Shenandoah

Post 27

After two shows in the grossly overpopulated Northeast, Becky and I are finally leaving the city sprawl and heading back to the mountains. In the past three weeks we’ve been bouncing between Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC and everywhere in-between. And while navigating these concrete jungles due to the lack of camping or the luck of having friends in the area we have sadly slept with a roof over our heads. It is about time to remedy this misfortunate and return to life in a tent!

With the upcoming weekend free to explore Shenandoah National Park we found it hard to contain our excitement. This won’t be our first visit to this great Eastern park, we’ve passed through twice before in our travels but never really had the opportunity to leave the pavement of famed Skyline Drive. Skyline Drive runs the length of the park from North to South and although it provides beautiful panoramic vistas into the valleys and hollow below, we’re anxious to travel the park on our own two feet. 

In regards to this adventure, throughout my research I learned that Old Rag was an absolute must long day hike, while Stony Man and Hawksbill were also great shorter hikes. None of these hikes disappointed! Stony Man and Hawksbill required minimal effort for superb views and Old Rag was indeed the highlight of the weekend. It required a long steep humid haul up 2200 feet of elevation gain to be rewarded with a playground of massive granite boulders haphazardly piled atop each other. The landscape was equally challenging to maneuver as it was scenic. Old Rag is one of my favorite hikes this summer and if not for the popularity and accompanying mass of fellow hikes, it would easily be tops in the East. Definitely put this hike on your bucket list, just make a side note not to attempt it during peak summer season on a Sunday morning! 

A running theme in our backpacking clinic is the importance of doing your research and thoroughly knowing the location you’ll be hiking in. So during our three week stint in the city I dreamt of and planned our upcoming return to the mountains. I believe that not just for obvious safety reasons but to maximize your experience in any given location, research is an indispensable tool. Research is essential to truly getting the most out of your time spent in these magical places, especially with limited time in an area like we have.