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Sunday Hike
Apr. 25th, 2006 07:42 amMy big event of the recent weekend was our annual hike to Wolf Gap/Big Schloss, along the border of Virginia & West Virginia.
The weather was not promising initially... we had three inches of rain the night before --what a fun drive that turned out to be-- and we drove through rain in the morning to get to the park. However, once we were there, we discovered the paths were nothing like as muddy as I had feared, and the clouds soon blew away to give us clear blue skies and perfect hiking conditions.
The hike is about five miles, starting from the national park parking lot 2/3 of the way up to the summit. There's a moderately steep climb for the first quarter mile, then it evens out as trail follows the crest of the ridge. The schloss peak itself requires some minor gymnastics to ascend but it isn't difficult and the view is worth the effort: it's where we typically stop an hour for lunch and general communing with nature.
The longest portion of the hike is the trail leading down from the peak to a series of switchbacks which meander down to the floor of the valley. Being not entirely brain-damaged, we pre-empt further pain & effort by strategically leaving a vehicle at the lower parking lot so the majority of us can soak our sore feet in the cold waters of a stream while others head back to the upper lot to collect the remaining vehicles.
( Click for photos. )
The weather was not promising initially... we had three inches of rain the night before --what a fun drive that turned out to be-- and we drove through rain in the morning to get to the park. However, once we were there, we discovered the paths were nothing like as muddy as I had feared, and the clouds soon blew away to give us clear blue skies and perfect hiking conditions.
The hike is about five miles, starting from the national park parking lot 2/3 of the way up to the summit. There's a moderately steep climb for the first quarter mile, then it evens out as trail follows the crest of the ridge. The schloss peak itself requires some minor gymnastics to ascend but it isn't difficult and the view is worth the effort: it's where we typically stop an hour for lunch and general communing with nature.
The longest portion of the hike is the trail leading down from the peak to a series of switchbacks which meander down to the floor of the valley. Being not entirely brain-damaged, we pre-empt further pain & effort by strategically leaving a vehicle at the lower parking lot so the majority of us can soak our sore feet in the cold waters of a stream while others head back to the upper lot to collect the remaining vehicles.
( Click for photos. )
