Ok dear readers, bear with me. I'm not a very
good writer, but I am going to try this. Also, while reading my
first draft of this blog post, I realized that I have taken up the
writing style of today's tech culture – short ... staccato ...
sentences. This makes it easy to put thoughts on paper (or screen as
in this case), as I can just pound out a short sentence as a thought
comes to me. However, when reading this, I realized that my writing
was very unprofessional and annoying. But, practice makes perfect I
suppose.
Anyways, I figured I would start things off
with the the most recent two hikes that I took part in. Tomorrow's post will be on the July 6,7, and
8 of this year where I joined three friends for a backpacking trip to the Grayson
Highlands area of Virginia. This spectacular high country is in
southwestern Virginia, near the borders of Tennessee and North
Carolina. In fact, the Smokey Mountains can clearly be seen from
atop Wilburn Ridge.
But first, the subject of this post, my
most recent trip - a day hike to climb Old Rag Mountain. Old Rag
Mountain is just within the eastern border of Shenandoah National
Park. It is a unique mountain in that it sits apart somewhat from
the rest of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and that it has an exposed and
rocky peak. The summit elevation is 3,291
feet. Elevation gain on the hike is just over 2,500 ft.
The
hike to the summit is the most popular in the park, and is considered
a right of passage for many hikers. Old Rag has some of the most
spectacular views in the park, plus a steep and challenging rock
scramble to the peak. This is a very fun hike, but do not expect any
solitude along this trek except during winter months. Some locations
during the scramble can become bottlenecks when large groups pass
through. Additionally, another problem with this becoming popular is
the amount of trash that I have seen scattered about.
In
any event, start at the Old Rag Parking area. Admission to the park
is $15. Follow the paved road about 0.8 miles. The blue blazed
Ridge Trail trailhead will be on the left. The trail starts out
through dense woods, becoming steadily steeper, climbing along a dirt
trail through many switchbacks to the ridge. I sign marking the
highest elevation for camping is essentially the beginning of the
scramble. From here the trail becomes rockier and steeper. The
first large obstacle is a 12-ft fissure that you will need to
descend.
Continue along the trail along cliffs, through caves, and
over rocks. The blue blazes will be marked along the rocks.
Depending on how late you are in the day, some good Samaritans may leave
ropes for the steeper areas, though passing rangers tend to remove
the ropes.
Continue until you reach a false summit. From here the
trail, while still very rocky, becomes less steep. Another half mile
or so of rock hopping leads to the true summit.
To finish the loop,
follow the Ridge Trail south passed Bird's Nest Shelter and Old Rag
Shelter to Weakly Hollow Fire Road. It's another 1 and change miles to the
paved road, and 0.8 back to the parking lot. The total millage is
just under 9. Follow up with some pizza pies and some pitchers.
