The Solo Group Hike

Back in 2020, while on a sunset hike on February 29 organized by our local outdoor outfitter in Fredericksburg, someone told be about Meetup.  It's an online place to connect with people with similar interests.  The person told me that there were dozens of groups of people who enjoyed hiking and other outdoor activities.  The next day, March 1, I downloaded the app and joined a couple of hiking groups and planned to go on a few hikes with them.  Everyone knows what happened next.  All the events were cancelled.  Later in the spring when stores were cautiously beginning to reopen, I went to the outfitter and got myself a good pair of trekking poles and a daypack, and did a few solo hikes to break them in.  After a while, the group hikes started to reappear, and for the next year or so I enjoyed many hikes in some beautiful places and met some great people.

PHOTO DUMP!  The Leap Day sunset hike was cold but beautiful!

I got to hike with my friend and co-worker Jacklyn!

Until Leap Day 2024...

I discovered some really beautiful places on my group hikes in 2020 and 2021, including Bear Church Rock and Rapidan Camp in Shenandoah National Park, Sky Meadows, Maryland Heights at Harper's Ferry, and Great Falls, Maryland.

(The view from Bear Church Rock. You can see Old Rag Mountain on the right, peeking out behind the ones in the foreground.)

(The hike in Sky Meadows State Park last July was 14 miles, and so far it's my longest.)

(Overlooking the Potomac River, from the Billy Goat Trail on the Maryland side of Great Falls.  I have yet to visit the Virginia side!)

When I moved to Christiansburg, I joined a few more hiking groups on Meetup, and have been on a handful of group hikes near here.  On June 30, there was one scheduled for Mount Pleasant, just off the Appalachian Trail near Buena Vista, Virginia.  It would be a 90-plus minute drive for six-mile hike.  Now, I had driven from Fredericksburg to Shenandoah National Park many times to hike fewer miles. This time, for some reason, I decided I wanted a longer hike for that amount of driving! 

The group was planning to meet at 9:00 in Troutville and drive an hour to the trailhead.  I decided to leave early, arrive by 7am, and hike the 6-mile Cole Mountain Loop, which follows the Appalachian Trail for a bit, and loops back along a blue-blazed side trail.  I would plan to be back to the trailhead to meet the group at 10:00 to hike the Mount Pleasant trail with them. 

I was running a little bit late, so instead of hiking the whole 6-mile loop, I hiked a 5-mile out-and-back route on the AT, finishing about 20 minutes early.  I would have time to enjoy an early "second breakfast" before the rest of the group arrived.

(The sweeping vistas at Cole Mountain on the AT!  Definitely worth the trip.)

At about 10:10, I checked my phone to see if there were any messages from the group leader, but there was no service.  I wandered around the parking area, found one bar, and texted, "At the trailhead."  The one bar immediately became none.  The signal kept drifting in and out, and by 10:25 I decided to go ahead and start hiking, and if I found a signal again I would let them know.

A little less than a mile in I got a text. "Got lost.  Almost there."  I texted back that I had already started hiking.  I admit I was a little disappointed, mainly because I had been looking forward to meeting and hiking with potential new friends, but also that I could have done that whole loop earlier and then some. I didn't dwell on it though, because the whole point of hiking is getting out and enjoying nature, which was exactly what I was doing!

(Mount Pleasant overlook, a perfect spot to have lunch!)

(Does anyone know what kind of bug this is? Big guy too, about an inch long.)

On the way down, I heard voices on the trail.  Sure enough, it was my group and I chatted with them for a few minutes.  A very nice group of women.  I hope I'll get another chance to hike with them in the near future!

JUNE STATS

Total Miles:  193.4*

Elevation:  27,601

Geocaches found:  19

*Hiking, walking, and running, including on the treadmill at Orange Theory.

I'll leave you with some photos from some of my group hikes I've done since moving here last November!  

(You can read more about these hikes here, here, and here.)

Family Time!

Currently, Chris is in Qatar for a six-month deployment.  In mid-June he came for a week-long visit before heading overseas.  

Thursday, June 16

After an early morning run I headed north on I-81 to collect Chris from DCA.  I needed to find a geocache in Harrisonburg, so I took a pit stop there to do the Adventure Lab and grab a couple of caches.  I was only a teensy bit late picking him up.  I blame it on Google Maps getting me lost on the way to the airport.  Yeah, that's it.

(The Rockingham County Courthouse, located in the City of Harrisonburg.  Virginia is so weird.)

Friday, June 17

I wish I had taken photos of the Airbnb we rented in Manassas for the weekend.  Thursday night it was just Chris and me, and the place was way too big for us!  Three staircases, one of which led from the downstairs kitchen to an upstairs bathroom.  Two big sitting areas downstairs, plus a big room that could serve as an office. A good-sized bedroom with a full bath on the main floor.  Upstairs, another sitting room with shelves full of old books, plus several bedrooms and three full baths.  It was like the tents in the Harry Potter movies--it looks small and modest from the outside, but the inside is big and fancy.  

(Our friend Reilly got to join us for the weekend!)

Friday I had time to go for a run and attend a fitness class at Orange Theory just up the road in Bristow. After Matt and Nick drove up from Christiansburg and their friend Reilly came down from Fredericksburg, we walked to a sports bar in downtown Manassas for a late lunch. Then it was off to Wolf Trap to see Sheryl Crow and Jason Isbell in concert.  Chris is a big Jason Isbell fan, and Ray and I had seen Sheryl about ten years ago when she came to the now-closed Celebrate Virginia Live outdoor concert venue in Fredericksburg.  I figured this would be a fun event to enjoy with the boys! I had never listened to Jason Isbell, and frankly would have never heard of him if it hadn't been for Chris.  I really enjoyed his music, and I'm now a fan!  

But my favorite part of the show?  This. It was fun watching the boys singing along! (By the way, can you believe she is 60 years old?)

Tangent time!  When the Cars movie came out we were vacationing in Colorado.  We drove our rental van through Colorado National Monument on the Rim Rock Drive that morning, and stopped in Grand Junction to see the movie.  We were stunned to discover that the red rock formations in Cars looked like what we had just seen that day in real life.  We bought the CD and listened to the soundtrack for the whole rest of the trip.  The film and the music are still a family favorite!  (When we went to Disneyland in April, guess which part we liked the best?)

Tuesday, June 21

My parents and I met Chris and his friend Michael for a Salem Red Sox game.  Michael lived next door to us in Fredericksburg, he and his siblings went to the same schools as our boys.

Chris and Michael earned their 15 minutes of fame between innings, by spinning with their heads on a bat to get dizzy, and racing to be the first to put on a cow costume and run about 30 yards or so.  Michael was the big winner and got to take home a Chick-fil-A gift card.  The things you'll do when you are young...

Wendesday, June 22 - Friday, June 23

Finally, a trip to Mooresville to spend time with Ray's family.  

(Chris and Nick with the grandparents and the cousins.  Matt and Andrea weren't able to make this trip.)

(Lilly wanted to join the fun!)

(And we wanted Uncle Bill in the picture too!  Still Lilly wants to hog the photo.)

On Friday we dropped Chris off at the airport in Charlotte before heading home.  I was sad to let him go, but excited for him to begin this new adventure.  And it's only for six months. We can still talk to him via Facebook Messenger.  The only thing that sucks is that he'll miss Matt and Andrea's wedding in October.

I went on one more hike in June, which deserves its own post.  Stay tuned!

UPDATE!!! I almost forgot one super fun and important part!!

Saturday, June 18

The morning after the concert we said goodbye to Riley and took a detour on our way home to our old house in Fredericksburg!  Our dear friends Lesley and Glenn have bought it, and they have been hard at work making renovations, and turning the house where Ray and I raised our kids into THEIR home!  They fixed us a great lunch in their fancy new kitchen, and gave us a tour.  It was so much fun to see our friends, and to watch the boys' reactions to all the wonderful improvements to the house!

(They took out the wall between the kitchen and dining room to make a fantastic great room!  Here's Chris in the kitchen, and the former dining room is behind him.)

(This may end up being the photo I send with my Christmas cards this year.  I wonder how many people will be confused and think we still live there?  One time, when our 14-year-old nephew was a baby, we sent a photo of the boys with their new cousin.  I clearly wrote on the back, "Matthew, Christopher, Nicholas, and thier cousin J."  Several people wrote to congratulate us on the new baby.)

OK, now that this post is finally finished, perhaps I'll accomplish something productive today!

And 3 More Days on the AT In Georgia

If you haven't seen them already, you might want to check out my other two posts about my Georgia trip: This one first, and then this one.  

When I planned this trip, I figured on six days of hiking between Amicolola Falls and Hogpen Gap.  If all went perfectly, I would hike the approximately 9.5 miles to the Springer Mountain Trailhead along the AT approach trail, and Monday through Thursday I would hike about 38 more miles between Springer Mountain and Hogpen gap.  Friday, if I felt like it, I might explore some other trails in the area and maybe do some geocaching. (I got to do that on Wednesday.) Saturday I would pack up and make the 6-hour drive home. With the weather looking iffy for Tuesday and Wednesday, I rearranged that schedule.  Since I was relying on shuttle drivers and their schedules to get me to and from the trailheads, I ended up hiking the different parts of the AT in mixed-up order.

Here's how the rest of the week went down:

Thursday, June 9

Woody Gap to Neel's Gap, 10.4 miles

I met my driver bright and early at the Byron Reece parking area at Neel's Gap, and he dropped me off at the trailhead at Woody Gap.  The morning was still foggy from the rain, and for the first few miles I got to hike through a magical, misty forest.  

About a mile past Woody Gap is Preacher's Rock, which is known for its sweeping vistas.  Today all I could see was fog.  I would be climbing Blood Mountain later, and I hoped that would all be gone by the time I got there.  Meanwhile, I settled into a rhythm as the fog slowly dissipated.

(Everything looks like a bear.  Every dark stump, log, and rock. Can you spot the thing that almost gave me a heart attack?)

(Pretty sure that's Blood Mountain.  Yikes, I have to go up there??)

I had heard that the trail up Blood Mountain is brutal, and I was a little nervous.  I didn't know how wet the trail would be, and I knew it could potentially be slippery, especially going down.  Rocks and steep descents do not mix well with water.  I passed several hikers who had just come from there, and they all said the fog was gone and the views were amazing. The climb to the top wasn't as hard as I'd feared, and the view did not disappoint.  I decided this would be a good place for lunch!

(I have an app on my phone called Peak Finder.  It tells you the names of the mountains you're looking at.  I was so excited to find Springer Mountain that I stopped a couple of hikers to show them!)

As I began the steep climb down the other side, I was relieved to discover that the rocks were mostly dry.   It was far from an easy hike down, though!  Lots of switchbacks and steep rock "stairs" and scrambles.  It was very slow going.  By the time I reached the 0.7-mile blue blaze leading to the Byron Reece trailhead my quads were burning and my feet ached.  And guess what?  It was more downhill climbs from there.  By the time I got to my car I was ready to put my feet up.  Luckily it was a very short drive back to my cabin!

(Lots of rocks on the downhill, which make for a challenging but beautiful hike.)

Friday, June 10

Cooper Gap to Woody Gap, with a repeat visit to Preacher's Rock. 10.1 miles.

This was the section I had to skip over because of the weather and the shuttle drivers' schedules.  The driver met me at Woody Gap and dropped me off at Cooper Gap, where I had started my hike to Springer Mountain on Monday.  There are several geocaches hidden on this section of the AT, and I hoped to look for some, as long as they weren't too far off trail.  Once I got into a hiking rhythm, though, I pretty much forgot about geocaching.

By the time I remembered, I had already hiked past all of the geocaches!  Fortunately, I had only overshot the last one by a couple hundred feet, and it was only about 50 feet off the trail.  I guess I'll have to go back sometime for the others.  Maybe.

(I saw so many of these little guys throughout the week!  Spotted this one near the geocache.)

At Woody Gap I encountered my first ever trail magic!

Trail magic is the term used when a kind person (called a "trail angel") does something nice for hikers.  In this case, it was a local couple who had a spread of snacks, fruit, and drinks.  Even though I was on a day hike, and my car was parked there, they insisted that I partake.  They said they lived nearby, and come here a lot because they love AT hikers!  I happily took some fresh watermelon and a chocolate sea salt Kind bar.

Since this hike was a little bit shorter than the previous day, I decided to continue a mile northbound and return to Preacher's Rock.  When I reached the overlook, I was very glad I had gone the extra two miles out and back to see the view I had missed!

Saturday, June 11

Hog Pen Gap to Neels Gap, 8 miles

Since I had a nearly six-hour drive ahead of me, I wanted to get an early start.  I had arranged for the shuttle to pick me up at 7:15 am at Hog Pen Gap and drive me to the Byron Reece trail head at Neels Gap, where I ended my hike on Thursday.  I would hike back to my car and be on my way home by lunchtime.  I texted the driver when I left the cabin to let him know I was on my way.  I arrived about 5 minutes early and waited.  A few minutes later I got a text, and had the following exchange: 

It appeared I would be hiking this section southbound, just like for the first two hikes of this trip.  Not a big deal, it would just put me on the road a little bit later than I'd planned.  I was also trying to hike a little bit faster in order to meet the shuttle.  

Tangent time! I like to listen to audiobooks, especially when I'm travelling.  On this trip one of the books I was listening to was Breathless by Amy McCulloch.  It is a murder mystery/thriller that takes place in the Himalayas.  I won't say much else so as not to spoil the story, but there is one scene where the main character stops to admire her surroundings during a difficult climb.  She makes sure to take the time to burn an image of the beauty around her into her memory before getting out her camera for a photo.  That really stuck with me, and I try to remember that whenever I want to rush to capture an image with my phone.  Take a breath and be in the moment first.

About two miles into my hike, I reached a beautiful overlook on Cowrock Mountain.  Remembering what I had recently heard about taking in the view, I stopped and stood there for a couple of minutes.  Eventually I got out my phone and took some photos.  

I probably checked my Peak Finder app too.  I might have even checked to see if I had cell service or if I had any messages. (Smartphones are both a blessing and a curse, I tell ya.)  As I was putting my phone away and preparing to continue hiking, I saw some movement.  It was then that I noticed the bear, who looked right at me before turning around and high-tailing it back into the woods.

I knew it must have been in the photo somewhere, and I've been squinting at it until I'm practically cross-eyed.  Certainly it's hidden behind some brush, and based on where the bear was for the few seconds I saw it, I might have found it, but maybe not.  If your eyes are better than mine and can pinpoint its exact location, I'd love to know!

(Maybe the bear? Or not?)

Once I'd determined that the bear and I were heading in opposite directions, I continued down the trail.  Suddenly I heard music.  Was that a harmonica? When I rounded a corner, I discovered the source of the sound.  At another overlook, two section hikers had just packed up and were preparing to head down the trail.  The harmonica player stopped when she saw me, and explained that it was a ritual they had every morning.  How fun!  I warned them about the bear, and they were actually excited!  "Bears are always nice to us.  It's snakes that we don't want to see!"

By the time I was approaching Neels Gap, the weather was turning warm and I was happy to be almost done.  The trail goes through a breezeway between the Mountain Crossings outfitter and the hostel, and it's a popular place to take a photo.  It's also a virtual geocache!

(Can you see the white blaze on the building?)

(According to the AT Conservancy's website, only 25% of people who start a thru-hike successfully complete it.  Apparently Neel's Gap is a popular place to quit, and it's tradition to throw your shoes into the "quitting tree" before going home.  Quite possibly, some hikers buy new shoes here and throw their old ones in the tree! Mountain Crossings had Altra Lone Peaks on clearance in my size that day. Very tempting, but I'm not ready for new hiking shoes just yet.)

Another mile to the Byron Reece blue blaze, and 0.7 miles to the trailhead where my shuttle was waiting for me, a few minutes early.  The first thrity-eight miles of the Appalachian Trail in Georgia are done.  Now I'm working on a plan to tackle the rest of the Georgia section. Stay tuned!