Christine enjoys the view from one of the Marshalls on the second day of the trip. Below: The Gravel Springs Hut; Views on the first day; Adam relaxes by the campfire.

From the Elkwallow Wayside, follow the short spur trail at the northern parking lot for .1 miles until it reaches the junction with the white-blazed Appalachian Trail.  Turn right, heading north and you will almost immediately cross Skyline Drive.  The trail begins to climb.  At 1.4 miles, the trail crosses Skyline Drive again and continues to climb.  At 2.5 miles, the climbing reaches an end as you reach the junction with the Tuscarora Trail.  At mile 2.9 and mile 3.2 you will cross Skyline Drive a few more points crossing over Hogback Mountain.  At the cross at mile 3.2, you are on a fire road for a very short while (that is used for people bringing in hang gliders) and the AT goes into the woods.  At mile 3.4 you reach some nice views and where the hang gliders take off for a descent over the mountains.  At mile 3.6, you will reach a junction with a side trail that leads to a spring.  The trail begins to descend at this point.  At mile 4.3, the trail begins to slightly ascend until you reach a nice viewpoint at mile 4.4.  The trail descends again and crosses Skyline Drive again at mile 5.0.  At mile 6.0, you reach the side trail which leads .2 miles to the Gravel Springs Hut.  For the start of our second day, from the Gravel Springs Hut, rejoin the AT at 6.4 miles.  At mile 6.6, the trail crosses Skyline Drive again and continues to ascend.  At mile 7.4, you reach a great viewpoint on South Marshall Mountain.  The trail continues to climb up and crosses Skyline Drive at mile 8.2.  The trail then ascends steeply up North Marshall Mountain and leads to another nice view at 9.4.  The trail ascends for another quarter of a mile and then descends steeply down the trail. The trail crosses Skyline Drive again at mile 11.0.  The trail ascends over a short bubble of a hill and then reaches the Jenkins Gap Trail junction at mile 12.5.  Take a right at this junction and reach the Jenkins Gap Trail parking lot at mile 12.6.

Day One – Adam Says…

I noticed the weather forecast was saying that we had a 0% chance of rain on Friday and only a 10% chance of rain on Saturday.  Since we have opted to cancel a few backpacking trips recently due to rain, we felt we couldn’t resist these odds and decided to take the day off work to work on this section of the Appalachian Trail.  We had bought two annual park passes last year, with one expiring at the end of May.  We felt the pressure of getting this hike in since it required two vehicles for the shuttle.

Adam climbs uphill from the Elkwallow Wayside. Below: A nice view of the valley below.  For some reason, Christine likes to wear backpacking clothes that don’t match; The Appalachian Trail in Shenandoah often runs within sight (or earshot) of Skyline Drive; The trail crosses and briefly follows fire roads in several spots.

It took us a while to get our act together to make sure we were ready for the trip.   We started loading our packs, made sure we had instructions for our dog sitter, and picked up some lunch along the way from Subway.  We drove up to drop a car off at the Jenkins Gap parking lot and then made our way back down to the Elkwallow Wayside.  We ate our lunch outside and saw a few thru-hikers that we wondered if we would see later that evening.  Christine was really cold sitting in the wind outside the wayside. Her legs were covered with goosebumps and she kept pulling her jacket tighter and tighter around her ribs.  She told me that she was really worried about the cooler temperatures, and hoped she would warm up once we started hiking.

We finally started off on our hike around 1:30PM.  We strapped on our 30 lb. packs on to our backs and started climbing up the hill.  While we had been hearing the loud screams of the seventeen-year cicadas near our house, we were pleasantly surprised to hear they were not out in Shenandoah National Park.  We stopped at a few points on the uphill climb to take in the views from Hogback Mountain.  One nice thing about this hike is that the views were mostly on the uphill climbs, so it gives you a reason to take off your heavy pack and enjoy the scenery.  A couple of thru-hikers we had seen at Elkwallow passed us near the hang glider launch.  We’re always amazed at how fast they hike.  I guess hiking every day has its pay-offs!

The hang-glider launch site offers a beautiful view! Below: Adam hikes uphill again near Hogback Mountain; Wildflowers blooming along the trail; Our tent site at the hut.

We made our way down the mountain at this point.  Backpacking uphill seems to be where you feel the weight the most, but going downhill has its own challenges – you feel the weight differently in your legs and have to be extra careful of your footing.  We made it to the Gravel Springs Hut around 4:30PM and checked out the nearby area.  There weren’t any other hikers there yet, so we were wondering if we were going to have this all to ourselves that night.  We scouted out some of the campsites near the shelter.  There were five campsites.  We started to pitch our tent at the first campsite, but we realized we wouldn’t have enough of room to put up the fly.  And with the night forecast to go into the upper 30′s, we definitely wanted the extra layer of insulation on our tent.  We ending up moving to the largest of the sites, but this site was more sloped.  We pitched our tent so that our feet were on the lowest, downhill part of the slope.  We filtered some water and I began to work on cooking dinner while Christine gathered some kindling for a campfire.  In most places in Shenandoah National Park, you can’t set fires in the backcountry, but this shelter had a large stone fireplace.  We ate a dinner of Backpacker’s Pantry Sweet and Sour Chicken (which was delicious and definitely something we would have again) and Natural High’s Banana Cream Pie (which we didn’t like the taste or consistency).

One of the highlights of staying at an AT shelter, is the people that you get to meet.  Around 5:30, we met our first group of hikers that were planning on staying at the shelter.   There was a gentleman named Don from Indiana, who had suffered a knee injury from hiking the AT previously, but was returning for a hike through Shenandoah to Harper’s Ferry to test his knee on an extended trip.  He was accompanied by two brothers from Florida. The older brother, Adam had decided to introduce backpacking to his younger brother (who wasn’t enjoying it as much).  The original plan was to hike the AT through SNP and return back.  However, they had recently decided they would stop at Front Royal and then find a way back to Waynesboro that didn’t involve hiking.  Next, two women came along and set up tents at two more of the campsites.  They were out on a two night trip and had parked a car nearby so they could slackpack most of the trail.  Shortly afterwards, Standing Bear arrived.  Standing Bear was a thru-hiker that had started his trip from Georgia around the end of February.  He had lots of interesting tales to tell along the trail and he also maintains a blog at Hike4Kids.  I would encourage people to read his blog as he has a great story to tell and is helping to promote awareness about child abuse.  He told us a lot that night about how he has been attracting a lot of recent trail magic, from margaritas at a campsite to meals and lodging along the way.  He told everyone that he was very good at  ‘Yogi-ing‘.  We then had another thru-hiker join us named Mountain Goat.  When you looked at Mountain Goat’s legs, he just looked like a tough beast and he was working on trying to do over 25 miles a day to finish the trail quickly.  As dusk approached, the last group of thru-hikers joined us – Rat Bucket and Sketch.  They had purchased a couple of bottles of wine and were making their 6-mile trip from Elkwallow to the hut drinking wine instead of water.  They were of course a little happier than most of the hikers when they arrived at the cabin.  We hung out for a while, sitting around the campfire and talking about what areas the hikers had enjoyed the most (Grayson Highlands was the unanimous vote) along the way and food (which seems to be a constant discussion with thru-hikers).

Christine works on getting a fire going. She still hates her lime green Crocs. Below: Adam filters water from the spring at the shelter; Everyone congregates and cooks dinner at the picnic table in front of the shelter; Relaxing by the campfire after dinner.  Everyone is usually in bed by 9:00 or so.

Around 9:00, we headed back to our tent.  I continued to read my book that I have been only reading while backpacking – a book of John Muir’s writings and Christine listened to her iPod.  We fell asleep to the sound of nearby owls.  The slope really affected my sleeping as my fitted sheet for my air mattress kept coming off and I would wake up in fetal position at the bottom of the tent and would have to fight back up to the top.

Day Two – Christine Says…

I woke up as soon as the birds started chirping and the first hints of light filtered through the trees.  It was cold, so I pulled my sleeping bag tighter around me and cinched its hood around my head.  I had slept really well despite the fact I had repeatedly slid downhill to the bottom of the tent. I heard others nearby starting to stir as well – tent zippers sliding, the privy door slamming and the whoosh of camp stoves firing up.  I didn’t want to leave the warmth of the tent, but I did.  There’s always so much that needs done to break down camp before eating breakfast.

The table got really crowded at breakfast time, so we cooked on the little stone bench on the side of the shelter. Below: Adam checks out the trail sign showing hike options in the vicinity of Gravel Springs; Adam tucks his pants into his socks to avoid ticks; Christine and Adam on South Marshall Mountain.

Adam and I are usually pretty efficient and can have our whole campsite broken down and backpacks repacked within about half an hour.  The first step is always to shove our sleeping bags back into their stuff sacks.  Then we repack our sheets, crunch down our pillows and let the air out of the sleeping pads. Once the bedding is stowed away, we pack up the tent and any clothing that was left strewn about the site.  Yes… we really carry all this stuff!  As you might have guess, we are not lightweight backpackers.  We carry a lot of creature comforts and luxury items (pillows, sheets, chairs, books, card games, etc).   When we go on longer trips, we’re really going to have to reevaluate our gear and make some sacrifices.

When we walked down to breakfast, our backpacks were pretty much fully loaded and ready to go for the day.  The only things left to pack were our food, dishes, stove and water filter – and we always keep those items near the top of our packs.  When we got down to the hut, almost everyone was already up and working on breakfast.  We got our two bags (trash and food/other stuff that has a scent) down from the bear hang and joined the rest of the group at the picnic table. Breakfast was coffee and instant apple cinnamon oatmeal.  You see a lot of oatmeal and granola at backpacker breakfasts.  Clif bars and bagels are pretty popular too.  Although, this particular morning, one pair of hikers even had a container of fresh berries!

Adam and I were the first to leave the hut.  We climbed up the short, but steep, access trail back to the AT and headed north.  The early part of the morning’s hike took us past several gorgeous views from the Marshalls. We spent time at each of them, taking photos and enjoying the cool, crystal-clear morning.  While we were at the first view, Rat Bucket caught up with us.  We took a photo of him and he returned the favor for us before heading quickly down the trail.  Once again, I marveled at the speed and distance covered by thru-hikers.  Most of these folks are covering 20-28 miles a day through Shenandoah National Park.

Christine on North Marshall Mountain. Below: Views from both Marshalls were excellent;  You can see Skyline Drive off in the distance; Christine scrambling around on the cliffside; Another excellent view; Adam takes in the scenery from a high perch; Checking out mileage on the trail marker.

At the next view, Mountain Goat caught up and passed us.  He only briefly stopped to check out the vista.  I guess when you hike big miles, you don’t have time to meander and pause at every pretty spot along the trail. While we were stopped at this spot, we had a quick snack of PowerBar Energy Blasts.  They’re basically caffeinated gummy candy, but the website makes them sound like they magically give you Lance Armstrong-like endurance and help your muscles recover.  Maybe they don’t do all that, but they sure do taste good!  And they have sugar and caffeine – both of which seem to help me hike stronger.

At the third viewpoint, Standing Bear passed us, but we ended up leapfrogging him a little further down the trail and didn’t see him again.  Nor did we see any of the other folks from the hut.  All but two people staying at Gravel Springs had been northbound, so I suppose they just stayed at camp a bit later.

The trail was so beautiful and lush and green!  Even when there wasn’t a view to enjoy, the hike itself was so lovely.  The climbs were never too hard and the descents were never too steep.  We crossed Skyline Drive several times.  We saw lots of dayhikers… two of them were even dressed in their ‘Sunday Best’ clothing.  They were walking south along the trail, not in the vicinity of any views or special attractions.  Neither of them looked in the least bit happy and both of them looked hot and uncomfortable.  I see people like that and wonder if this hike was a spontaneous decision.  I wonder if they know where they’re going, or if they just set out on a trail thinking ‘Hmmm… if I walk on a trail, eventually I’ll see something!’

We saw a lot of dayhikers as we approached Jenkins Gap. Below: An old foundation along the trail; The only bear we saw on this trip came in the form of Adam in a mask at the Skyland gift shop.

We made it back to our car at Jenkins Gap around 10:30 or so.  We had plans to meet my parents at Skyland for a Mother’s Day lunch at noon, so I brushed my hair and changed into my less-dirty clothes.  We had plenty of time to kill, so we stopped by the Elkwallow wayside for more snacks and drinks.  When we got to Skyland, it wasn’t even 11:30, so we relaxed in the lobby until they arrived.  We had a nice lunch together and then headed home.  It was a fun trip, and I can’t believe we only have several more miles of Appalachian Trail to hike in Shenandoah!

Trail Notes

• Distance – 12.6 miles
• Elevation Change – 1900 feet.
• Difficulty – 3.  Despite the two big climbs of elevation, we didn’t feel that it was overly difficult.
• Trail Conditions – 4.  The trail was in great condition and was well-maintained.  There were only a few rocky areas that you had to worry about footing.
• Views – 4.5.  We were impressed with the views along this section.  The best views were from South Marshall Mountain, but there were probably 4-5 areas to take in the expansive views.
• Streams/Waterfalls – 0.  There were no streams or rivers nearby, but there was a reliable water source at Gravel Springs Hut.
• Wildlife – 3.  Someone had written in the hut trail journal they had seen a few bears on the way down to the hut that day.  We did see a deer and the woods were filled with pileated woodpeckers, owls, and other birds.
• Ease to Navigate – 4.  There are some side trails, but just consult the cement posts to keep following the Appalachian Trail.
• Solitude – 3.  We ran into most of the people around the Jenkins Gap to North Marshall mountain.  I would imagine this would be fairly popular since it is closer to the northern end of Shenandoah National Park.

Directions to trailhead:  Park one vehicle at the Jenkins Gap lot at mile 12 on Skyline Drive.  Then travel down south to mile 24 at Elkwallow Gap Wayside.  The spur trail to the Appalachian Trail starts from the northern parking lot.

Adam enjoys the view from Bear Church Rock. Below: The tall, straight trees along the Staunton River trail were very beautiful; Azalea blooming near the top of Jones Mountain; The last push to the rock almost killed Adam.

Adam Says…

Bear Church Rock is a hike that has it all – nice trail alongside a stream, a few small waterfalls, a visit to a PATC cabin, and a great view at the top.  The views are completely of mountains with rarely a sign of civilization.  I always feel like I am truly getting away when I don’t have to see houses or roads dotted across the landscape.  You can easily see Fork Mountain and Doubletop Mountain nearby, but past that ridge, you can also get glimpses of the ridge that makes up Skyline Drive.

The hike starts off on the Graves Mill Trail, which is a flat walk that runs along the Rapidan River.  At .5 miles, you reach a junction with the Staunton River Trail.  Take a left at the junction to follow the Staunton River Trail, which runs along the Staunton River.  Shortly after you join the trail, you will come across a beaver dam on the river and you’ll notice several stumps of trees that have been gnawed by beavers.  At 1.1 miles, you will see a small waterfall leading into a small pool off the trail that is worth a stop.  At 1.8 miles, you will see on the left side of the trail some piles of stone and on the right you’ll be able to see another small waterfall through the trees.  At 2.7 miles, you reach the junction with the Jones Mountain Trail.  Take a left on this trail.  The trail becomes very steep at this point and will remain so until you reach the top.  At 3.1 miles, you reach the junction with the McDaniel Hollow trail.  Take a left here to follow the Jones Mountain Trail.  At mile 3.4, you reach a junction that leads to the available-to-rent PATC cabin.  If you stay relatively straight on the trail, it leads to the PATC Jones Mountain Cabin.  We took this trail which starts off flat, but then descends rather steeply.  After visiting the cabin, return to reach the junction with the Jones Mountain Trail and head up the steep incline until you reach Bear Church Rock.  Continue back the way you came, but your return trip will be shorter if you have already visited the Jones Mountain Cabin.  The total trip should be 8.5 miles.

You could also approach this hike from Skyline Drive for a longer hike, following the Laurel Prong Trail to Cat Knob Trail to Jones Mountain Trail.  My guess is it would be about a 10 to 12-mile round-trip to approach it from that direction.

Adam pauses to look at distances marked on the Staunton River trail sign. Below: Parking for this hike is at Graves Mill; The lovely Rapidan River; Trillium were still blooming along the trail, but were nearing the end of their peak.

On our way up the Jones Mountain Trail, we ran into a few PATC volunteers that were working on maintaining the trail.  Some PATC members volunteer to help maintain the trails that run through Shenandoah National Park, the Appalachian Trail, and other regional trails.  One of the workers has been working on improving this trail for the last five years.  At the time that we saw them, they were working on building in some water bars through the trail that helps pull the water off the trail to prevent erosion.   They were digging drainage ditches, placing some dead black locust tree logs across the trail they had cut, refilling with dirt, and then mounding the dirt in a way that it was unnoticeable to hikers.  We learned that the black locust trees were great trail logs because they don’t rot.  We thanked them for helping to improve the trails and we plan on getting in touch with them to help them some weekend in the future.  We both feel that as much as we enjoy hiking, it would be nice to give back.

This was the first of many small waterfalls we saw along the Staunton River trail. Below: Another waterfall; There were many remnants of stone walls and stone structures in the woods along the trail; Adam stops to consult the map at the junction of the Staunton River and Jones Mountain trails.

At one moment when we were hiking up the Jones Mountain Trail, I decided to take a break from the climb and sat on a log on the side of the trail.  As I was relaxing, a piece of the log broke off, causing me to hit myself in the head with one of my trekking poles.  I felt like I was in the Subway commercial of fat people breaking things.  Embarrassing, but funny.

This was our first time hiking this trail, but Christine and I both think this is one of the best trails in Shenandoah National Park.  If you can handle the distance and the steep climb, this should be on your “must” list.  For further reading about this area, check out Lost Trails and Forgotten People: The Story of Jones Mountain.  I think I would like to pick up a copy and learn more about this area, since it was such an amazing hike.

Christine Says…

Another weekend, another backpacking trip cancelled due to rainy weather – what can I say?  When you’re a fair-weather backpacker, lots of spring trips end up delayed.  We were pretty glad we postponed again, because the thunderstorms that passed through overnight on Saturday were pretty fierce and torrential.  I would not have enjoyed being in our tent during those winds and rains!  Fortunately, Sunday morning dawned dry, but foggy with a forecast of dissipating clouds followed by brilliant sunshine.  We decided to tackle the 8.5 mile route up Jones Mountain to Bear Church Rock.  It’s a hike we’ve been meaning to do, especially after seeing it covered by PATC – Charlottesville Chapter and Hiking Upward.

The hike vastly exceeded my already high expectations. I had the BEST time! Without a doubt, this hike has cracked my top-five list of hikes in Shenandoah National Park (along with Riprap, Mary’s Rock from Pinnacles, Rapidan Camp and the Rose River Loop).  This hike had it all – gorgeous river scenery, waterfalls, fantastic trail conditions, a rustic cabin, spectacular views and plenty of opportunities to spot wildlife.

We saw this impressive beaver dam on the Staunton River. There were lots of gnawed trees (inset) around the water. Below: Showy Orchis is a common wildflower seen blooming along the trail; Everything was so lush and green; You may notice Adam’s pants tucked into his socks to avoid ticks. Ticks are out in force this year!

We started out around 10:00 a.m. from the Graves Mill parking area.  The lot is small; with room for about 8-12 cars at most.  It was already mostly full when we arrived.  The hike starts off on the Graves Mill trail – a flat section of trail running parallel to the Rapidan River.  Within a half mile, the Graves Mill trail meets the Staunton River trail.  This trail is a gentle uphill grade, following within sight or earshot of the water.  One of the first interesting things we passed was a series of several beaver dams spanning the river.  I don’t know if they’re active dams or long abandoned.  We saw plenty of gnawed tree stumps, but no sign of beavers or any fresh activity.  A little further upstream, we passed the first of a series of small waterfalls.  All of the falls and cascades along the Staunton River are beautiful!  If you’re a photographer and like shooting long exposures on moving water, this river is a goldmine.  I’d love to return on an overcast day after there has been plenty of rain.  I think this trail would also be popular with people in search of the perfect summertime swimming hole.  There were so many deep, quiet pools between the faster moving cascades.

After about a mile and a half along the Staunton River trail, we reached the junction with the Jones Mountain trail.  Adam took a brief break at this point to consult the map. We quickly figured out that we were about to start climbing.  Overall, the path to Bear Church Rock requires about 2200 feet of elevation gain.

PATC volunteers have been working on the trails in this area for over five years, spending 1000+ hours of their time.

After just a few minutes of walking, we heard voices and the sound of tools coming through the woods.  Shortly later, our paths crossed with a PATC trail crew hard at work installing water bars.  We learned from the crew that they’ve done over 1000 hours of work on this particular section of trail over the past five years.  No wonder the trail is in such magnificent shape.  Everyone who hikes in Shenandoah and enjoys the fantastic trail conditions owes a debt of gratitude to volunteer trail workers.  They do mind-boggling amounts of backbreaking labor to make the trails nice for everyone else.

After chatting with the trail crew for a few minutes, a couple came down the trail.  They mentioned that they had seen a bear with two tiny cubs just a few minutes earlier.  We were excited and hopeful that we might spot them too.  Unfortunately, we weren’t that lucky!

Eventually we reached a ‘Y’ in the trail, with one arm leading .3 of a mile down to the Jones Mountain cabin and the other arm leading a half mile up to Bear Church Rock.  We decided to visit the cabin first, and then enjoy lunch atop Bear Church.

The trail to the cabin led rather sharply downhill, first passing through an ancient, gnarled stand of mountain laurel.  The curly branches practically formed a tunnel over the trail.  All along the final descent to the cabin were stacks of firewood – also courtesy of PATC trail crews.  Apparently, there is a significant problem with cabin renter chopping down live trees near the cabin to use as firewood.  I find that SHOCKING!  What is wrong with people?  Who goes to a National Park… and chops down living trees (especially when deadfall is so abundant in the park)?

The Jones Mountain cabin sits in a peaceful opening in the woods. Below: Christine walks through a tunnel of ancient mountain laurel on the path down to the cabin; Christine has new hiking shoes – Montrail Mountain Masochists (very comfy!); Christine enjoys the wilderness views from the rock.

After rounding a final bend, the roof of the cabin comes into view.  The Jones Mountain cabin is adorable – two stories with a big front porch.  We peeked in through an opening in the shutters and saw a big fireplace, a rustic wooden dining table and a sunny loft on the top level.  A privy and a spring are both located near the cabin.  What a great place to hike in and camp for a couple nights!

We didn’t stay long at the cabin because we were hungry for lunch and wanted to enjoy Bear Church Rock before any other hikers arrived.  The climb back up to the trail junction was pretty steep, but didn’t take too long.

The toughest climbing of the day came along the final push up to the rock.  After a few switchbacks, the trail went straight up the mountainside.  At the top, a little unmarked (but highly visible) path cuts through the vegetation onto a large rocky outcropping.  The trail continues past the little spur trail to the rocks, so don’t miss it!  If you continued along the trail, you’d eventually come to trails in the vicinity of Camp Hoover.

The view from Bear Church Rock is fantastic!  Instead of looking down into a valley full of roads, farms and small towns, you look down into wilderness.  You see nothing but trees and a line where the river cuts through the forest.  If you have a map, you can identify some of Shenandoah’s other peaks from this spot.  We hit this spot on a perfect spring day.  We had bluebird skies with only occasional puffy clouds.  The progression of spring was evident in the mountains – vibrant green climbing its way up toward the still barren mountain tops.  We enjoyed our lunch and relaxing in the sunshine.

Just some more beauty shots from atop Bear Church Rock.

The hike back down went quickly – with a descent so steep it was easier to run than to walk! We made the return trip to the car in about half the time it took us to climb up.  In the end, the entire hike took us about four hours, including stops at the cabin and half an hour for lunch.

Bear Church Rock is definitely worth doing!  What a beautiful day!

Trail Notes

• Distance – 8.5 miles
  
• Elevation Change – 2210 feet
  
• Difficulty – 4.  The parts near the Rapidan and Staunton Rivers are very flat, but the uphill climbs are very steep.
• Trail Conditions – 4. The trail is wide during much of the trail where you could even walk side-by-side with someone if you wanted.  The trails are well-maintained thanks to our PATC volunteers and it is not very rocky through most of the hike.
• Views– 4. The view from Bear Church Rock is amazing.  It’s not a 360-degree view, but you can see mountains for miles and little sign of civilization.
  
• Streams/Waterfalls – 4.5.  The rivers are nice to walk alongside.  You also have a beaver dam and a few small waterfalls on this trail.
• Wildlife – 4.  We saw some snakes by the river and on the trail.  We saw deer by the Jones Mountain Cabin.  People coming down the trail when we were coming up had just seen a mama bear with two cubs.
• Ease to Navigate – 4.  While the trail does have a few turns, it is well marked with concrete posts to help give you direction.
• Solitude – 3.5.  We had the view to ourselves by going early in the day, but this is a fairly popular hike.

Directions to trailhead:  From Route 230 near Wolftown, VA turn on to Route 662.  Continue to follow the signs for 662.  In about 6 miles until 662 ends at a parking lot.  The trailhead is visible from the parking lot.

Adam enjoys the view from Abbie Point. Below: The trailhead for this hike is along Hone Quarry Road; Colorful foliage, A campsite near the ridgeline.

Christine Says…

Last weekend, we had a perfect fall day – probably one of the last ones of the 2011 season – bluebird skies, temperatures in the sixties and glorious fall color.  We had obligations in Harrisonburg on Sunday morning, so we decided to choose a hike close to town so we wouldn’t miss out on such a nice hiking day.  We did some research and decided on the Hone Quarry Ridge Trail.  Its five mile length and close proximity to town made it perfect for a quickie hike squeezed into a busy day.

The hike was actually tougher than I expected!  The climb went uphill without many switchbacks which was a small part of the challenge, but most of the difficulty came from the tricky footing.  Large sections of the trail were covered with loose, pointy, ankle-turning rocks covered with a deep layer of dry autumn leaves.  I was so glad to have my trekking poles.  I am sure they saved me from turning my ankles multiple times.

The woods were so colorful – reds, oranges, golds mixed in with occasional evergreens.  On the climb up, we caught glimpses of views through the thinning trees.  We passed a few established backcountry campsites and enjoyed one gorgeous open view from Abbie Point.

Yellow blazes were few and far between. Below: Adam makes his way up the trail; A couple of the signs we spotted along the way. There were several trail junctions that were unsigned.

Hiking in George Washington National Forest can be a real adventure.  Some popular trails like Big Schloss and Kennedy Peak are as navigable and well-maintained as anything in Shenandoah National Park.  While other trails, like Hone Quarry Ridge, have very little foot traffic.  Not much attention goes into maintaining these trails.  The double yellow blazes were spaced pretty far apart.  Trail junctions were often unmarked, leaving us to consult a map and compass to decide our direction.  The signs that were standing were in relatively poor condition, slowly rotting into the woods.  Don’t let this deter you from trying the trail, just be prepared to double-check your navigation.

After enjoying the view from Abbie Point, the remainder of the hike was mostly downhill (with the exception of a few short uphills), along rocky and occasionally narrow trail.  We moved pretty quickly, because we were hungry and had exciting late lunch plans.  If you’re ever in Harrisonburg, don’t miss trying Jack Brown’s Beer & Burger Joint.  They have the best burgers made with American Kobe/Wagyu beef and the fries are always hot and perfectly cooked.  They always have plain burgers and one specialty burger on the menu.  I got a cheeseburger and a Crispin Hard Cider.  We sat on the heated outdoor patio and enjoyed our decadent lunch.

It was another great hike, with one downside.  I got the largest, most painful blister I’ve ever had in my life.  I really don’t know how it happened.  My boots were the same. My socks were the same.  I’m pretty sure I laced up the same.  I made it through the hike, but the half dollar sized blister on my left heel has been monstrously painful all week. It was so bad, that I ended up at the doctor’s office on Wednesday to make sure it wasn’t infected.  I could hardly walk and I couldn’t wear shoes.  We were supposed to hike with my parents the weekend before Halloween, but I still wasn’t ready to wear boots again.  It’s finally starting to feel better a week later.

Adam Says…

As Christine mentioned, this is a hike that I’m glad we have a few modern-day conveniences for hiking since leaves were covering most of the trail.  My GPS was handy to make sure we were going the right direction and our trekking poles helped to test the ground out and give some extra support with each step.

An example of the rocky trail conditions.

The trail started off shortly after the the Hone Quarry campground.  After crossing the spillway, we parked our car on the right where there is space for about 3 cars.  The trail starts off across the road and you should see a hiking trail marker on a fire road that shortly leads to a wider off-road parking spot.  You’ll see the trail marker go over a mound to the left and up the hill to start the hike.  In .1 mile, you’ll arrive at an intersection.  The left heads towards the Heartbreak trail and the right heads to the Big Hollow Trail.  Follow the trail to the right.  The trail begins to ascend going up a wider trail that follows a stream along the way.  At .8 miles, the trail will hit a switchback and start a steeper ascent up the mountain.  At the 1.1 mile mark, the trail will cross a fire road, but keep going straight.  At 1.4 miles, the trail rejoins the same abandoned fire road you joined (you’ll see a small firepit to your left).

Take a right here to join the wider fire road.  The trail is quite steep at this point as you’re heading straight up the mountain with few breaks in the uphill climb.  At 2.1 miles, you will reach the intersection with the Hone Quarry Mountain trail.  Take a left on this trail and you will see another firepit immediately on your left.  The trail descends into a small saddle and then begins a steep hike up to a rocky overlook on your right at 2.7 miles.  This is the best point for views on the entire hike.

The trail from this point is mostly downhill, but quite overgrown.  Much of the trail feels like an animal path through the thick vegetation around.  Keep your eye out for the yellow-blazed trail markers.  At about the 4.0 mile marker you reach another firepit/campsite area and the trail seems like it splits again (There was a log covering the path straight, so I’m not sure if the trail continues at this point or everything goes to the left).  Take a sharp left here (this is now the Heartbreak trail).  The trail descends rather quickly through the forest, often through loose rocks, so be careful about your footing!  The Heartbreak trail was the most difficult to navigate.  The blazes were sparse, so we had to keep hoping we were still on the trail, since leaves covered anything that could be called a path below our feet.  Eventually the blazes led us closely to the campground area and we crossed the stream and made our way back to the intersection around 5.0 miles.  We continued straight and made our way back to the car around 5.1 miles.

There was a large group of Mennonites picnicking at Hone Quarry. They're a common site in the Shenandoah Valley. If you hike anywhere west of the city (towards Dayton or Ottobine) on Sunday, you'll see many families out in buggies and on bikes. Below: A few more shots.

I joked with Christine that the Heartbreak trail was aptly named, since I can imagine lots of couples arguing about if they were still on the hiking trail and then breaking up after the hike was over.  After we got back to the car, we came across a bunch of Mennonite families that were enjoying a potluck picnic.  Several of the families were heading off to another hiking trail.  The simpler life does make me think of how families may have done this type of thing often in the past.  Seeing people hiking in suits and dresses reminds me of old pictures that I have seen of people hiking many of the national parks when they were first being established.  Today we have trekking poles, wicking shirts, hiking pants that unzip to become shorts, GPS systems, camelbaks, etc.

If you are interested in geocaching, there are a few available on this trail.

• Gnome Watch – a fun clue that leads you to the nearby cache.
• Hone Quarry – a standard cache not far from the trail.
• Cache Advance – a standard cache near the picnic area.  Not on the hike, but hard to resist since you pass near it on the drive.

While I think this hike was enjoyable, I was expecting more chances to catch some views.  You really only get views from the one rocky outcropping.  Everything else is obstructed.

Trail Notes

• Distance – 5 miles
  
• Elevation Change – 1480 feet.
  
• Difficulty – 3.  The climbing on this hike is actually pretty steep, both uphill and downhill.  
• Trail Conditions – 1.5.  Like many less known trails in the National Forest, the Hone Quarry Ridge Trail is minimally maintained.  The trail is extremely rocky, and under a deep layer of fallen autumn leaves it can be downright perilous.
  
• Views –3.  One nice, open view and some nice peeks through the trees along the way. 
• Streams/Waterfalls – 2.  The nearly dry stream along this trail has the potential of being quite prettier when there is more rain.
  
• Wildlife – 1.  We didn’t see anything.
  
• Ease to Navigate – 1.5.  The trail is minimally blazed and signs are far and few between.  We recommend bringing a map and a compass.  There are several trail intersections where you might go wrong.
  
• Solitude – 4.  Hone Quarry is a popular camping and picnic area, but you probably won’t see many people on this hike.  On a gorgeous Sunday, at the peak of fall, we saw only three people on the trail.

Directions to trailhead: From 33, head south on SR 613/Clover Hill Road.  After passing Paul State Forest, the road comes to an intersection.   Stay straight and follow the signs to 257/Briery Branch Road.  257 eventually enters into George Washington National Forest.  Take the first right on to Hone Quarry Road.  Pass by the picnic area and then a small spillway over a stream.  You will see a parking area shortly after on the right and the hiking trail is on the opposite side of the road.

Taking in the view from the Glass Hollow Overlook.  It was really hazy and we were facing the sun, so the photos aren’t great.  But, it was still really colorful and pretty.  Below:  Adam takes the turn onto the Appalachian Trail; The Paul C. Wolfe Shelter; Adam walks along the Albright Trail.

Adam Says…

Today was our 14th wedding anniversary, so we decided to take the day off of work and go for a nice hike together.   It is a good sign that it doesn’t seem like 14 years and that time has flown.  I’ve seen a card that said on the outside “Thank you for five wonderful years of marriage” and on the inside it said “Happy 25th Anniversary”.  We’ve had some great years together.  It was wonderful to pick a beautiful fall day to experience together.

As we mentioned in “Our Most Popular Trails” post, we are shocked that Humpback Rock receives so much attention.  We thought it would be a good idea to talk about this other hike that takes off from the Humpback Rock parking lot.  So, if you’re interested in hiking but not tons of people, this may be an option for you. The views are better from Humpback Rock, but you do get some benefits on this hike also.

After parking in the lot, you will see a picnic table adjacent to the first parking spot.  There are two trails that take off from this spot.  Take the blue-blazed trail to the right of the picnic table that descends into the woods (you’ll return from the loop by the Albright Loop Trail on the left).   The trail descends gradually and at .25 miles, you reach an intersection with the Appalachian Trail.  Take a left on the white-blazed AT heading north.  The trail at this point is relatively flat or downhill.  At mile 1.1, you reach an intersection with a small blue-blazed trail that veers off to the right pointing to the Glass Hollow Overlook.  The trail to the overlook is just about .2 mile and is worth the walk.  At the overlook, there is a backcountry campsite for those that would like to camp and take in the views of the sunrise from the overlook.  Go back on the spur trail the way you came and join the AT again, taking a right and continuing north on the trail taking your mileage to 1.3 miles.   At mile 1.6 and 1.7, you come across intersections with the Albright Loop trail.  Just continue on the Appalachian Trail.

Adam checks out the shelter log in the Paul C. Wolfe shelter. Below: Past campers debate (in graffiti) the philosophy of Christopher McCandless from ‘Into the Wild’; We found a name we knew in the shelter log; On the hike back up from the shelter, we got an open view of Bears Den Mountain in Shenandoah National Park.  You can’t tell in this photo, but there are radio towers atop the mountain in the distance.

The trail begins to descend for the next 1.3 miles through a long series of switchbacks.  At mile 3.0, we rock-hopped across Mill Creek and reached the Paul C. Wolfe Shelter.  We took some time to rest here before we returned the way we came on the Appalachian Trail.  We climbed back up the Appalachian Trail from the shelter heading south this time and back up the switchbacks we had just experienced.  We were both glad that these took off some of the difficulty of the elevation climb.  At mile 4.2, we reached the first junction with the blue-blazed Albright Loop Trail.  Take a right here and you will follow this trail 2 miles back to the parking lot.  The hike on the Albright Loop trail starts off very manageable, but ends up being the most difficult part of the hike since there is quite an ascent up through some switchbacks.

On the return on the Albright Loop Trail, immediately after the second switchback, look up the hillside to see the wreckage of a Beechcraft Bonanza plane.  On the trail it was marked with a cairn to show where you can leave the trail.  The plane crashed back in 1963.  Please respect the wreckage and leave it as it is.

Plane Wreckage along the Albright Trail. Below: Adam checks out another section of the plane.

The Paul C. Wolfe Memorial shelter was built by the Old Dominion Appalachian Trail Club in 1991.  According to their website, “it took approximately 30 people every weekend for two months to complete the shelter.  Materials were hauled two miles by hand and tractor.”  This is one of the nicest huts on the AT, according to a lot of the thru-hikers.  It really has nice construction and a beautiful location.

After our hike, we made a quick trip down to Sonic for a snack (tots and creamslushes!).  We didn’t want to spoil our anniversary dinner though, since we had reservations at The Local Chop & Grill House in Harrisonburg, VA.   It always feels good to have a guilt-free dinner when you have burned off a lot of calories on a hike.

Christine says…

What a great anniversary hike!  I love being out on the trail during the peak of fall foliage season.  All during the hike, the sun was filtering through the trees above – making a gorgeous canopy of gold.  There were also plenty of brilliant red maples tucked into the understory.  What was even better — no crowds!  Hiking on a weekday on a less well-known trail made this hike especially enjoyable.

I had new boots to try out on this hike. Right out of the box, my Oboz Sawtooth boots were perfectly comfortable.  They’re the first taller pair of boots I’ve ever worn.  I was skeptical about that, but they felt great the whole six+ miles.

A golden canopy of forest.  Below: New boots on the Glass Hollow Overlook; Adam crosses Mill Creek; A small cascade on the stream.

Since Adam has already talked about the trail specifics, I’ll just share a few of my highlights. One of my favorite stops was at the Paul C. Wolfe shelter.  It really is one of the nicest backpacking shelters I’ve ever seen – two levels, plexiglass windows, hooks to hang backpacks and a deep, well-sheltered porch, so you always stay dry when you’re sleeping.  The structure is set uphill, overlooking a wonderful, babbling stream.  Even the privy is unique at this shelter.  With it’s half-door, I can’t say you’ll ever get true privacy, but at least you know when it’s occupied and the ventilation couldn’t be better!

While we were taking our break at the shelter, we took a few minutes to flip through the log book.  We noticed the entry from one of the backpackers we met in September at the Pinefield Hut.  It was kind of neat to see a name we knew.

I also took some time to explore and photograph the stream.  Along the bank of the stream, there is a marble bench placed in memory of John Donovan.  He was an experienced hiker and a member of the Old Dominion Appalachian Trail Club. He died on his attempt to thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail in 2005.  The bench gave me enough information to Google his name so I could learn more about what happened.  As it turns out, Backpacker Magazine published a long feature story about John Donovan’s disappearance and death in a 2006 issue.  It was a fascinating read!  The tragedy that befell Donovan turned into a miracle that saved two other lives.

A bench is placed in memory of John Donovan. Below: The privy has a half door!

The plane crash was an interesting stop, too.  I expected the plane wreckage to be a lot rustier after close to fifty years in the woods, but it was still completely recognizable as an aircraft.  I couldn’t find anything more about the crash other than the year it happened and the type of plane.

After leaving the plane site, we finished out stint on the Albright Trail and made our way back to the car.  The parking lot was really full, but pretty much everyone else was on the Humpback Rocks trail.  I’m really glad we took the time to explore this trail – it turned out to be a perfect way to celebrate our anniversary.

Trail Notes

• Distance – 6.2 miles
  
• Elevation Change – 1500 feet.
  
• Difficulty – 3.  There is a good amount of uphill climbing.  The steepest section is along the Albright Loop Trail.
• Trail Conditions – 4.  The trail is nicely maintained.  During the fall season, be sure to watch your footing if the trail is covered with leaves.  There are loose rocks underneath a good portion of the trail.
  
• Views –3.  The best unobstructed views are from the Glass Hollow Overlook. 
• Streams/Waterfalls – 3.  Mill Creek was moving nicely near the shelter.  According to a journal entry from an AT hiker, there is a small waterfall and pool shortly downstream.
  
• Wildlife – 1.  We didn’t see anything beyond birds, chipmunks and squirrels.
  
• Ease to Navigate – 3.5.  There are a few intersections, but there are also signs at each of the intersections.
  
• Solitude – 3.  You will likely run into a few others on the trail, due to the proximity of Humpback Rocks.

Directions to trailhead: The trail is located on the Blue Ridge Parkway at Mile Marker 8. The hike begins on the blue-blazed trail to the right of the picnic table.

The trail was shady and lush! Below: One of the many bridges along the trail - this one crossed the New River; A view of the New River at Foster Falls; Adam looks at some small rapids.

Adam Says…

When we were originally planning our trip down near the Grayson Highlands area, we were planning to incorporate a bike ride on the Virginia Creeper Trail.  We had previously done the Virginia Creeper Trail from Whitetop to Damascas, but we wanted to do the entire trail.  After doing some research, we found out that due to recent tornado activity, only 8 miles of trail is still available to bike south of Damascas.  There are plans to restore it soon, but it kept us from going with our original plan.

We were disappointed, but I had remembered hearing good things about the New River Trail.  After discovering that we could still stay near Grayson Highlands and do this trail, we had a solution.  The next challenge was trying to find a shuttle service to bike.  After doing some internet research, I found a place called New River Trail Outfitters that offers the service.  However, when I tried to call the numbers were disconnected.  I’m not sure if they are out of business, but I couldn’t find any current information for them.

The livery at Foster Falls rents bikes, canoes, kayaks and tubes. They also handle the bike shuttle service. Below: The stable at Foster Falls, A caboose on display; Foster Falls has an old depot building now used as a shop.

I then called the New River Trail State Park and found out that they offer a shuttle service.  The park headquarters is located in Foster Falls.  The cost per person to shuttle from Foster Falls to Fries or Galax is $25/person.  When I called in for information, I found out they opened at 9AM.  When I asked if we needed to make a reservation, I was told “No.  You can  just show up.” It’s definitely much more laid back than making shuttle reservations for the Virginia Creeper. Along the Creeper, shuttles fill up days in advance, so you usually have to make a reservation with a credit card well ahead of your trip.

We decided to get there right at 9AM.  The day was calling for temperatures in the high 90s, so we wanted to get most of the bike ride over before the hottest part of the day.  We had to wait for a little while for a second employee to show up, but we were able to get our bikes loaded and we were off by about 9:20.  It took about 35 minutes to get to Fries.  We were thinking that it was going to be a very long bike ride, but the bike path is actually quite a bit shorter than the distance by car.

The New River Trail State Park is the longest state park, measuring a total of 57 miles, but only averages about 80 feet wide.  This is a state park with the purpose of biking, hiking, horseback riding, kayaking, or tubing.  The guys operating the shuttle service says that most people choose to rent kayaks and float the river along the trail.

Biking Across the Fries Junction Bridge. Below: A variety of scenery along the trail.

I would recommend getting a copy of the bike map to take along with you.  The trail map for the South section of the trail can be downloaded here and the map for the north section can be downloaded here.  This path that we chose mostly takes place in the south section, but you will be 1.2 miles in the north section.

We decided to go for the section from Fries to Foster Falls because we thought it would be a little more manageable in the heat than the Galax to Foster Falls section.  The Galax to Fries Junction section would have meant another 8 miles of biking and doesn’t parallel the New River until it reaches Fries Junction.

The bike path at Fries immediately starts by the New River.  Right from the parking lot, we were able to see gorgeous views of the river.  The trail takes about 5.5 miles to reach Fries Junction (which intersects with the trail from Galax).  At Fries Junction, we did run into about 10 camp counselors that were biking the trail and talking about which colleges they were admitted to.  I tried to keep quiet for a while, since I work in the JMU Admissions Office, but I did talk to one girl that was going to JMU next year as a freshman.  We pressed on after a short break, following the signs to Pulaski (the terminus of the trail).  We passed by Byllesby Dam (at mile 8.0) and Buck Dam (at mile 10.6).  We stopped to eat a snack at Ivanhoe (at mile 13.7).  Shortly after Austinville (at mile 16.5), we went through a short tunnel.  This tunnel wasn’t that dark, so you most likely would not need a headlamp to go through.  At mile 20.1, we reached Shot Tower.  We parked our bikes and hiked up the steep stairs (which is tough after biking a while) to explore the tower.  After we were done, we finished our ride back at the Foster Falls state park headquarters where we had started our trip.

There are a few geocaches to find along the way for this bike ride.

• Crash at Noon
• Grayson Sulphur Springs
• Mother Duck Flown
• Green and Light
• Old Tower
• VSP New River Trail 75th Anniversary Adventure

I definitely would like to come back and do some other sections of the trail.  The section from Galax to Foster Falls is about 28 miles and the section from Foster Falls to Pulaski is about 22 miles.  When we were reflecting back on the rails-to-trails bike rides we have done, we would put this only second to the Virginia Creeper trail.

Christine Says…

The New River Trail wasn’t our first choice for this mini vacation.  Initially, we had planned to head down to Abingdon and make a second attempt to bike the entire Virginia Creeper.  Let’s just say we don’t have good luck when it comes to the Creeper.  In 2009, it rained on us for 17 miles before we bailed out and caught a van ride back to Abingdon from Damascus, in 2010 I got bronchitis and was too sick to go when we planned, and in 2011 the section of the trail between Damascus and Abingdon was closed due to tornado damage.  Apparently, some mythical force is keeping us from finishing that trail!

This was the only tunnel we passed through on the section we biked. Below: Geese and goslings; Pretty wildflowers along the trail; Rocks and rapids in the new river.

Luckily, Adam was able to do some last minute research and plan an alternate getaway for us that included biking along the New River Trail.  The trail is 57 miles long and passes through Grayson, Carroll, Wythe, and Pulaski Counties, linking the towns of Pulaski and Galax with a side spur of the trail linking to Fries.  It hasn’t been around as long as the Virginia Creeper, so it’s not as well-known and the area doesn’t have quite as many bike-friendly amenities (shuttle services, bike shops, trailside cafes).  But what it lacks in amenities, it makes up for with its beauty and solitude.   We saw fewer than two dozen people along the New River Trail over a 20+ mile span and greatly enjoyed the pristine river scenery.

The trail was in great shape – smooth and flat, covered with fine crushed stone.  There were lots of pretty wildflowers along the path – snapdragons, mountain laurel and others I didn’t know.  Every now and then, I’d catch a deer watching us quietly from the woods.  We saw a pair of geese and their goslings hanging out at one of the primitive trailside campsites.  The river was fed by many small streams cascading down the hillside above the trail.  There were even a few small waterfalls flowing.  The New River was spectacular!  All the spring rain had water levels higher than average, so there were many rapids and cascades that probably aren’t there when the water is lower.  The driver of our shuttle even mentioned that they had to cancel canoe/kayak/tube trips due to high water on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.

It was close to 100 degrees outside on the day we biked, so that made it a bit uncomfortable.  Although, once we got going, the breeze from pedaling along made the heat bearable.  Thankfully, much of the trail passes through a shady tunnel of woods, so we were able to stay out of the direct sunlight most of the way.

Nonetheless, I drank almost three liters of water and a 20-ounce bottle of lemonade over the course of the ride.  I also ended up with a huge, salty sweat ring on the front of my shirt (GROSS!) and my legs were crusted with sweat mixed with gravel and grit (DIRTY!).  I was not a pretty site at the end of the trail, but I had such a good time I didn’t care!

The Shot Tower.

Two things I liked best along this bike path were the Fries Junction Bridge and the Shot Tower.  The bridge was neat just because it was so long and curvy.  Shot Tower was interesting for its history.  The tower itself sits above the trail.  So you have to take a short, steep climb up a hill and several flights of steps to visit the tower – but it’s definitely worth the effort.  Another little tidbit of history from the area is that Stephen F. Austin, ‘The Father of Texas’, was actually born in Wythe County, in a small town that now bears his name (Austinville).  The trail passes right through that area.

Park employees enjoy a shady spot on horseback.

I would definitely make a return trip to bike more of the New River Trail!  The state park shuttle service makes it so convenient.  I also might want to go back and ride horses along the trail.  Seeing all the horses at the Foster Falls stable really made me miss having a horse and going for long rides.

After finishing up with our bike ride, we got cleaned up and headed into Galax for a movie and pizza.  I was shocked that movies in Galax were only $4.00 for a matinee (as of 2011)!  After the movie, pizza at RJ’s Pizza and Subs was delicious!  They had really good and inexpensive food.

Trail Notes

• Distance – 21.3 miles
  
• Elevation Change – negligible
  
• Difficulty – 1.5  The terrain is extremely flat, so if you can do the mileage, you shouldn’t have a problem.
• Trail Conditions – 4.5.  The trail is either very small gravel or dirt.  It doesn’t get better unless you find paved trails.
  
• Views – 1.5  You don’t get views from high points, but there are a few nice unobstructed views of the river and some of the mountains around you.
• Waterfalls/Streams – 5.  Most of the trail, you are biking along the New River.
• Wildlife – 2.  We saw a couple of deer and a black snake on our ride.
  
• Ease to Navigate –4.5.  The trail is very easy to follow and well-marked.
  
• Solitude – 2.5.  This trail does get busy on nice weekend days, but it is not as popular as the Virginia Creeper trail.
  

Directions to trailhead: For the headquarters of New River Trail State Park for the shuttle service, take exit 24 (69 East) off of Interstate 77.  Take a left on to US-52 North.  Go 1.5 miles and take a right on to Foster Falls Road/State Route 608.  There should be signs directing you to the New River Trail State Park.  There is a fee of $2 to visit the park.

For the trailhead in Fries, VA, Fries is located off of  highway 94.   From Main Street in Fries, turn on Firehouse Drive.  You should see the small parking lot and bulletin board shelter for the start of the trail at the curve on Firehouse Drive.

Wookie Enjoys the View from Duncan Knob. Below: The foliage along the trail was pretty; The scramble is a foreboding pile of boulders; Adam and Wookie make their way up the scramble.

Christine Says…

On Friday, Adam and I both took a vacation day from work to get in some fall hiking. We decided Duncan Knob suited our plans perfectly.  We wanted to avoid hikes in the national park (the crowds are dreadful this time of year) and we didn’t want to drive more than an hour. We did a little online research to look at our route options, and found pretty much everyone did the hike as an 8.7 mile loop.  The common route passes by just one spot with a view and includes significant uphill climbs on both the outgoing and return arms of the loop.

We decided to look at our maps to see if there was a more direct route to Duncan Knob.  I know lots of people primarily hike for the exercise. They love anything that makes the trail longer, steeper and more challenging.  I am not one of those people.  I don’t mind distance or elevation as long as there is a payoff for it.  But if there’s a more direct route to get the same view, I usually opt to take it.  Needless to say, we were pleased to find a 3.5 mile, out-and-back route that involved just 1200 feet of elevation gain.

The Blue Blazed Trail Gap Creek Trail. Below: The Gap Creek trail is well-marked; Near the beginning of the trail you cross a small stream; Wookie enjoyed running back and forth across the bridge.

The hike starts at the Gap Creek trailhead on Crisman Hollow Road.  You’ll walk a short way up a blue-blazed fire road until you see a campsite on the left side of the road.  The road continues uphill from this point, but you’ll want to cut through the campsite and cross the small bridge over the stream.  After crossing the bridge, the trail climbs steadily uphill.  For the first mile, the elevation gain is very gentle and is punctuated by flat stretches.  The trail is extremely rocky the entire way.  At mile 1.2, the blue-blazed Gap Creek trail intersects the yellow-blazed Scothorn Gap trail.  Continue on the blue-blazed trail until you reach a level place near the top of the ridge at 1.5 miles.  There’s a great campsite at this spot.  It has a big stone fire pit ringed by log benches.  There are lots of flat places to pitch tents, too.

Directly across from the campsite, the Duncan Knob spur trail begins.  The trail is blazed white and climbs steeply uphill to the summit.  As you walk along, you’ll notice the rocks on the trail are getting larger and more abundant.  Eventually, you step out of the woods and find yourself facing an enormous pyramid-shaped summit of jumbled rocks and boulders.

Wookie and Adam scramble upward. Below: The trail becomes progressively rockier; Adam explore the boulders; Wookie spots Adam climbing back down from the geocache.

Climb the rock scramble any number of ways (we followed a rather informal series of cairns along the left side of the rock pile) and you’ll be treated to sweeping views in almost every direction.  The scrambling was fun and not difficult at all.  I found a nice rock “chair” to sit on while Adam found a geocache hidden at the summit.  It was freezing cold and blustery sitting on the rocks, so we didn’t stay too long.

On the way down, we stopped back by the campsite and had some water and a snack.  We even gave our dog, Wookie, some graham crackers and marshmallows from our trail mix.  He did a great job on the rock scramble – especially considering how small he is.  The hike back down was pretty uneventful and just retraced our steps.  What a great hike!  I told Adam it’s been one of my favorite recent hikes.

Adam Says…

Ever since we did the Strickler Knob hike (actually our very first post!), I had been hearing that Duncan Knob also had amazing views.  I believe we put off this hike for a while due to the long 8.7 mile length, combined with lots of elevation gain.  So, I pulled out my map of the area to see if there was a different way.  Sure enough, you can easily get up to Duncan Knob by just sticking to the Gap Creek Trail.  The hike may have a little steeper of an elevation than approaching it from the Scothorn Gap Trail, but the hike up the Gap Creek Trail is much shorter and you aren’t missing much scenery.

The trail does include a few switchbacks once you start the trail over the bridge which takes the pressure of the elevation off your leg muscles.  The hike is almost all uphill, but before you know it you’ve reached the ridge where the campsite is.  We took a break here to see if there was anything else to see along the ridge, before proceeding up the white-blazed trail to the summit of Duncan Knob.  This white-blazed trail is slightly overgrown and some of the white blazes are quite faded, but it wasn’t too hard to navigate.  After only about .2 miles on this trail, we saw the looming rock scramble in front of us.  We decided to approach the rock scramble on the left-hand side.  Once you begin to climb up a few rocks, the views really begin to open up around you.  The rocks weren’t too tough to navigate, but it was harder to help navigate a small dog on a leash.  From the top, you will have great views of Middle Mountain, Waterfall Mountain, Strickler Knob, and Kerns Mountain.  The color was very nice and we took some time to soak in the scenery.

Adam takes in the view from Duncan Knob. Below: A nice campsite on the ridge; Adam and Wookie take a break on the climb down; Wookie did surprisingly well on the scramble, but occasionally he had to be carried.

I left Christine to keep climbing up to the summit of the rock scramble and found the Duncan Knob Geocache.  A few people before me were not able to find it before me, so the owner had taken the posting offline until he had time to investigate.  I’m glad I was able to save the owner a hike back.  This was my 499th find, so I need to do something special for my 500th geocache.

If you haven’t done any hiking off Crisman Hollow Road, I would highly recommend making this a stop in the near future.  With the Massanutten Story Book Trail, Strickler Knob, and Duncan Knob hikes all off this road, I feel this road leads to some amazing hiking gems that are unknown to many.

Wookie Says…

I’m so glad that I finally got invited to go hiking again!  I really enjoyed most of this trail because there wasn’t any water for me to cross.  When we first started the trail, I did a few runs across the wooden bridge with my masters on both sides.  I was feeling frisky and I was ready to get moving.  We made our way up the trail and I felt it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting.  When we got to the final rock scramble, I was a little worried.  I really enjoy climbing up on rocks, but I wouldn’t recommend it to my less-agile canine friends.  There were a couple of moments where I had to perform an iron cross and pull myself up some rocks, but Adam helped navigate me the right way through the maze of boulders.

Wookie enjoys trailmix!

The way down was a little more challenging, so Adam tucked me under his arm for most of the way down to make sure I didn’t get hurt.  I really enjoyed the views from the top of Duncan Knob and I enjoyed sniffing the air around me.  After our hike back down, my masters even let me sample a few pieces of trail mix.  I really liked the marshmallows best!  One time I dropped a marshmallow and when I picked it up again the dirt from the ground made it look like cookies and cream.  I look forward to my next time hiking and I’ll be sure to put on my pitiful, pleading face the next time Adam and Christine get ready to head out for a hike.

Trail Notes

• Distance – 3.5 miles.
• Elevation Change –  1200 feet
• Difficulty – 2.5. The hike is squarely moderate – even with the rock scramble.
• Trail Conditions –3. The trail is in good shape.  The rock scramble is not formally marked and there are some unbalanced rocks.
  
• Views – 5. Beautiful views of the Massanutten Mountain area. The view looking toward Strickler Knob is awesome!
• Waterfalls/streams –2. The stream is seasonal and may be dry part of the year.  When the stream is running, the area is popular with fishers.
  
• Wildlife – 1.5. The area is popular with hunters, so animals tend to be reclusive.  We’ve heard of people spotting bears and deer in the general area, but we’ve never seen larger animals.
  
• Ease to Navigate – 3.5. Trails are clearly blazed, but turns are not labeled and signed like they are in the national park.  It’s a good idea to have a map for this hike.
• Solitude – 4.5. On a beautiful fall day, we saw just one other couple of hikers.

Directions to trailhead: From New Market, take 211 east.  In about 3 miles, take a left on Crisman Hollow Road. The road starts off paved, but turns to gravel.  At about 4.5 miles, park on the right at the Gap Creek trail.  Follow the fire road until you reach the first campsite on the left.  The trail starts behind the campsite at a wooden bridge.

Walking the Hazel Mountain Trail was peaceful and green.

Adam Says…

This was our first overnight backpacking trip together and served as our graduation trip from the Backpacking 101 course we took through PATC.  We were unable to go on our previously-scheduled trip due to Christine’s sprained ankle she suffered on our Buzzard Rock hike. We were thrilled that our instructors gave us the opportunity for a make-up trip.  You can read our other sections of the review of this class in Part One, Part Two, and Part Three.

The outing leaders, John and Jeanne, chose the Hazel Mountain – Catlett Mountain loop for the trip. The hike winds around the mountains and through pretty forest, but doesn’t lead to any summit views.  The trail starts off from the Meadow Spring  parking lot around mile 33.7 on Skyline Drive.  Like many trails in Shenandoah National Park, the Hazel Mountain trail descends from the road.  You will stay on this trail until you reach the Catlett Mountain Trail.  The Hazel Mountain Trail is also marked on maps as a horse trail, so you may encounter horses on many of the trails around this area.

Day One Hiking: Shortly after leaving the parking lot, you will see a junction with the Buck Hollow Trail (a tough loop hike).  At .3 miles, you reach a trail junction with the Buck Ridge Trail (that is the loop back from the Buck Hollow Trail).  At 1.6 miles, you come to the first junction with the White Rocks Trail (another loop trail).  At 2.2 miles, you will see a post marking the junction with the Catlett Spur Trail, marking where you will rejoin the trail after you complete the loop.  While you just descended about 1000 feet, the trail begins to ascend from this point, gaining about 400 feet over the next .6 miles.  Around 2.8 miles, you will see the other junction with the White Rocks Trail.  Around 3.1 miles, you will reach the top of the climb and take a right to continue on the Hazel Mountain trail.  At mile 3.7, you will take a right on to the Catlett Mountain Trail.  We picked a campsite near the top of this trail, as it does provide a close proximity below to a spur of Runyon Run, a reliable water source on the trail.

Day Two Hiking: Upon leaving camp, you descend down to the stream we used as the water source.  Once you rockhop across Runyon Run, the trail ascends fairly steeply up 300 feet.  At mile 4.7, you will take a right onto Catlett Spur Trail.  The trail descends crossing over Runyon Run in a few spots.  You will eventually pass an old stone perimeter wall, marking land that may have marked a boundary for a settler’s house or farm.  At mile 5.6, you will come back to the junction with the Hazel Mountain Trail.  Take a left on the trail and ascend for the final 2.2 miles back to the parking lot.

Our tent set-up at camp. Below: The backpacking group at the beginning of the trip; We took our packs off and enjoyed lunch at a boulder jumble near a stream; There were many different kinds of tents at camp... one of the group used a hammock.

Christine and I had a great time on the trip.  We met up with our group at 9:30AM, reintroduced ourselves to each other, and got our packs ready for the trail.  We divided up some group gear that we needed to share for the trip and weighed our packs for curiosity.  I ended up with a little over 34 pounds in my pack and Christine had about 28 pounds.  I would say that our average for the group was a little under 30 pounds, so it was manageable for an overnight trip.  We hiked fairly fast, but we did take a few breaks to get a breather and eat some lunch.  We hiked onto the Catlett Mountain trail and found our campsite around 12:30.  We set up our tents and our kitchen area.  We put up a tarp and brought all of our dishes, utensils and food to the kitchen site.  Most of the group then decided to go down to Runyon Run, to load up some collapsible buckets for water for camp.  This was a chance for us to try out our new Katadyn Hiker Pro water filter to refill some water bottles.  When we hiked back up to the campsite, we happened to see an adult bear running from the direction of our campsite.  Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately?), we never saw him again.

Shortly after getting back to camp, we experienced a scary moment.  We thought two people had stayed back at camp when we went on the water run, but came back to see only John.  We started to hear shouts from the woods, but we couldn’t distinguish if the voice was shouting “Help” or “Hello”.  Our instructor grabbed his first aid kit and we continued to call back to the person.  We shouted “Are you hurt?” and “What’s your name?”, but we couldn’t distinguish the response.  We kept calling out and eventually we saw one of our group members emerge from the dense underbrush.  He had spotted a timber rattler that rose up against him.  He ran out of the way, but in his haste to get away from the snake, he got turned around and lost.  He had lost his whistle along the way, so he resorted to shouting to try and find his way back to the group.  It really shows that you can quickly get turned around and lost without your bearing in the woods.

We then learned how to hang a bear bag, tying a rock to a roop and throwing it over a branch (after dinner we substituted the rock with the actual bags to hang and tied the other end of the rope to a tree).  Since we had some time to kill in camp, Christine and I decided to take a quick siesta in our tent before dinner.  A storm quickly rolled in with loud thunder, high winds, and heavy rain.  It rained for close to an hour.  After it slowed to a light sprinkle, we made it back to the kitchen site, to find the rest of our group huddled under the tarp. Later, we ate an amazing dinner (which Christine will talk about) and cleaned up. After watching a nice sunset through the trees and hanging out with the group, Christine and I retired for the night.

This friendly buck visited our camp all weekend. Every time we were in our kitchen area, he came over to hang out. Below: Night falls at camp (notice all the rain on the tent!)

The next morning we got up early and worked on packing our gear.  We ate a wonderful breakfast and then broke  camp around 8:45AM.  We finished our hike, arriving back at our cars shortly after noon.  I think everyone was planning a victory meal after the trip, so we made a trip to the Golden Arches in Luray.

We really enjoyed our first backpacking trip.  It was great to have this experience with the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club.  Our instructors were absolutely wonderful and really shared a lot of their experience with us.  It was also great to meet a lot of nice people through the Backpacking 101 class that share a common interest and experience level.  This trip really affirmed to us that we could handle doing an overnight backpacking trip and we are excited to try it again sometime in the very near future.

Christine Says…

On the eve of our backpacking trip, I was feeling exceedingly fretful.  I wondered if I’d be able to bear the heat/humidity without passing out. I worried that I’d be such a sluggish hiker that I’d slow the whole group down. I had concerns about the storms forecast for the day.  At one point when we were loading our backpacks. I looked and Adam and said “I don’t know if I’m cut out for this.”

But, wow… it turns out that I LOVE backpacking.  It was simultaneously fun, challenging and relaxing.   I was amazed at how comfortable my pack was – the 28 pounds felt balanced and easy on my back.  I may have sweated like crazy in the heat, but I managed to stay hydrated and felt really strong the entire hike.  I had such a sense of tranquility falling asleep in our tent after dinner, listening to the sounds of evening birds and the wind rustling in the trees.

I can’t say enough great things about our PATC (Potomac Appalachian Trail Club) trip leaders – John and Jeanne.  Their expertise made me feel really safe and confident on my “maiden voyage” overnight in the woods.  Actually, I have nothing but great things to say about our entire backpacking group.  Our fellow adventurers, Anthony, Suzanne and Ed were all friendly and fun people.

Adam throws a rope over the fallen tree to create a bear hang. He used a rock to make the throw easier. Below: A lot of planning went into picking the right spot for the hang; three waterproof bags were hung. The bags contained anything with a scent.

Adam already did a thorough job describing the terrain and features along the route, so that leaves me to talk about FOOD (and maybe a few other things, too).  When I think of backpacking, I think of tuna pouches, power bars, beef jerky and freeze-dried, pre-packaged meals.  But, Jeanne is a true backcountry gourmand (she brought a lobster roll for her packed lunch!).   For dinner, we feasted on Chicken with Thai Peanut Sauce and Rice and Curried Couscous with Peas and Cashews.  We even had banana pudding, replete with fresh banana slices and Nilla Wafers for dessert.  Cleaning up was super-easy, since we did most of the cooking using Ziploc freezer bags.  You can pour boiling water right into the bags, and avoid dirtying a pot.  Individual utensils and bowls were cleaned by thorough eating (not a crumb left behind) and then sanitized with more boiling water.  People either drank the water or broadcast it into the woods – away from camp.  Either method is acceptable for Leave No Trace practices.  The main goal is not to send any food particles into the woods.

Breakfast the next morning exceeded all my expectations!  Of course… there was instant oatmeal and hot chocolate, but there was also real BACON and cheesy hashbrowns!  Jeanne brought Boar’s Head shelf-stable bacon, cheddar cheese, butter and dehydrated potatoes.  I decreed to Adam that we shall always have bacon when we go backpacking.  I’m totally spoiled for backcountry breakfast now!

How cool is this... nice, crispy bacon in the backcountry. Below: We also had cheesy hashbrowns for breakfast. Below: On the hike out we passed several sections of old, stone walls; The group post-hike... all a lot sweatier than when we started.

Over breakfast, Adam and I spent some time talking to our trip leader, John, about everything from gear to favorite backpacking spots.  He’s like a walking encyclopedia of backpacking expertise.

I have so many fantastic memories from our first real backpacking trip… the outgoing buck that hung out with us all weekend, Adam sitting straight up in his sleeping bag (twice) to accuse me of being a bear, the feeling of being away from complications and civilization, but most of all, making new friends who might become future outing companions.

It was a rewarding experience, and I can’t wait to get out there again!

Trail Notes

• Distance – 7.8 miles loop
• Elevation Change – About 1000 feet, but there are also some ups and downs of about 400 feet on the Catlett Mountain-Catlett Spur Trail loop.
• Difficulty – 3
  
• Trail Conditions –3.  The trail isn’t too rocky, but is overgrown, especially the Catlett Mountain-Catlett Spur Trails.
• Views – 0.  There were really no views of anything from this trail, since it is through a thick wooded area.
• Waterfalls/streams – 2. Good water sources, but nothing too scenic.
  
• Wildlife –4. With people in our group seeing deer, a bear, and a timber rattler, there should be a decent chance to see wildlife here. We also saw an American Redstart and a few red-spotted newts on the trail.
• Ease to Navigate –3. There are lots of spurs off of the trails, but everything loops back at some point.  Pay attention to the cement posts and you shouldn’t have any difficulty.
• Solitude – 2.5. The first section down to the White Rocks Trail seemed to include all the traffic that we saw.  This is popular with many day-trippers, since it is one of the first parking lots in the northern portion of the Central District of Shenandoah National Park.
  

Directions to trailhead:
On Skyline Drive, park at the Meadow Spring parking lot between mile markers 33 and 34.  The trail starts at the southern end of the parking lot.

The view from Chimney Rock is very pretty on a clear day.

Christine Says…

The Riprap trail has long been on my list of hikes to tackle in Shenandoah National Park.  Last Friday, we finally got around to it. I have to admit, the nearly ten-mile length and over 2,300 feet of elevation gain intimidated me just a little. The hikes we’ve completed that are close to that length (i.e. McAfee Knob or Mount Rogers) both have substantially less elevation gain. But, we had a free day and beautiful weather, so we decided to go for it. I’m so glad we went because the scenery on this trail showcased everything I love about Shenandoah. And, honestly… hiking 9.8 miles really wasn’t that hard.

We started the hike from the Riprap parking area at mile marker 90. (Download the National Park Service’s trail map for the Riprap area.) We turned right at the end of the parking lot and followed the Appalachian Trail uphill for about a third of a mile. At the intersection with the Riprap trail, we turned left. The trail went alternately downhill and uphill for about three-quarters of a mile. We passed around a talus slope and came out to a viewpoint near Calvary Rocks. This was a great place to pause and take in the panoramic scene of the valley below. About a third of a mile downhill past Calvary Rocks, we arrived at Chimney Rock. I found this to be the prettier of the two views – but they were both very nice. The trail was especially pretty in late May because of all the blooming mountain laurel, wild azaleas and rhododendron. There were some sections that were so lush, I felt like I was walking through a tunnel of flowers.

Wild Azaleas, Rhododendron and Mountain Laurel. Below: The view near Calvary Rocks; Adam taking in the view from Chimney Rock.

From Chimney Rock, the trail follows a ridge for a while, with many nice views between the trees. There is still quite a bit of evidence of forest fire damage from the late 1990’s in this area. The mountainside is still rather barren and charred stumps are visible. Slowly, the trail descends into Cold Springs Hollow. We passed through some of the densest mountain laurel along this section. We saw and heard so many beautiful birds – everything from American Redstarts to Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks.

Near the bottom of the hollow, we started to pick up the stream. It started off as a trickle, gaining volume and speed as we climbed continually downward. There were a few small, unremarkable waterfalls in the gorge, but we didn’t stop walking until the first stream crossing. Adam and I sat on a couple big boulders in the middle of the stream and ate a few handfuls of trail mix.

The swimming hole displayed beautiful rhododendron reflections and was full of brook trout. Below: The trout were hard to photograph through the water, but you get the point.

We stopped again just a couple tenths of a mile later at my very favorite spot along the trail – a wide, green swimming hole shaded by the forest canopy. We sat along the pool for a long while. We watched colorful brook trout lolling in the water. Every now and then, one would splash up and break the quiet surface of the water. The water was so clear. We could see reflections of the rhododendron on the surface and big, round stones at the bottom of the pool. The spot is made even more beautiful by the gentle slide waterfall that cascades down and fills the pool.

After leaving the pool, we had almost about three-quarters of a mile of level walking and a couple more stream crossings. A post marks the intersection with the Wildcat Ridge Trail. We turned left, and enjoyed our last little bit of flat walking for a while. We decided to stop and eat lunch before the big uphill climb began. We had ham and cheese on crackers, chips and some candy – perfect to give us lots of energy!

Climbing along Wildcat Ridge is a steady uphill for almost three miles, but the grade is generally moderate. There were several more decent views through the trees along this section of trail. And of course, more mountain laurel! I think I must have said “This is SO PRETTY!” to Adam a dozen times as we walked through the flowers. This section is where we saw our only other hikers of the day – a young couple hiking the loop in the opposite direction. We got to the junction with the Appalachian Trail faster than we thought we would. We were anticipating another .7 miles of uphill climbing when we reached the marker post. It’s always such a pleasant surprise when an uphill climb ends earlier than you thought it would.

Adam and I both enjoyed the more level terrain along the Appalachian Trail.

We took a left onto the AT for the final 2.8 miles of the hike. This section was typical Appalachian Trail in Shenandoah – rolling hills, nothing too steep. We saw a brief glimpse of a bear diving into the mountain laurel about a mile into this stretch. After about an hour of walking on the AT, we arrived back at our car. My feet were a little sore and tired, but other than that I still felt pretty energetic. Riprap now claims the spot for the longest hike I’ve ever done in a day! The 9.8 mile circuit took us just under six hours – including our very frequent snack and photography stops. On the way home, we stopped and rewarded ourselves with Lime Cream Slushes from Sonic – my favorite post-hike treat.

Adam Says…

This may also be the longest hike I have done but it was well worth it!  This hike really does have it all and we hit it at a great time of year.  The mountain laurel and rhododendron were at peak on this trail and we often felt like we were in some type of fantasy land while being surrounded by pink flowers.

The views from Calvary Rocks and Chimney Rock give you some great 180 degree views to the north of the mountains.  I was a little worried that the payoff for this hike was going to be over in the first couple of miles of the hike, but I was glad to be wrong.  After we continued the descent from Chimney Rock, there were still some open views along the way.  Once we reached the bottom of Cold Springs Hollow, we saw a glimpse of a waterfall along the way.  For a side option trail, you will eventually see a wooden sign on the left that denotes “Riprap Trail” with an arrow.  Behind this sign is a trail that leads down to the stream if you have some extra time and energy.  Shortly after the falls and after crossing the stream you come to the beautiful swimming hole that Christine mentioned above.  This was a great spot to relax and enjoy seeing the fish, or you could take a quick, refreshing dip.

View Along the Riprap Ridge. Below: The swimming hole is such a beautiful place - even though we constantly had to bat the bugs away. Note the slide falls coming down to the pool.

Once we were done with relaxing, we took the hike up the Wildcat Ridge Trail.  This is a constant uphill for about three miles and does include a couple of switchbacks on the trail.  However, we felt that the terrain wasn’t too steep.  You continue to observe nice views as it hugs closely to the side of the mountain.  Once we met up with the AT, the trail didn’t have a lot of elevation gain/loss.  I do suffer from plantar fasciitis, so my feet were quite sore on the rocks of this section of the trail.

Butterfly on Mountain Laurel. Below: Adam hikes through the mountain laurel along the Appalachian Trail.

Alternate routes:  When we were wondering if we could do this entire hike, I did a lot of research to figure out alternates to make it shorter.

• To just shorten the trip by 2.7 miles, you could leave one car at the Riprap Parking Lot and another car at the Wildcat Ridge Parking Lot (around mile marker 92) or the Moormans River Overlook across the street.  Since the Wildcat Ridge Parking Lot was closed, we did leave a car at Moormans River Overlook.  However, we decided we felt good enough to continue on the AT for the loop.   The hard work is done at this point, but it gives you an “out” if you can’t make the distance.
• To cut off the uphill climb, you could leave one car at the Riprap Parking Lot and another car at the end of the Riprap Trail (which continues at the sign for Wildcat Ridge – about .6 miles from the swimming hole).  To park at the end of the Riprap Trail, you would need to drive on Rte 340 to Crimora.  Head east on 612 and then take a left on Black Bear Lane and another left onto Wild Turkey Lane.  At the end of the road should be a sign for the Riprap Trail.  This would give you about a 4.7 mile hike with the shuttle.

For those interested in geocaching, I did place an earthcache at the overlook for Calvary Rocks.  This is a way to learn about the geology of the area and there are a few steps to get credit for the cache:

• Calvary Rocks geocache

I definitely enjoyed my first trip of the Riprap trail, but I know it won’t be my last.  This would also be a great place to do a backpacking trip, since there is a reliable water source at the bottom of the trail.  We really felt like it was one of the prettiest trails we have done in all of Shenandoah National Park.  Part of that largely is due to the abundance of blooming wildflowers, but another part was the views.  The Riprap trail really has it all!

Trail Notes

• Distance – 9.8 miles
• Elevation Change – Around 2300 feet.  The hike is a mix of uphill and downhill, with one long, steady uphill stretch of about three miles.
• Difficulty – 4.5 While the elevation gain is substantial, the trail is rarely steep.  Grades are moderate.  We scored the hike a 4.5 mainly due to the length.
• Trail Conditions – 4 Nice trail to walk along!  The stream crossings are easy.
• Views – 4.  You get the best views from the Chimney Rocks and Calvary Rocks overlooks.
• Waterfalls/streams – 3 The stream was on the low side when we hiked, but was still pretty.  The swimming hole at the bottom of the hollow is very beautiful.
  
• Wildlife – 4 We saw lots of brook trout, a little toad, many bird species and we even caught a glimpse of a black bear’s rear end diving into the laurel thicket.
  
• Ease to Navigate – 2 A few turns to make along the way.  There are a few false trails leading away from the main trail and also one tricky turn after a creek crossing.
• Solitude – 3 We saw only two other people on the entire loop.  We hiked it on a beautiful Friday in late spring.  I imagine the trail is much more crowded on weekends.  It’s a very popular short backpack loop.

Directions to trailhead:
From Skyline Drive, park on the western side at mile marker 90.  There is a parking lot specifically for Riprap hikers.

I can’t think of any other class where it would be acceptable for an instructor to say “Now imagine me with my pants pulled down.”  But Backpacking 101 is quite different from other classes.

Prince William Forest Park was the location for Backpacking 101's weekend-long field class.

The third day of instruction also took place at Prince William Forest Park.  Adam and I showed up for class freshly showered, warm and well-rested.  We were among the few students who opted out of the group camping experience.  We would have liked to camp, but my parents live too close to the park to not pay them a visit for the weekend.  It was probably good that we had a place to go escape the pollen.  It was the worst pollen I’d ever seen – you could see it raining down from the sky and everyone’s shoes and pant-legs were coated with a thick, yellow dust.

The morning started off with an explanation of the different brands and styles of tents used for backpacking.  We walked around the group campsite, looking at about ten different models owned by class participants.  I really liked a particular REI tent and also one from Sierra Designs.  We’ll likely be purchasing a three-person tent so we have room to keep little gear inside.  I was amazed by the miniscule size of most two-person tents.  They left me wondering… what two people?… Lilliputians, leprechauns, pygmies?

Camp was set up with a variety of tents.

After tents, we had a thorough discussion of water filtration/purification methods.  I found this to be the most fascinating part of the day.  Access to clean, safe water is probably one of the things I find most worrisome about backpacking.  We saw demonstrations of a Katadyn Filter system, iodine tablets, AquaMira and talked about boiling.  A couple of the instructors seemed to favor SteriPen systems, but we didn’t see a demo of one in action.   I think the pump filter system looked like the fastest and easiest of the methods, but I think I might use some AquaMira or Micropur as a second layer of protection for my personal drinking water.  I figure that an extra layer of prevention is a good idea, especially when the consequence could be explosive diarrhea.

After water, we moved on to campsite selection.   This included discussion of where to pitch tents, set up the “kitchen”, where to place your bear hang and how to designate a bathroom area.  This session provided the perfect segue to the other part of backpacking that I sort of dread… catholes.  In short, I simply do not want to poop in the woods.  I am a princess about these things … but I suppose I have to get over it because poop happens.  I think most of you will have figured out that the opening quote for this blog posted was pulled directly from the cathole session.  I won’t go into all the gory details, but I will share one prophetic term and leave the rest to your imagination – “Poop Soup”.  Beyond that, I am not going there.  As one person in the class put it “I don’t think I’ll be able to look any of you in the eyes again after this trip.”  I guess nobody really likes pooping in the woods.

The last sessions of the day covered personal hygiene, flora and fauna (poison ivy, ticks, bears and snakes) and Leave No Trace principles. At the conclusion of the class session, the class broke into outing groups.  We had the option of easier or moderate – with easier groups covering about four miles a day and the moderate groups covering six miles a day. We chose the easier group because at this point, I’m still not sure if my sprained ankle will be healed in time.

The class split just about in half between the moderate and easier groups.  Adam is one of only three males in the easier group.  I’m dragging him down to my level. 

Honestly, we’re both THRILLED to be in the easier group, because we get to go to Dolly Sods for our outing.  Our group leaders (Dave, Jen and Dave) chose Dolly Sods because it’s an easier place to accommodate a large backpacking group than Shenandoah National Park.  There are eleven people in our group.  We’ll hike and have meals together, but split into two groups for camping. We love the people in our group.  Everyone seems to be nice and so many group members have a great sense of humor.

Now everyone needs to stay tuned for the actual post from the outing (coming sometime in May.)  I will say that we’re really excited about the trip.  The PATC Backpacking 101 Workshop gave us exactly the information we were looking for.  I feel like we’re kicking off our backpacking experience the right way, and that’s given me a lot of confidence and hope that I actually can do this.

I must admit that had some anxiety about the Backpacking 101 course through Potomac Appalachian Trail Club.  I was a little worried about the status of Christine’s ankle sprain, the dynamics of the group, and wondering if people would be a little too “hard-core” about backpacking in general.

Most of the classroom sessions took place in the Turkey Run Education Center (T.R.E.C.)

I think all the worry was quickly alleviated once we started the weekend course.  Christine and I are both so happy that we signed up.

The first session of the day started with Trip Planning.  We brainstormed ideas on what you need to think about to plan a good backpacking trip.  I felt our group came up with great ideas and covered all of the necessities.  One group seemed more like the “party group” because they were concerned with who was bringing the frisbee, harmonica, and alcohol.  I don’t think most serious backpackers would want to lug the extra weight or dehydrate themselves with a bottle of whiskey.

These backpackers did a good job planning.

We then had a “Bio-Break“.  I remember when I saw this on the agenda initially, I was wondering what this could be.  It turns out to mean just a bathroom break.  Christine and I have started using this and I think we’ll teach this phrase to our dogs.   They also know “Go outside” and “Drain your lizard”, so what’s one new phrase for them to learn?

The next session taught us about clothing.   We learned about layering and the purpose for each layer of clothing.  This should help minimize what needs to be packed and ensures that our clothing is keeping our bodies at the right temperature and keeping us dry.  All of the students in class learned the mantra of “No Cotton”, since it gets wet easily and takes a long time to dry.

Next, we learned some basic skills in map reading, which I found to be quite easy.  I think most of the class was fairly confident with map reading, but it was great to work on map skills as small groups.  We also learned some basics on reading a compass.  I typically use my hand-held GPS, but it was good to have a refresher.   Our instructor suggested that we take a compass for when we leave the trail/camp for the bathroom.  We found a spot to approach and then followed the compass to get us there and back.

We took a short lunch break and then learned about the Ten Essentials that everyone needed to have available in their packs.

The instructors demonstrated different types of backpacks and talked about the pros and cons of internal frame packs, external frame packs, and frameless packs.  We split into groups based on height and learned about the different packs the instructors had.  We tried on various packs, discussed how to adjust for your individual needs, and then looked at how each of them were packed.  I personally liked the Gregory brand packs best, because I feel they worked a little better with my back and they gave some breathing room between my back which tends to sweat.   I ordered a Gregory Z65 and I’m excited to try it out.

The next session involved discussing sleeping bags and pads.  It seems that most backpackers go with a mummy-style bag.  They tend to be a little lighter, but they are not for the claustrophobic.  I know Christine will definitely want something different since she likes to not feel confined when she is sleeping.  I can usually fall asleep easily anywhere, so I’m not as concerned.   The instructor also showed us some different styles of sleeping pads (foam and self-inflating).   Again, I’m not as concerned about the type I get, but Christine will probably want a self-inflating pad, like what is offered from Therm-a-Rest.

We saw a demo of a variety of stoves. Below: We liked the JetBoil.

Many of the people in our class decided to stay in Prince William Forest Park for the night.  We were staying with family nearby, so we didn’t brave the cold with the others.  Those staying overnight were given time to pitch their tents before dark.  This was a great opportunity for us to look around initially at some of the different tent options there are.  We did an instructor-led tour of the different tent options the next morning.

The end of the first full day involved a demonstration of stoves, cooking, and clean up.  We looked at a variety of stoves and talked about the benefits of each.  Our favorite that we will likely purchase is an integrated stove system made by JetBoil.  We felt that based on what we will likely do in the future, this will serve our needs well.  A co-worker is loaning me one this weekend to try out and learn more about.   The instructors then did a skit, acting out a “good backpacking trip” vs. a “bad backpacking trip”.  It was quite funny and showed the importance of planning ahead, delegating duties, and what to pack.  We then started on preparing dinner.   We split into four groups, with each group preparing a different meal.  This gave us all some experience with using a camp stove and understanding how things could be prepared in advance to save weight and time.  We had plenty to eat between all of the groups and we were able to sample a few of the other meals.  The one we cooked was rice-based, but flavored with cheese and dehydrated hamburger.  I think it was my favorite.

Cheesy Rice and Beef.

After everyone had enough to eat, we worked on cleaning the pots.  Cleanup is a necessity and does have to be done after each cooked meal.  We learned different techniques of Leave No Trace ethics to ensure that cleanup was done in a way that leaves little to no impact on the environment.

I really felt liked I learned a ton of information in this first day of class and we were looking forward to another full day.  I felt the PATC did a wonderful job of explaining all the different types of gear and how to prepare for a backpacking trip.  After the next day of sessions, I feel well-prepared and excited to go on our first trip.