Old Rag

Shame on me for waiting so long to update this. :)

So let's get right to it. In January my trusty hiking companions Heather and Joe (now married) and I decided to huff it up Old Rag for a bit of fun. I'd never been so it was a good chance to tackle one of the more difficult day hikes in our area.

It was a bit chilly out but nothing crazy and as we got moving up up up, and my heart rate went up up up I appreciated the ability to quickly cool off. The trail is mostly what you'd expect in the Mid-Atlantic until you get nearer the top. Suddenly it gets more interesting with lots of options for those of us plagued by hiker-ADD to get sidetracked climbing over rocks. Not too much further along and you have no choice but to climb over the rocks. And just a little further still you might find yourself in need of a friend to help you up and over a few tricky spots. Needless to say I was in hog heaven. . . or. . . hiker heaven. . . or something.

I'd like to do this hike more often and use it as a training tool. I wonder how fast I could make it to the top if I climb it over and over this year? :)

Check out the pics!

Beautiful start to the hike.

Slippery trail.

Panorama about half way up.


I'm the king of... this rock!


Gets the heart pumping. :)


Where is Joe's head?


Having an intelligent conversation obviously.


Success!


Looking down the ridge from the top.

Backpacking #13 - Dolly Sods Wilderness

I think of Dolly Sods as a backpacker's playground; almost an outdoor obstacle course. Despite a maximum elevation of just over 4000 feet, it can be quite challenging and it is never boring. The weather has a habit of changing without warning and the landscape is as varied as I've seen in the Mid-Atlantic, particularly in such a small area.

Pearson and I were joined by our good friend Mase for this little adventure into the woods. Mase had decided a few months earlier that he loved the outdoors and was itching to get some experience with mother nature. In September Mase, myself and my youngest brother made a valiant attempt to summit all 14,264 feet of Mt. Evans near Denver Colorado. That was Mase's first real hike and no, we didn't drive to the top. I estimate we made it to about 13,500 feet before the altitude kicked our butts. Headaches, dizziness and some rockin' sunburn are a serious deterrent to climbing.



However, undaunted we decided to try a different kind of challenge, Dolly Sods.

We left the DC suburbs with clear skies and bright sunshine overhead. The drive out to the Monongahela National Forest took about 3.5 hours and by the time we started up the winding gravel road to the Sods the sky was overcast and the mercury had plummeted. At the top of the ridge we stopped at the large parking area and got out to put on some warmer layers. By the time we stepped out of the car it had started to sprinkle. By the time we had the trunk open and our packs out it was raining. By the time we put on our rain jackets it was hailing and the wind was blowing hard enough to physically move you if you didn't brace yourself against it. I have a feeling Dolly Sods was trying to show us who was boss. We had a good laugh, with maybe a hint of nervousness hidden in it, and hopped back in the car to drive the rest of the way to the Blackbird Knob trailhead.

Dude, we just got hailed on! Let's go backpacking!

There were a good number of backpackers getting ready to head out into the woods when we arrived. Apparently the Sod's little weather outburst wasn't intimidating anyone. After a couple minutes wait in the car the clouds started to break up and the rain reduced to a misty drizzle. After warning another group of the consequences if we found them set up at our intended campsite we threw on our packs and started hiking.

We almost missed seeing any colors at all.

The first bit of the trail is lush and green. Rhododendron close in on either side of you and the ground is covered with mud deep enough to suck your boots off. Further along, as you gain some elevation the trees thin and you begin to see open grassy areas and fields of knee high scrub brush.

With only one wrong turn (my bad) and just a few encounters with other hikers we arrived at the area we'd planned to set up camp. Luckily it was not occupied by any other backpackers or we would have had to arm wrestle over it.

Home sweet camp.

Pretty nice view.

The skies were full of big thick clouds as we started to set up camp and the wind was ripping through the trees. I've never seen clouds move so quickly as that afternoon. As the sun started to set and the wind kept howling I realized it was going to be a chilly night. We got a nice size fire going but with the wind gusting from all directions we weren't able to get much heat from it. We did however warm up due to running from plumes of smoke and making sure any sparks that flew away didn't catch the forest on fire.

We all had some hot and delicious freezer bag meals for dinner and after the thrill of the fire died out we headed for bed. Apparently Mase didn't sleep that well (which is expected for your first night sleeping in the woods) but we all got at least a few hours shut-eye.

Our second day turned out to be beautiful. The wind still whipped around now and then but it wasn't the constant barrage we'd had the night before. We planned to take it easy, do some day hiking out to Rocky Ridge and scramble over the boulders there.

Ahh clear skies and bright sunshine in the morning!

After a quick breakfast we headed out. A few hours later we were standing on the ridge overlooking Canaan Valley. It was a little disappointing to look down and realize there were houses within rock throwing distance of us. I like to feel that the areas where we go to backpack on the East coast are at least somewhat remote but moments like those tend to shatter that illusion.

I think Mase is holding Pearson at knife point here. I don't know why.

On the trail.

On the trail.

On the trail.

The ridge... how touching.

We eventually headed back to camp where we did what guys have been doing in the woods for years: eat snacks, drink whiskey, make fires and tell stories. I think we were zipped up in our sleeping bags by 10PM.

Camp food is the best food.

Yep, he's excited.

Time for ghost stories! Mase, you go first. Mase? Where'd he go?

The next morning we decided to make a quick getaway so we inhaled a few cereal bars, packed up camp and headed back down the trail. It always seems to me that the hike out is much shorter than the hike in. In what felt like no time at all we were loading our gear back into the car, taking the traditional group picture and saying goodbye to Dolly Sods once again.

This was a great trip. We made it out just at the end of the color changing season so all was not brown and dead looking. I think Mase had a good time on his first backpacking trip (he wasn't eaten by a bear so that's a good start). Pearson didn't wake the dead by snoring and I managed to not further injure my broken finger despite the fact that at the time I didn't even realize it was broken yet! We'll be back again next year I'm sure.

Looking down from the Sods.

Looks like some ruffians to me.

Backpacking #12 - St. Mary's Wilderness

St. Mary's was beautiful as always. This was our third trip so we decided to hike in the "short" way so we could spend more time at the area's focal point, the falls. We hiked in, set up camp, hiked back down to the falls, then back to camp, then in the morning broke down camp and then went back to the falls and then hiked back out. So, although it was shorter, we still got some exercise. For this trip we had; Heather, Joe, Erin, Jillian, myself and Maddie.

It seems like every time we go to St. Mary's there is less water than the time before. Even so, there was plenty to swim, dive, jump and cannonball into. There were a lot of day hikers headed to the falls this time which we hadn't experienced before; little kids, old folks, groups on a field trip, you name it.

I've described St. Mary's enough on this blog so let's just get to some pictures. :)

Yay! Super short hike ahead!... or not.

Hoofin' it in the sun just made the water look that much nicer.

Washed out path.

Awesome camp site near an abandoned mine.

Cliff jumping anyone?


Heather went first.

There I go.


Jillian didn't hesitate.


Joe jumped off the cliff but I didn't get a picture of it.


Erin had no interest in jumping from up above.


It's a beautiful spot.

Maddie, the amazing backpacking dog.

Cool pic of the area downstream from the falls.

Avoiding more washed out trail.

Off-trail is sometimes easier than On-trail.

The traditional group shot.

Backpacking #11 - Otter Creek, WV

Otter Creek is located in the Monongahela National Forest, not too far from Dolly Sods. While the Sods is a high elevation bog, Otter Creek flows along steep mountain sides creating a very lush valley, perfect for backpacking. Joe, Heather, Jillian and I decided to do a nice overnighter after Joe read about it on www.midatlantichikes.com. We'd already been up to Jone's Mountain cabin in March but this was our first "true" backpacking trip of the year... late start!

The road trip to Otter Creek took us right past Dolly Sods and further into the mountains of West Virginia. After finding the parking area we headed up toward Shaver's Mountain ridge, ascending over 1300 vertical feet in just under three miles. The heat (it was forecast to be around 90 degrees that day) and the strenuous climb made for a tough start to our trip. Thankfully the trees were full of dense leaves that provided a lot of much needed shade.

Up, Joe, up!

Just as I thought my unfit legs were about to burn up the trail leveled out and the hike became much easier. For the next four miles we got to enjoy a fun, but still challenging jaunt through the woods. Anyone who's hiked in the Mid Atlantic region knows what I'm talking about. The overall elevation may be level but it's like running an obstacle course made by mother nature; rocks, downed trees, ups, downs and turns abound.

Joe and Heather, it's not a band photo... :)

As we hiked we came across plenty of blooming flowers, bright mushrooms and various other forest decorations. Several times the trail crossed small tributaries, bubbling down towards Otter Creek. If the area hadn't been suffering from a two week drought I imagine those crossings would have been a little more fun.

Tasty?

Rhododendron in bloom.

Don't smile now, we're not even half way there yet!

After hiking approximately seven miles we hung a left off the ridge and headed back down into the valley toward Otter Creek. We kept hearing the creek below us and thinking (hoping) that we were getting close to our predetermined camp site. As the sound of the creek continued to grow louder and louder we knew we must be getting close and just like that we were standing by the cool water and resisting the urge to hop right in.

Yeah, we didn't make that ourselves, just so you know.

Another couple tenths of a mile and we found a perfect clearing not far from the creek. Setting up camp took about 30 seconds (I don't mean to brag, but we're getting good at this) and then it was time to relax.

Why so angry?

Pretty darned awesome view.

Jillian and I spent some time walking around in the water and trying not to get pinched by the Kraken sized river monsters we used to call craw fish. There were a good number of them skittering around the rocky creek bottom and I wondered what kind of meal they would make. However, since this was no Survivor Man situation I decided to leave them alone and get back to camp before they started taking a chomp at my toes.


Joe and Heather have spent the winter months crafting some incredible backpacking, boil-in-bag, recipes. They shared some of their stew with us at dinner time and it was excellent. I'm going to rely on Jillian, who I believe is a culinary genius, to help me devise some more creative ideas for future trips. Our cheesy tuna and veggies were delicious as usual, but what if we could have steak, sushi, fresh salad and a cold beer in the woods?! Hey, it could happen...

By the time we went to bed I think we were all sufficiently tired enough to pass out fairly quickly. Overnight it rained and I'm happy to say both our Tarptent Double Rainbows performed exceptionally. Not only did we stay protected from the rain, we were still ventilated enough to prevent condensation inside the tents. Keep in mind there were two people in each tent, the door flaps were shut, it was raining a good amount and it was humid and hot to begin with. For us to wake up rain and condensation free is really impressive.

Jillian and I woke first in the morning and challenged ourselves to make a fire without using any fire starter and as little "artificial" material as possible. This was a bigger challenge than you might think because it had rained for a while overnight and everything was pretty wet. However, using our sharply honed back country skills we soon had a nice fire blazing away in the fire pit and only had to use one quarter square of a paper towel to do it.

Heather and Jillian, camp coffee queens.

After breakfast Joe and Heather had to get going quickly so we all packed up and they took off leaving Jillian and I all alone and helpless in the deep, dark woods. . .

We wasted no time changing into clothes appropriate for swimming and finding a deep spot to hop in. The water, surprisingly, was not the bone chilling iciness I was expecting. It was definitely cold but not so bad that the breath was immediately sucked out of your lungs as soon as you went in. Jillian and I spent a while taking turns diving into the deepest of the pools that we found.

That's a big fish!

After goofing off for a while and nearly getting caught changing clothes we had to get going so we packed up and headed down the trail, stopping here and there to take pictures or have a snack.

Success!

Before we knew it we'd hiked the 3.5 miles back to the car and were on our way home.

Otter Creek feels a lot like St. Mary's Wilderness to me. Both are like lush jungles near the water and both offer great spots to sit and cool your feet, wade or even dive in and take a swim. This was a great first trip for the year and our first day's hike at almost ten miles was the longest we've done so far! Do I see 20 milers in our future???