Ah! Back on the trail after a six week break (not counting a Greenbelt Park 9 miler in January). Ease back into hiking, eh? Not a chance! Despite the cold and windy conditions it was time to get out there. Fellow hiker Steve and I met up with my brother John in Warrenton and headed towards the north district. We left a vehicle at the end point, the Harris Hollow trailhead on SR-622, then drove several miles to the start point, the Mount Marshall trailhead on SR-625 north of Washington, VA. I'd done Harris Hollow Trail inside the Park several years ago, but was never really sure if the remainder of the trail was hiker friendly. Although well outside the Park, there's a regular concrete marker (a positive indicator) at the trailhead (a private driveway), with room for one vehicle.
It would be a chilly day, temperatures in the 30's, but the main issue would be the winds- forecasts of 30+ mph. This brought out all the gear- mittens, Capilene top and bottom, assorted layers, and my most recent addition, a Patagonia Nano-Puff pullover jacket (Donn got one, I had to too). The other unknown was snow and ice, so of course the Micro-Spikes were in the pack. Not much snow showed on the Big Meadows webcam, but surely there would be snow and ice in the high woods, particularly on north-facing slopes. There was. Beyond the patchy ice on the initial climb to Thorofare Gap on the Mount Marshalll Trail, trails had granular snow over packed ice. Sounds slick, but generally good footing. Snow cover ranged from under an inch to perhaps 4" in spots, but no need for gaiters.
A good portion of the hike was sheltered from the wind by North Marshall, and we warmed up pretty fast on the Mount Marshall climb. I was shedding layers at the Park boundary. The trails had seen use but not recently. Tracks were not as easy to identify in the wind-blown granular snow, but we likely saw bobcat and fox. The Mount Marshall Trail was easy going and rather pleasant in the sun. Clouds and winds were on the increase as we made the final turn towards Jenkins Gap- it always feels cold along this final stretch. The howl of the wind in the tree tops signaled what was to come. We walked closed Skyline Drive to pick up the AT and headed north for a Compton Peak out and back. In the woods we were again sheltered from the wind, but quite exposed on Compton Peak, where four layers and mittens kept me warm. The Nano-Puff jacket is great as an outer shell. It does stop the wind and is very lightweight. Only my head was a bit cold, as my Polartec cap doesn't keep out the wind. I had a balaclava in the pack, but was not there long enough to bother fishing it out. Lightweight items needed to be secured, and I almost lost a mitten here.
The cloud cover was brief, and we were soon back in full sun. After returning to Jenkins Gap, the two-part climb of North Marshall ensued. I do like this climb! I plugged in earbuds and cranked up some tunes to blank the cold wind and took off for some fine head-down hiking. I paused to regroup at the old foundation shy of the Drive crossing before the longer climb to North Marshall. The trail was still granular snow over ice, even more so at elevation. Not expecting to encounter other hikers, I was somewhat startled and dismayed to meet a group of seven or so northbound hikers. Where they came from or where they were going is a mystery, as they were out of range by the time I pulled out the earbuds.
It was windy on North Marshall, but not quite as strong as on Compton. The view south across the numerous hazy blue ridges is perhaps my favorite in the Park. The rock outcrop directly on the AT is not the place to view it though. The best place is a bit further on, atop the rocks at a switchback. It was a short icy scramble, but wouldn't have done it without the Micro-Spikes. I kept them on for the rest of the hike. Neither John nor Steve joined me at this "secret" spot.
After the minor bump (southbound) otherwise known as South Marshall, it was on to Gravel Springs Hut for a final break. I did have another reason to be here though... to read the journal entries left by SOBO thru-hikers Ewok and Sissy, with whom we hiked into SNP in November. We had first met Ewok on the AT in Georgia last May, his first night on the trail. He later flip-flopped and had met southbounder Sissy in New York. I had been following him on his blog, and it worked out that we were able to hike with them in November as they were passing through. We had promised them beer and pizza at the hut, only to be thwarted by a closed Skyline Drive. Ewok left the trail in Pearisburg and will likely resume in March. Sissy continued on through the bitter cold and snow of the Grayson and Roan Highlands and the Smokies, finishing her thru-hike in late January. Pretty amazing! In the journal, Ewok had kind words regarding us, and Sissy had visions of cheeseburgers. It was emotional reading Ewok's page-long entry.
Out Harris Hollow. Tracks in the snow indicated that others had exited this way some days earlier. An old road, it was an easy walk. It eventually reaches a cul-de-sac (with a porta-john no less) and passes a couple houses. We finished the hike with daylight to spare. A 17 miler with 3700' elevation gain to kick off the SNP hiking season. Not bad! But then came Sunday, and I could barely move.
Pictures
It would be a chilly day, temperatures in the 30's, but the main issue would be the winds- forecasts of 30+ mph. This brought out all the gear- mittens, Capilene top and bottom, assorted layers, and my most recent addition, a Patagonia Nano-Puff pullover jacket (Donn got one, I had to too). The other unknown was snow and ice, so of course the Micro-Spikes were in the pack. Not much snow showed on the Big Meadows webcam, but surely there would be snow and ice in the high woods, particularly on north-facing slopes. There was. Beyond the patchy ice on the initial climb to Thorofare Gap on the Mount Marshalll Trail, trails had granular snow over packed ice. Sounds slick, but generally good footing. Snow cover ranged from under an inch to perhaps 4" in spots, but no need for gaiters.
A good portion of the hike was sheltered from the wind by North Marshall, and we warmed up pretty fast on the Mount Marshall climb. I was shedding layers at the Park boundary. The trails had seen use but not recently. Tracks were not as easy to identify in the wind-blown granular snow, but we likely saw bobcat and fox. The Mount Marshall Trail was easy going and rather pleasant in the sun. Clouds and winds were on the increase as we made the final turn towards Jenkins Gap- it always feels cold along this final stretch. The howl of the wind in the tree tops signaled what was to come. We walked closed Skyline Drive to pick up the AT and headed north for a Compton Peak out and back. In the woods we were again sheltered from the wind, but quite exposed on Compton Peak, where four layers and mittens kept me warm. The Nano-Puff jacket is great as an outer shell. It does stop the wind and is very lightweight. Only my head was a bit cold, as my Polartec cap doesn't keep out the wind. I had a balaclava in the pack, but was not there long enough to bother fishing it out. Lightweight items needed to be secured, and I almost lost a mitten here.
The cloud cover was brief, and we were soon back in full sun. After returning to Jenkins Gap, the two-part climb of North Marshall ensued. I do like this climb! I plugged in earbuds and cranked up some tunes to blank the cold wind and took off for some fine head-down hiking. I paused to regroup at the old foundation shy of the Drive crossing before the longer climb to North Marshall. The trail was still granular snow over ice, even more so at elevation. Not expecting to encounter other hikers, I was somewhat startled and dismayed to meet a group of seven or so northbound hikers. Where they came from or where they were going is a mystery, as they were out of range by the time I pulled out the earbuds.
It was windy on North Marshall, but not quite as strong as on Compton. The view south across the numerous hazy blue ridges is perhaps my favorite in the Park. The rock outcrop directly on the AT is not the place to view it though. The best place is a bit further on, atop the rocks at a switchback. It was a short icy scramble, but wouldn't have done it without the Micro-Spikes. I kept them on for the rest of the hike. Neither John nor Steve joined me at this "secret" spot.
After the minor bump (southbound) otherwise known as South Marshall, it was on to Gravel Springs Hut for a final break. I did have another reason to be here though... to read the journal entries left by SOBO thru-hikers Ewok and Sissy, with whom we hiked into SNP in November. We had first met Ewok on the AT in Georgia last May, his first night on the trail. He later flip-flopped and had met southbounder Sissy in New York. I had been following him on his blog, and it worked out that we were able to hike with them in November as they were passing through. We had promised them beer and pizza at the hut, only to be thwarted by a closed Skyline Drive. Ewok left the trail in Pearisburg and will likely resume in March. Sissy continued on through the bitter cold and snow of the Grayson and Roan Highlands and the Smokies, finishing her thru-hike in late January. Pretty amazing! In the journal, Ewok had kind words regarding us, and Sissy had visions of cheeseburgers. It was emotional reading Ewok's page-long entry.
Out Harris Hollow. Tracks in the snow indicated that others had exited this way some days earlier. An old road, it was an easy walk. It eventually reaches a cul-de-sac (with a porta-john no less) and passes a couple houses. We finished the hike with daylight to spare. A 17 miler with 3700' elevation gain to kick off the SNP hiking season. Not bad! But then came Sunday, and I could barely move.
Pictures
Hey,
ReplyDeleteCan you tell me exactly where the Harris Hollow trailhead is? Do you happen to have GPS coordinates, or can you mark it on Google Maps? I'm hoping to start a hike from there this week, and don't want to have issues finding it. :-)