Wolf Gap/Big Schloss Hike

I'm back from our annual all-day hike to Big Schloss, a rock formation at Wolf Gap, VA, in the George Washington National Forest along the border between Virginia and West Virginia. This is at least my seventh annual pilgrimmage, possibly my eighth --I'll have to check further into my records.

kent4str couldn't make it because of recent ankle injury; cuyahogarvr wanted to come but the hike date conflicted with his square dance boot camp in New York. Instead, I drove friends rootbear and Steve out to the starting area for 10:40 AM; we had planned to start later but traffic was more difficult than we anticipated.

Others joining us on this trek were Dave, Craig, Dick, Mark, Jerry, Jeffrey, Keith, Patrick, Nick and our organizer, Jeff. Including myself, we had 13 hikers in all, more than I was expecting.

Per our tradition, we left most of the vehicles at the base of the trail and carpooled to the top. As we began the trek, it became clear that we wouldn't be moving as a single group: some keeners were moving much faster and were off in the lead while the slower ones trailed behind. I was in the middle group: not too fast, not too slow. We regrouped frequently at resting points, performing head counts to ensure we hadn't lost any to injuries, exhaustion or predators.

We had lunch on the top of the Big Schloss rock formation (see userpic above) and rested for the better part of an hour before moving on. The downward side was easier but much, much longer: my legs and feet were feeling the strain towards the end.

Part of the joy of finishing is the opportunity to soak one's feet in a very cold mountain stream. It was achingly chilling but it helped immensely with the minor swelling and pain.

We re-sorted various hikers between cars, putting those who needed to make an express dash back to DC together and those content with a more leisurely trip into the remaining vehicles.

The other major joy of the end of the afternono as a brief stop at Dairy Queen on the way home; I felt a little dehydrated so I was happy for the chance to load up on ice cream and fluids.

The drive home was uneventful; I dropped Dick and Steve at the Vienna Metro station, then continued home where Jim hopped into his car and headed back to Bowie. My legs ache a little, my feet a lot; my pedometer clocked 13,300 steps. I'm sure I'm going to be in painful shape tomorrow morning but it was worth it.

( Some photos below... )

Click here for the complete set of photos on my website.

Wolf Gap/Big Schloss Hike

I'm back from our annual all-day hike to Big Schloss, a rock formation at Wolf Gap, VA, in the George Washington National Forest along the border between Virginia and West Virginia. This is at least my seventh annual pilgrimmage, possibly my eighth --I'll have to check further into my records.

kent4str couldn't make it because of recent ankle injury; cuyahogarvr wanted to come but the hike date conflicted with his square dance boot camp in New York. Instead, I drove friends rootbear and Steve out to the starting area for 10:40 AM; we had planned to start later but traffic was more difficult than we anticipated.

Others joining us on this trek were Dave, Craig, Dick, Mark, Jerry, Jeffrey, Keith, Patrick, Nick and our organizer, Jeff. Including myself, we had 13 hikers in all, more than I was expecting.

Per our tradition, we left most of the vehicles at the base of the trail and carpooled to the top. As we began the trek, it became clear that we wouldn't be moving as a single group: some keeners were moving much faster and were off in the lead while the slower ones trailed behind. I was in the middle group: not too fast, not too slow. We regrouped frequently at resting points, performing head counts to ensure we hadn't lost any to injuries, exhaustion or predators.

We had lunch on the top of the Big Schloss rock formation (see userpic above) and rested for the better part of an hour before moving on. The downward side was easier but much, much longer: my legs and feet were feeling the strain towards the end.

Part of the joy of finishing is the opportunity to soak one's feet in a very cold mountain stream. It was achingly chilling but it helped immensely with the minor swelling and pain.

We re-sorted various hikers between cars, putting those who needed to make an express dash back to DC together and those content with a more leisurely trip into the remaining vehicles.

The other major joy of the end of the afternono as a brief stop at Dairy Queen on the way home; I felt a little dehydrated so I was happy for the chance to load up on ice cream and fluids.

The drive home was uneventful; I dropped Dick and Steve at the Vienna Metro station, then continued home where Jim hopped into his car and headed back to Bowie. My legs ache a little, my feet a lot; my pedometer clocked 13,300 steps. I'm sure I'm going to be in painful shape tomorrow morning but it was worth it.

( Some photos below... )

Click here for the complete set of photos on my website.