Hiking Hanging Rock

Virginia isn't the only state with great hiking. I spent a weekend camping and hiking Hanging Rock in NC. I knew I was on the "right" trail when I found this sign.

I felt unusually sapped climbing up to the peak. I didn't think I was that out of shape. At the top I enjoyed great vistas. Maybe gaining elevation just takes more effort.

Observation tower. Great views from the top but no shade.

Vistas replaced the grimace of pain on ascent with jubilant smiles.

Careful, that next step is a doozy!

After covering all trails on the western side of the park I headed back east. This was an interesting experience. This area of trails was marshy with heavy canopy more like a rain forest.

Pilot mountain in the distance. Pilot is on the todo list as well.

Mountain stream fed lake was nice and cool after a hot hike. Apparently I arrived just after a snake scare. Swimmers didn't appreciate sharing the water with an added serpent swimmer.

It struck me on this hike that many of my generation and younger probably assume that steps occur naturally. The work done by civilian corps and similar programs from the "Big Deal" and other government programs in the 1900's crafted the landscape and time absorbed the efforts so the changes appear natural. Belated thank you to all the people who worked to create erosion proof pathways that allow us to enjoy nature while mitigating the impact of our passage.

In two days I covered every trail in the park save a couple running east and out of the park. Oh well, I'll just have to go back and pick those up another time. Who's up for a hike?

Hiking Old Rag

I'm finally catching up on some long overdue posts. In July I got a chance to hike "Old Rag" in Virginia. Old Rag includes something called "rock scrambles" and is one of the highest rated hikes in the Eastern US. One review said this is one of the few hikes that requires upper AND lower body strength.  Sounds promising, let's do it. I grabbed my Ergon pack, swapped biking supplies for hiking supplies, added full finger gloves and set out.

Man what a trip! If you love, or even like the outdoors and hiking then you MUST do this hike. I do recommend gloves to protect your hands. You will be using your hands.

The first treat of the day was hiking up above the cloud line. Looking down on the cloud baseline was a bit of new experience. The Shenandoah valley was beautiful - when it was visible.


Clouds encased the ridge line a few times. Visibility was never low enough to be a problem but the fog certainly enhanced the experience.





There are several false summits on the trail. I thought I was in heaven at the first summit. Then I learned that it kept getting better.


I was too busy grinning and frolicking to get many pictures. This is one of the early "interesting" points. Crawl through, or over :-) , a cavern in the rocks, pop out the other side and take a hard left to walk along this sheer face. This is looking backward after the fact. Trail descriptions say to go counter clockwise for easier descents and clockwise for tougher ascents. Guess which I chose?


During occasional breaks in rock scrambles and cloud covers I took time to appreciate the views.


That cloud line? Yep, it passed through me on the ridgeline.


I thought this view as amazing when I experienced. It resonated even more in the weeks to come. I thought I was on a peak. The people give perspective. The climb actually continues up into the clouds. We talked about "local maximums" the subsequent week at work. I had first hand experience to share. It also goes hand in hand with an ongoing project.











This the view from the penultimate summit. I highly recommend packing picnic lunch, even just a cliff bar, and savoring the summit.

I finished the day with 7.5 miles of hiking and 3k feet of elevation gain. I sliced my palm on a rock before remembering to put gloves on. This is an amazing hike. You will use hands and feet. Plan accordingly.

As fun as it is it is not impossible. One notable experience was jockeying back and forth with a family of four: mom, dad, and two small kids. We passed back and forth on climbs before they ultimately passed me running down from the mountain. What a family experience.

Hiking Shenandoah White Oak and Cedar Run

The day before Old Rag I explored more of the Shenandoah valley.





White oak and Cedar run trails have some great waterfalls














I really got wrapped up in the hike enjoying the trails and falls. Starting back up from the valley a fellow hiker advised it would take at least three hours to climb out. He gave an estimated finish time of 10PM. I had lights and food so wasn't too worried. At the same time that sounded like a challenge. Could I go up faster than I came down?

I don't have exact numbers but I do know I reached the car well before 10PM including a jog back up Skyline drive in beautiful misty dusk.

This is another great hike. The climb up is fantastic. It's like a step aerobics class administered by mother nature.

Post Trip Gear Review

With all is said and done a few bits of gear stand out:

The Moots Mooto X YBB 29" with Fox fork is a phenomenal bike. I heard people complain about heavy bikes. I heard people complain about rough trail surface on the C&O. A couple people asked how I could ride on aerobars on the rough surface of the C&O. With front and rear shocks unlocked I didn't feel a thing. I kept the rear soft tail locked out until my bum got tender on the 2nd afternoon. Then I unlocked it an never looked back. Weight was great for lugging over trees.

I ran Specialized Captain Control Armadillo puncture resistant tires with Slime tubes. Through briers, gravel, and even broken beer bottles on the trail I never had a flat. I'm strongly biased against flats as they steal away riding time. This combo kept me rolling. The weight and investment are well worth it IMHO.

Ergon Backpack and hand grips were great.  I kept as much weight as possible on the bike and off my back. The remaining weight of the pack sat on my hips so my shoulders never got sore.

Profile Design Air Stryke aerobars were a hand and ride saver. Eventually hands get tired and more positions are required. I rode on aerobars enough to chafe my forearms. Lots of rolling time in aero. I feared the spring loaded arm pads would bounce and vibrate but they didn't. I got really lucky in being able to reuse these from my road bike. I went tested 4 sets of aerobars to find ones that would fit and work. The best option ended up being my old favorite.

The REI Pattern Strap with Buckle caught my eye during final preparation. I'm typically not very colorful. These were "extra" and I used them at every turn. They tied my bags, tied up my bike, tied extra bottles of Gatorade, and generally tied up or tied down everything I needed. I had lengths of nylon cord and stainless steel wire as well. These straps were just convenient and perfectly sized time and again. They are a real highlight of the trip.

I feel like Body Glide Skin Glide let me down. I typically use the original body glide. I should have stuck with it. Saddle sores prevailed despite repeated plentiful applications and meticulous nightly hygiene. I will stick to Chamois Butter or the original body glide.

Sawyer Jungle Juice Bug repellant kept the bugs off when I stopped. I had read that keeping speed above 10mph curtails the bugs. I found speed effective even down to 8mph. Bug repellant was only necessary for stops. Then it was critical.

L.L.Bean's Comfort Cycling Jersey, Long-Sleeve regulated temps and kept the sun off. I slept in it on cold camping nights, wore it through the hottest days, and traveled in it. This was a great multipurpose shirt. I opted for neon for visibility on roads to offset carrying an additional neon vest. The offset rear pocket is a bit odd but it works great when carrying a pack.

Listerine Pocket Strips are great portable toothpaste/mouthwash/mints. Just keep them dry.

iPod Nano - Thanks to Ryan for the loaner. I got more than 12 hours of battery life. It was critical having a separate small music player. I saved iPhone battery power for more complex tasks like note taking, navigation, and C&O and GAP Apps. They are only available for iOS currently.

AT&T iPhone 4 with Verizon Illusion pre-paid backup. This combo worked out well. I'm primarily an iPhone user. When I killed (it died?) the iPhone I at least had a phone for navigation and communication. With a Mohpie case on the iPhone both devices charged from microUSB. The mophie case also charged the iPod. This combination kept me powered and informed. I had AT&T service, Verizon service, and a satellite link via Spot Connect.

Garmin eTrex 30 worked well for navigation. Downloading Open Street Map basemaps gave me all roads and trails. GAP and C&O GPX files provided key points of interest. I did encounter the problem with eTrex killing its battery and suddenly powering off. It worked fine for 6 days and then got difficult. I had backups with offline maps in Maps With Me Pro on the Android and Verizon phones.

Cygolight Expilion 350 saved me from several forms of darkness. I was worried about killing the battery and being unable to recharge so I ordered two lights and took one light and both fully charged batteries. That proved more than sufficient. The light is brighter than I needed most of the time. However, it was great to have the extra lumens riding the tricky surface of Pawpaw tunnel and looking for a campground in a state forest at night. 99% of the time the lowest brightness setting is adequate. The 1% of time I need the extra brightness it is an invaluable asset. 

Bell Beacon Bike Helmet Mounted Light - this is a little gem. It's bright enough to get the job done, runs on button batteries which are light and small spares, and includes a rear flashing red. It's just a simple light. It's not super bright. It's just enough. I find the brightness similar to the Planet Bike Blaze 2 Watt light.

Showers Pass rain jacket and rain pants, Goretex rain hood - These were great for rain and for warmth. These were pinch the night I camped in 49 degree weather. My bivvy sack and sleeping bag liner just were not doing the trick. Next trip I may add a base layer just in case of another cold front.

Bull City running hat - wide and deep bill for shade and bug protection.

Oakley prescription glasses with transitions lenses - protect my eyes, give some shade in the sun, and fade to clear for night riding. Avoid the "irridium" lenses as they don't get completely clear - a show stopper for night time.

Last but certainly not least are my Revelate Designs bags. I cannot say enough about the quality and workmanship that Eric puts into these pieces. I have the Tangle Frame Bag, Jerrycan, Gas tank, Pocket, Harness, and Viscacha seat bag. This is good stuff. Everything I needs fits in this combination with no panniers.

To DC

With contact points mostly healed I set my sights on the final leg to Washington, DC. For this iteration I posit that saddle sores actually feel worse as they heel. Raw skin is one thing, scabs are another, and then dry peeling scabs are quite another. Then re-apply copious saddle time. There is room for optimization in my saddle and handle bars. Oh, and my left big toe is still numb.

The ride started out wet and cool. Rain was a nice reprieve from hundred degree days. Fog in the mountains is reminiscent of the more southerly smokey mountains.







The trail was alive with wildlife. Does with spotted fawns were everywhere. There were many pairs of spotted fawns. Are multiple births common in white tail deer?






I took an earlier picture from this same aqueduct showing clear water and clearly visible rocks in the water. Nice contrast here.






Storm debris was everywhere along the sides of the trail. Front end loaders went through pushing trees off the sides and into the canal. Turtles seemed to particularly enjoy sunning on the new fallen trees. The rain seemed to being even more debris onto the trail.












It may not come through in low res pics but my bike was caked in mud. The front derailleur was one big block of dirt.












This heron hung out for pictures. He stayed while I tended to lose ends. Then he stared at me as I ride past. I was close enough to see his pupils. I wanted to reach for the camera but was too busy reveling in the experience.






Some places looked like tornado touch downs.







Great falls were nice.


























Just below the falls the path detours. I found the "right" detour heading east and avoided crossing a ridge on narrow paved roads.





Fun stairs to ride down on the detour. More benefits of using a mountain bike for the trail.





Canal maintenance in progress. Hopefully this will indeed wrap up in 2012. This bypass is trivial compared to the Slackwater bypass. That section really needs the TLC.





The canal runs over this road. quite interesting.





The C&O Companion app on iPhone recommends a hotel across the Key bridge. It took a few tries to find the right bridge.





I never found milepost 0. I did find a plaque colocated with Lock 1. That's sufficient end for me.











Then I flipped around to find hotel. This was along the way.




Good fortune followed me to the hotel where the front desk helped out with a spigot, garden hose, and nozzle. I bathed the bike and me in the parking lot.

The volume of pedestrian and cycling commuters in DC was refreshing. Waist lines were also smaller. Coincidence?