April 2nd, 2018
Campsite at Intersection of Mine Gap Trail to Signal Knob Parking Lot - 10 miles
Last night wasn't too bad. I could tell the rain was wind-driven but I woke in the AM to no snow on the ground. I count my blessings, as I can imagine that packing up frozen gear is anything but fun. Today is mostly easy, following a fire road, up and over Signal Knob, and down to the parking lot. Interestingly, walking the fire road wasn't boring because there were tall pines, streams, PATC cabins, and the azul-colored Strasburg Reservoir. I see on the map that this small piece of land is private but can't help but notice the awesomely placed campsite right on the berm of the damn. Mental note.
I round the bend that is Signal Knob and it just isn't as impressive as it was to me last time. I was last there at dusk and the sky was a painter's delight. The trail meanders along before it starts its decent down to the parking lot. It's much more rocky than I remember and the rocks are slick from last night's rain. I slip once but remain upright. I always get giddy in the last few miles of any hike and try to remain composed in an attempt to not slip and break anything. On my descent, the last view is of the eastern ridge of the Massanutten, over towards Buzzard Rock. These ridges look so grand but they mostly hover right around 2,000 feet elevation. Nonetheless, I now have much more respect for the Massanutten [Trail].
 |
| Riding the Ridge. Trail is just down in front. |
April 1st, 2018
Campsite on Short Mnt. to Campsite at Intersection of Mine Gap Trail - 19 miles
Today's hiking involves me continuing on northward along Short Mnt., dropping down to Edinburg Gap, up to Waonaze Peak, and onward to Woodstock Tower. It's my biggest day, mileage wise, in a few years, and I can feel me pushing to my limit. Yet it feels good to know I can still crank out big days when I'm dialed in and listen to my body.
The trail around Waonaze Peak and Powell Mountain was shrouded in mountain laurel not yet in bloom. The trail allows me to mostly cruise and I wish I was going through here when the laurel were in bloom. I feel good today and I find myself at Woodstock Tower with several hours of daylight to spare. There is a hang glider launch site at the Tower and, given today is a Sunday... Easter Sunday... there were many tourists at the Tower. I feel slightly out of place as I rummage through the woods to retrieve my water cache. I had planned to spend the night around these parts but the wind is picking up and there is a big storm system coming tonight, supposedly with wind, rain, and snow. I press on down the trail to find a tent site that will offer some protection from the wind. I find such an improvised tent site near the intersection of Mine Gap Trail.
 |
| Trail amid mountain laurel. |
I spend quite some time investing in my tent set-up. I make sure the back of the tent is facing westward, where the weather will be coming from. I stake out my guy lines. For the first time in my memory, there is a significant chance of measurable snow (2-4") according to the weather report. It's hard to believe that I've hiked almost 3,000 miles and never had to endure a measurable snow. Call me lucky. I hunker down for the night.
March 31st, 2018
Duncan Hollow to Campsite on Ridge of Short Mnt. - 16 miles
Jim drops me off at the trail head and I make my way back into Duncan Hollow. The trail is gaining elevation ever so slowly and I follow a stream for most of the hollow. I can tell that in the past few years, there was another fire and it appears the woods to my left was left untouched but the woods to my right burned. I take a break at an established campsite near the intersection of Gap Creek Trail; complete with rock chairs! The trail from here climbs up Middle Mountain to near Strickler Knob. There are many blow-downs that I must navigate in this section.
The trail drops down into Scothorn Gap and then steeply descends. I am slightly annoyed by this because I very quickly regain all of the lost elevation as I huff and puff my way back to the ridge up Waterfall Mountain. Once back on the ridge, the trail is nice and it winds through pine forest. Once I cross Crisman Hollow Road, the trail aggressively decides to criss-cross the ridge, in what seems to be no rhyme or reason. However, the view from Q's View was quite nice.
A day hiker and I play leap frog with one another and I'm slightly saddened that I won't have trail company for longer. After some miles, the trail drops to Moreland Gap and I secure water from my cache. I attempt to find a suitable campsite but don't find anything. I really go all in once I decide to keep hiking up to the ridge of Short Mnt., banking on being able to find something up top. I get lucky and find a spot just big enough for my tent, after I clean out the branches and debris. I could see the sun setting in a great hues of rich oranges and yellows through the bare trees... and then it fades and I am left with myself in my tent for the night.
March 30th, 2018
Little Crease Shelter to Duncan Hollow - 17 miles
I wake and can tell the day is going to be interesting. Ever have that feeling before leaving camp? I climb the rest of the way to the ridge and begin my southbound ridge walk. The trees are still bare, allowing for sweeping views to the east (down to the Shenandoah River and over to the peaks of Shenandoah National Park) and to the west (over to the western ridge of the Massanutten). It's a mostly cloudy day and the wind is blowing; the trail acts as sort of a roller-coaster, up and down small knobs on the ridge. In the distance, I can see there is precipitation falling from the sky, made evident by the downward wisps coming from the low-hanging clouds. I encounter two trail maintainers who seem absolutely stunned to see someone hiking (and even more stunned to know that I am doing a thru hike of the MT). These are the only two people I see on trail the remainder of the day.
Even though I had been to the top of Kennedy Peak some years prior, I still chose to take the up and back summit trail. The wind is even more strong and I can tell the temperature has dropped from the morning high. The complex sky makes for a stunning photo opportunity.
 |
| View from Kennedy Peak (looking South). |
My friend Jim has a house in nearby Luray, VA and has offered to pick me up at the road crossing near the start of Duncan Hollow (VA675).
March 29th, 2018
Signal Knob Parking Lot to Little Crease Shelter - 9 miles
I decided to start my hike at Signal Knob Parking Lot because it makes logistical sense, since I am coming from the East. Before I start, my friend Jim (aka: Skyline) helps me cache water in three spots along the loop route. The Massanutten Trail is often rugged in spots and water can be scarce, as the trail mostly follows the ridge lines of the East and West Massanutten ranges.
It's a short 9 miles from the parking lot to Little Crease Shelter; the only shelter on this loop. Enroute, I pass Elizabeth Furnace, where there are educational signs about how this region helped Virginia earn the nickname "Arsenal of the South" around Civil War times. The trail ascends the eastern ridge through a burn area. It was so hot... no canopy, the heat was radiating off of the exposed rocks and soil-barren ground, leaving only sand. There was a nice view to the East, overlooking one of the many bends of the Shenandoah River.
 |
| Looking East -- overlooking the Shenandoah River. |
The trail descends ever so slightly into a valley and on its way to Little Crease Shelter. I have this spot to myself for the evening. For the first time on trail, I tried "cold soaking" for dinner. It takes some finesse but I am impressed with the results. I intend to go stove-less, mostly, from now on and for all of the Colorado Trail.
No comments:
Post a Comment