the rock. Hopefully, some of the pictures give a sense of the challenge.

Now, more on the mountain, from Wikipedia: Old Rag Mountain, or simply Old Rag, is a mountain in the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia…and is unusual in that, unlike most mountains of the Blue Ridge, it has an exposed (rocky) top.

The photos (most from my phone cam, but some are borrowed from Wiki and Hiking Upward) start with a picture of the mountain as one approaches it, then I have Chris and me as we set off. Note, the dot-com vintage Kozmo.com gear bag Chris maintains! And there is a great history of this company at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kozmo.com !

From there, after a mile or two, you come to a couple of opportunities for views. The ones I selected here feature the foilage, then a look up at the peak and the beginning of the rock scramble.

Next, here are a few photos of the rock scramble itself. As advertised, it was very challenging, requiring movement up, down, and sideways in all directions. At one point, during a particularly tough pull up a boulder, you realize you can’t just go back anymore – the way back down is just as tough as the rest of the way up.

And finally a couple of photos of the summit – the sign, and this incredible boulder sitting up on a flat rock. Lastly, a shot of Chris climbing up as high as possible, almost to the full height of the mountain.

As is typical of our approach, our goal was to summit and then get as far down the hill as possible by nightfall. We were successful, but did the final 2 miles in the dark using headlamps. No problems here, as that part of the route is on a fire road. Last photo here is a topo map of the route.