I Do Stuff…

purple spring flowers

Photo Gallery

I hiked Prince William Forest a few weeks ago, right after Spring officially began.  This weekend I thought I would head out to Shenandoah National Park to hike a longer trail and see what Spring looked like in the mountains.  Not surprisingly the parking lot was pretty darn full when I arrived.  Walking up to the park ranger house I had to ford a river, the water was flowing over top the tiny bridge leading to it.  Both on Thursday and Friday it rained in the area and all the creeks where filled with water and running quickly.  Before I even started my hike I was already wet.

blue spring flowers

When I got to the park ranger house I spoke with one of them about the trails.  I told him I was hiking Cedar Run Trail and he asked if I was doing the loop.  He had heard from other hikers that the creek crossing at the first falls on Cedar Run Trail were completely flooded and I would have to make a water crossing.  I was not going to hike the full 8.5 mile loop so a little water wouldn’t bother me.  I could not imagine how high the water level actually was until I got there, more on that later.

Starting the hike at the base of the mountain it quickly climbs the mountain in a rather narrow valley.  The whole way up I kept finding all these little flowers that had sprung up along the trail and this slowed my hike considerable.  Every time I would come across a patch of them I would have to stop and take some pictures.  Sometimes having to move off the trail to let others pass, there were a ton of people out enjoying the park on this beautiful day.

Cedar Run Falls

When I reached the first fall it was about 20′ tall and the pool at the base was completely flooded.  There was no dry way to cross the river, I mean creek.  The 5 or so people in front of me had already scouted out the area and came to the same conclusion.  The only way to get across was taking your shoes off and walking through the water.  This was not going to be a problem for me at all, I was actually looking forward to it.  But before I crossed I decided to hike up the side of the mountain and get in closer to the water fall.

I wanted to get some shots of the water fall looking down to the pool with the flowing creek in the back ground.  My hike up was a little treacherous once I started.  There were plenty of rocks but they had all been heaved up and just sat on loose dirt, making for a slippery climb.  After making my way up I cut across towards the top of the fall and got some good shots of the rushing water.  The sound was intense and peaceful in a way.  It was not the “quite” kind of peaceful, more of the “nature” kind of peace.  I sat on one of the rocks that over looked a section of the fall while I composed my shots and just relaxed.  When I was finished I checked further up the creek sense I was already here and there was not a better spot to cross.  So I slide down the hill and crossed the creek at the pool.  The flow of the water was manageable, the rocks were not to slippery, I never lost my footing once.  The only problem was the temperature of the water, it was COLD!  After 20 seconds I couldn’t wait to get out and warm my feet.

Now on the other side of the creek I put my shoes on and continued my hike.  It became much stepper of a hike but when I made it to the second water fall it was well worth the effort.  As I topped a small hill I could see two distinct falls in front of me.  The first was about 25′ tall and 20′ wide, the second was much narrower but easily 40′ tall.  I was determined to explore further both falls and get as close to each as I could.

a splash of color

For the first fall in this series I had to slide down the hill off the beaten path to the base of the wall.  Here there were some rocks perfectly situated in the middle of the pool at the back.  Very carefully I made my way over to the rock to snap some shots, but quickly.  The water was rushing down so fast and the wind blowing spray made taking pictures a little difficult.  But I quickly snapped some shots and moved to a safer spot for the rest of my shots.  Next it was a hike up the steep hill and onto the next fall in this series.

Here I was able to get close to the edge without much difficultly, so I decided to take a break and enjoy some lunch with the roaring sound of the water fall in the back ground.  I spent quite a bit of time sitting on the rocks over looking the falls, all in my quest to relax.  At this fall there was no way to make it down to the base, no extreme climbing this time.  After my break I hiked a little further up the trail and decided to I needed to turn around.  Not that it was getting late, but I know myself to well and it would take a couple hours to get back down the mountain, stopping all the time to photos.  I was also going to take the Cedar Run Link Trail which hooks up with the Whiteoak Canyon Trail to extend my hike just a little further.

On my way down I did find some more opportunities to take pictures and to chat with some other hikers.  I ran into a couple that was camping in the park.  They had been hiking for 6 hours and were looking for a flat spot to setup camp.  They asked if any flat spots were around and unfortunately I didn’t know of any, I think the only good places are at the top of the mountain and the bottom of the mountain.  It is to narrow and steep to find any meaningful flat areas.

Back down the trail I took my turn onto the Cedar Run Link Trail for some more hiking.  This turned into a wet and muddy trail.  The heavy rain fall turned large sections of the trail into mini-creeks, something I was getting tired of at this point.  When I got to the end of the link and onto the Whiteoak Canyon Trail there was another swollen creek crossing.  At least for this one I didn’t have to take my shoes off and wade into the water.  Even with the high water there were rocks evenly spaced across the 20′ creek that provided perfect stepping stones to get across.

really?

Once I made it across it was a short easy hike back to my truck.  I was happy to be back by this point.  I wanted nothing more than to take my hiking boots off and smoke a cigar on the drive home.  Fortunately my Smartwool socks kept my feed dry even though my boots were water logged.  It was a great hike and I look forward to coming back when the weather gets a little warmer.  I would like to swim around in some of the pools on a hot summer day, maybe even slide down or jump off the falls even.

PS: I wish I could say this was the only piece of trash I saw on the trail, but then I would be lying.  Why do people think its ok to leave trash in a national park?  To lazy to hike it out, come on.  When I see stuff like this it really pisses me off.

summit of Old Rag

Photo Gallery

So it’s the weekend after Christmas and the weather outside was perfect.  The sun was shinning, no rain in the forecast, and the temperatures was in the low 60’s.  What a perfect opportunity to get one last hike in before the end of the year and one last use out of my 2008 National Park Pass.  So I packed my hiking bag and headed out to my local stomping ground, Old Rag Mountain, for a day hike.

I was able to arrive at the overflow lot around 10am.  By this time all the early morning fog had burned off, but the trail was still very muddy.  For several days it had rained on and off.  I could deal with the muddy trail, that’s what hiking boots are for.  What I was concerned about was the wet rocks.  I didn’t think there would be any ice since the temperatures had not fallen below freezing for almost a week.  Nevertheless it would still be a dicey hike up the mountain.

On my way up I quickly shed my light jacket I was wearing, never having to put it back on.  The temperatures quickly rose and the wind never became a problem.  At one point on the trail up there was a noticeable temperature change.  The wind was blowing hard down the mountain and was about 15 degrees warmer.  If I stepped back just 10′ it got cooler again, very bizarre.

fellow hikers

After a short hike in the mud it was time for the rock scramble to the summit.  I was a little worried about slick rocks, this is not a place you want to slip and fall.  You could literally fall off the mountain to a not so soft landing.  But the chance of death certainly added to the thrill of climbing up the mountain this time.  With a more perraless hike I got a few more cuts and my camera took a few good knocks from slipping.  But never once did I completely loose my balance.  I even lost a lens cap at one point crawling around the rocks.  Fortunately when I was about to leave the summit a guys comes walking up with it in hand.  I couldn’t thank that guy enough for finding it and returning it.

When I reached the summit this time there were a lot of people, so finding some solitude would be pretty hard this time around.  I am starting to think I have to come up in a rain or snow storm for no one to be here.  Thankfully there were far fewer people this time around and I could find a spot to rest and eat lunch.  I took a spot on the rocks facing towards Robertson Mountain which I hiked just a few weeks earlier.  For what it was it was a peaceful lunch on a perfect day for hiking.  I spent a long time at the summit exploring and taking as many pictures as I could.  This was my first opportunity to use my 75-300mm lens on this mountain.  Even though the scenery was the same, I was getting a completely different perspective with my new lens.

rotten tree

I spent enough time on the summit so I headed down the fire road back to the parking lot.  I love this part of the hike.  It might be longer this way back to the car, but certainly easier.  There are no rocks to climb over or squeeze through and the grade is very manageable.  Certainly easier on my knees going this way.  I also like the walk through the forest once you have reached the valley.  You are surrounded by a ton of trees that just envelope you in nature, even more so in summer and fall.

Once I got back to my truck it was off to home.  A short drive back with a stop at the grocery store for dinner that night and my day was complete.  I love hiking that section of the Shenandoah, it’s just beautiful.

Photo Gallery

I know its the middle of December.  So not only is it the middle of a shortened shopping season, but it’s COLD as crap outside.  The whole shopping thing I didn’t mind about, I would much rather be outside than shopping any day.  As for the cold I just purchased a new North Face Amplitude three season jacket and was looking forward to doing some torture testing on this piece of equipment.  So I didn’t want it to be just cold, the high for Saturday was in the mid-forties, I wanted it to be really cold.  And that means a trip to the mountains.

Robertson Mnt trail marker

I decided to head to my local mountain range in the Shenandoah National Park for an afternoon hike up a mountain.  I didn’t want to do Old Rag this time, but I did picked a mountain in the same general area.  I decided on Robertson Mountain which is the next mountain over from Old Rag.  With it being the same height I knew it would be a challenge hiking up.

When I arrived at the mountain I was surprised to see about a dozen cars in the over flow lot, so much for getting a parking spot close to the trail head.  I figured with the cold and being around Christmas fewer people would be willing to hike up the mountain, boy was I wrong.  One of the people I ran into while hiking commented on seeing me.  He was surprised to see someone else out hiking on such a perfect day.

snow atop Robertson Mountain

After almost a mile hike to the park entrance I started down the Weakley Hollow fire road till I got to the Robertson Mountain Trail head.  I passed it on my last circuit hike of Old Rag and thought it would be a good alternative hike to Old Rag.  Hiking up Robertson Mountain was almost straight up, definitely a steeper climb than Old Rag.  It was disheartening every time I would look up the trail.  Then when I looked behind me the trail just disappeared after 30′ or so.  Once above 3,000′ or so there was snow on the ground.  Just a light dusting, but snow non the less.  This high up the mountain it never melted.

About 2:30 hours after starting my hike I made it to the summit of Robertson Mountain.  Just off the trail was an obvious overlook spot that I walked to.  I couldn’t wait to see what the view was like and I wanted to sit and take a break for a while.  When I found the clearing the view was spectacular.  On my right side across the valley was Sky Line Drive and to the left I was eye level with the summit of Old Rag.  It was great to see that mountain for a different view.  Nothing but rocks jetting out with little vegetation.  I got a much better idea of just how bare the top of that mountain is.

I spent about 30 minutes just sitting on the rocks looking out.  I was the only person up there so it was very peaceful and quite.  The only sounds were a couple of black crows squawking every now and then and the rustle of the trees from the driving wind.  Eating my lunch I solved all the problems of the world in the peace and tranquility.  Unfortunately by the time I got down to the bottom of the mountain all the problems returned.  Ugh, my work is never done.

Another great hike.  I wouldn’t mind hiking up once when there is a few inches of snow on the ground.  Have not only the top of the mountain but the entire valley covered in a fresh white blanket of snow.  That would make for some great pictures.

summit of Robertson Mountain

Photo Gallery

I decided early November to hike Old Rag Mountain again.  The last time I did this it was summer and much hotter.  When I was finished the mountain totally kicked my ass.  I promised myself I would come back another time and do the full circuit hike of the mountain.  The cool weather of fall was reason enough to try the hike again.

...

I was hoping to get another shot at the fall colors but the closer I got to the park the fewer leaves I saw.  I was hiking another trail earlier in fall and got a pretty good show.  If I had waited another week or two the trees would have been at peak.  If I couldn’t get the color at least I got cooler temperatures.  This time around it was about 50 degrees in the mountain.  Not all that bad in the grand scheme of things, but up there it was pretty windy and that made things pretty cold.

I got an early start that day but I still arrived about 10:30 in the morning.  I knew I needed about 4 hours to do the whole circuit so I wanted to get started early.  With the days getting shorter it was even more important to get hiking early.  So when I arrived I didn’t expect to see many people.  Very much like the first time I hiked the trail.  However this time when I arrived the parking lot was filled to capacity, a ranger had to direct cars to there spot.

This time around the hike up the mountain was not nearly as bad.  This time around I knew what I was getting into and was more prepared for the hike.  With the cooler temperatures it made things much more comfortable and I sweated out less fluids.  Getting up the mountain took no time at all.  When I did make it to the summit you could see clear across several valleys.  Most of the trees were bare except for small grooves of maple trees and their bright yellow leaves.

hiking trail in fall

After a few minutes at the summit, and with light fading fast it was time to hike down the mountain.  This time I would take the fire road.  It was a more steady slop and easier surface to walk down.  Even though it was longer it was still faster than hiking down the mountain via the previous path.  This way takes you down a perfect path in the forest, eventually meeting up with a creek flowing down to the parking lot.

Another thing that was strange this time around was the amount of people.  Even with the lot packed I never thought I would see so many people walking the trail.  There was rarely a moment when I was alone on the trial.  Mostly that happened on the way up the mountain.  At one point everyone was actually stopped on the trail.  There were probably 20 people in front of me waiting to get past one particular rock climb.

At the summit is were i saw the most people, just sprawled across several large rock groupings.  It was a great place to take a break and have some food.  The back drop while you ate lunch was spectacular.  It made me wonder what it would look like in the middle of winter with some snow on the ground.  Not only would the valley appear to have a wool blanket covering everything up, it would probably be a very deserted place that time of year.

It is a great place to hike and I look forward to the next time I can get out there.

summit of Old Rag

Photo Gallery

On Saturday I headed back to Shenandoah National Park for some more hiking in Whiteoak Canyon.  This time around I started at the bottom of the trail, outside of the park and hiked in.  I never made it to the bottom of the trail the first time around, so what a good way to see it.  I was also hoping for less people on the trail if I started at the bottom.  But with this time of year being peak for colors in the park, along with cool temperatures, everyone and their mothers was outside.

leaf chocked pond

Starting from the parking lot it is a short and mostly level hike to the first fall.  Along the way you get a good idea of what the forest has to offer in fall.  The air is crisp with a slight breeze blowing through the trees.  Now and again the breeze blow and it looks like it is snowing leaves.  Yellow, brown, and red leaves cover the forest floor, crackling when you walk across them.  In the back ground you can hear the water flowing down the creek after its five mile journey from the top of the mountain.

last fall on the trail

About a mile and a half from the parking lot is the first fall and its pretty impressive.  It is not the Niagara Falls, but still something to look at.  The water slowly rolls over the top and flows rather than falls down the face of the rock.  At this first fall there is a pretty good sized pond that would be perfect to swim in during the summer months.

From here the hike up the mountain gets a bit tougher.  You have to climb up a few hundred feet to the top of the fall.  The water makes it look easy coming down, but hiking up it a pretty darn tough.  By the time I got to the top I was exhausted and took a break.  I chatted with a group of fellow hikers that got a little lost.  They hiked a lot further down the trail then they planned.  So I told them where they were and showed them where they wanted to go.  Being without a map I gave them the trail map I had printed off the internet (always carry a map with you, even for known trails).  After some quick food and water I was off again to the next two falls.

plush red carpet

I couldn’t tell if I made it to all three of the falls in the lower section or not.  Eventually I needed to turn around and start hiking back to my car.  Fortunately once I decided to hike back to my truck it was all down hill and a slightly easier hike.  Hiking down hill is no easy feat, but at least my legs don’t have to work so hard.  Now my knees on the other hand they take a pounding.  I was also hoping for a shorter trip down, but I kept finding spectacular scenery around me that I just had to take pictures of.

After a long day of hiking I finally made it down to my car and headed home.  On the way in a I passed an apple market.  The Graves Mountain Apple Harvest Festival was going on that weekend and the Graves Mountain Farm was in full swing selling all manor of apples.  I couldn’t help but stop and see what they had to offer.  Most of the good apples were taking in the morning by the hordes of people I saw when I passed the place for Whiteoak Canyon.  But I was still able to find a box of apples and the best part, the price.  It was only $10 for a huge box of apples.  I got a few Fuji to eat for lunch and Stayman for cooking a couple apple pies.  I can’t wait to bake one of those bad boys up……yum.

a look across the valley