Blogs from Virginia, United States, North America - page 110

OD’s comments: Fog. That was the word for today; we were in from start to finish. There were a few times that the sun looked like a white disk through the clouds, but we never saw any blue sky. Started off at Big Meaddows and walked to the Lewis Mountain Campground. We had thought about staying at the Bearfence shelter but it was early and only a mile more. Temp hovered in the low 40s. Our elevation hovered between 3,000' and 3,800' with little more than 500' loss or gain on any one hill. Black Rock, Hazeltop and Bearfence Mountain were the peaks we covered. The Bearfence Mountain was quite spectacular looking (what we could see) and we thought about doing the loop trail. Not being sure where it would come out as the map was ... read more

OD’s comments: Beautiful. Today was another one for the good day book. The weather was just fine, not too hot or cold, a nice breeze when you needed it. The trail mileage for today was just over eight. We started at Skyland and finished at Big Meadows campground. The trail started on the south slope of Stony Man Mountain. Winding it's way around the 3,200 - 3,500 foot level to Timber Hollow, then up to Crescent Rock and Hawksbill Gap. We did not have to climb to the top of Hakwsbill Mountain thank God, but stayed around the 3,500' area. Hawksbill is the tallest mountain in the park at 4,050'. We had a quick lunch where the trail split off to the summit. There were quite a few day hikers out today and we did see ... read more

OD’s comments: Well the ride up to the trail was uneventful. We arrived at the Thorton Gap registration center before 7AM. There were no "Backcountry" permits in the box so I improvised my own. We opted not to return to Elkwallow and started in Thorton Gap. This was to save money on mileage for the shuttle and the park fee for his vehicle, a $20 savings. We have spent a bit much going home and back and need to save when we can. The 8 miles we skipped will be made up before we get done. The miles it will take to get from the trail to the shelters and back every day will more than equal 8 miles before we are done. The first leg today was straight up 1,400 feet in the first two ... read more

OD All equipment was packed by 11AM and our ride arrived to shuttle us up to the trail. The owner of Weasel Creek Outfitters got tied up and he sent his assistant. Driving up to the park we chatted, turns out she was also from my home county in CA. What a small world. We hit the trail at 12:30PM and headed south again. It was nice to feel the straps bite into my shoulders and the trail crunch under the soles of my boots. We made very good time and finished at the Gravel Spring Hut, 8.4mi in 5.5 hours. CC was a real trooper, her feet were giving her a bit of trouble. The wind started to pickup just before sunset. There was a family on Spring break at the shelter when we ... read more

I'm finally concluding my blog, a week and a half later after my return. It has been a tough adjustment. I'm back to schedules, deadlines, appointments, responsibilities. I am reminded of just how lucky I am to have the friends I do, and two jobs I enjoy very much. I am however, looking forward to my next trip. Tibet, Nepal, India, Burma, Petra, Egypt, South America are all possible destinations. I will work it so that I have more time off next year. Two weeks just wasn't enough. There are certain paths in life that we all choose, that we must choose as individuals. Personally, it seems like many of these paths are laid out for us in cookie cutter fashion, especially in the States; house, white picket fence, 2 cars, 2.5 children, soccer moms, ... read more