Mathews Arm and Elkwallow May 2011
green everywhere
Last week I had my first concert of the year and this past weekend I got my first real hike of the year. I went to Leesylvania State Park in April but that was not a challenging hike by any means. On Sunday I packed up my gear and headed for the mountains of the Shenandoah National Park to do some real hiking. The weather was going to be cool, the low 70′s, perfect hiking temperature. The spring bloom has already come and gone around my house but I was hoping the higher elevation would delay the bloom in the park. There was a possibility of rain in the afternoon by which time I hopped to be finished. But just in case I planned according and brought rain gear for such an occasion.
I was excited when I set off just before 9am for the hour and a half drive to the park entrance at Front Royal. I know it is Sunday and I should be in church, but I decided to view the spender of God’s work first hand with a stroll through the park. When I got to the gate the place was pretty deserted. I would have thought being a nice day the park would have been smash but there was no line getting in and I ran into few cars along the road. I did pass a lot of cyclists who where taking the opportunity to get one last ride before things turn hot and ugly. For the next thirty minutes I leisurely drove up the mountain to the parking lot at MP 21 at the head of Overall Run trail.
penny for your thought?
Prepping for my hike it was windy and chilly. This parking lot is at the crest of the mountain so the winds were strong for the first few hundred feet along the Appalachian Trail. You are on the Appalachian for maybe a 1/4 to a 1/2 mile before taking the Overall Run trail. I could have parked at Mathews Arm Campground and cut the trip down, but I wanted to do some serious hiking. The remainder of the hike was mostly downhill which is always nice and other than a little discomfort with my knees it was pretty easy. I always find going downhill harder, takes less energy sure, but it is certainly more stressful on my knees.
As I continued the weather started to change rapidly. The wind picked up and I could see thick clouds starting to roll in across the valley. Having not reached my goal of the Overall Run Falls I stopped and contemplated my next move for 10 minutes. I was easily halfway to the falls and didn’t want to turn back. There was plenty of daylight left and I have been trying to get to these falls for over a year. But then there was the weather. The mountains can get nasty very quickly and I didn’t want to get caught at the falls and hike all the way back, up hill, in the rain. As I am standing in the middle of the forest all alone, I start to notice the birds singing. It was silent when I first stopped, but I was serenaded as I made my decision. I was suddenly struck by the solitude of where I was, this is one of the major reason I trek out into the forest as often as I do. I erred on the side of caution and headed back to my truck. No sooner than I got within sight of the lot and it started to rain.
budding tree blossom
It was still early so I took the time to stop and eat lunch. After refueling my body I headed further into the park, hoping to drive past the weather and hit another trail. I stopped at the Elkwallow Wayside and headed for the Cutoff Trail. Here again you first hike part of the Appalachian Trail before turning onto Cutoff Trail. Its amazing how many trails involve this behemoth of a trail. As I descended the mountain I ran into several other hikers and backpackers coming up the trail. It started to drizzle again but I was determined to not let the rain stop me this time. Everyone I passed must have known the weather was turning once again and heading out of the valley. Certainly the river I was headed for would be running deep from the recent days rain. I was prepared of course for the change in weather and put my camera in my back and broke out my rain jacket. I hiked several more miles in the rain, crossing the stream which was quickly rising, and headed up Knob Mountain.
Several hundred feet into the climb I finally decided to turn around and head back to my truck. The rain had finally gotten to me and I had enough. It was not the rain that did me in, I could live with that. My problem was I couldn’t hear anything with the hoodie over my head. The sounds of nature faded to white noise. Yes most of the birds and other wildlife were hungered down for the rain. I would have been more than happy to just hear the sound of water falling on the leaves, but it was not to be. The hike backup the mountain was daunting but accomplished in about an hour. Things really got nasty by the time I made it back to my truck. The top of the mountain was fogged in and the rain was constant and heavy.
I drove deeper into the park, headed for Thornton Gap and Sperryville. The driving was treacherous with the dense fog that blanketed the mountain. As I would come around corners I sometimes couldn’t see the next curve. Thankfully all the bikers were off the road which eased my mind a little. It was not till I made it to Sperryville that the fog was finally gone. The drive home was calming as I drove through the rural counties of Madison, Culpeper, and Fauquier. It was still raining and overcast, but I was happy. I was able to get out for my first real hike of the year and even though I never reached the falls and it rained half the day I had a blast.
