Four days in the back-country of Shenandoah National Park, including the Appalachian Trail and a climb up Old Rag

I have blogged about some backpacking trips in the past, and my experience had been positive on the hiking portion, but negative on the camping portion. I knew there was fun to be had, I just had to figure it out.

I recently upgraded nearly all of my gear going for lightweight favorites from various blogs and review sites. Then I signed up for an REI Adventure. It was 4 days of backpacking in Shenandoah National Park, partly on the Appalachian Trail.

My hope was that I would learn tips and tricks from the guides and other campers to make the overall experience more comfortable and more fun. Bottom line up front: Mission Accomplished!

We met on a Thursday morning at the REI in Fairfax, VA. Once there the guides told us all to “explode our packs” so they could inspect what had brought. Each of us had a couple items we were told to go put in our cars because we wouldn’t need them.

We were urged to keep personal gear to 20 pounds max, as we would each be taking on a bear canister (more on this later) and some group gear. I was down to 17 lbs, including the weight of the pack, but before filling my water bottles (another 6 lbs). I estimate I took on another 10-12lbs between group gear, the bear canister, and water, so I was carrying just under 30 pounds.

One of the best purchases I made was a new pack, the Osprey Atmos 65. It has a really cool design that keeps the pack off your back to allow airflow. Not only is it cooler on a hot day, but it does not absorb as much sweat which prevents the pack from smelling bad. I receive no incentives from REI nor from Osprey, but I will say that my experience was overwhelmingly positive as I prepared for this trip. Getting fitted for the right pack is a perfect example of this.

Day 1

We loaded our packs into the type of trailer used by landscapers (there’s an inside joke here) and were off to Shenandoah National Park. We entered at the midsection of Skyline Drive, Thornton Gap. Right there as you enter the park is a picnic area called Panorama.

We had lunches from Panera and enjoyed our last flush toilet for a few days. We mounted up and were off on a trail called Mary’s Rock. If you drive south on Skyline Drive from Thornton Gap you go through a long tunnel. This is under the mountain we climbed.

We were immediately rewarded at the top of Mary’s Rock with a beautiful view. We lingered a bit, took some pictures, and then headed along the ridge line to what would be our camp for night 1.

We had already begun bonding in Fairfax, and on the 90 min drive out. By the time the hike began we already felt like old friends. There were 4 campers and 2 guides. Two of the campers had been friends in college and nursing school.

We set up camp near an Appalachian Trail shelter, Byrd’s Nest 3. Each found our special spot and then walked over a half mile down the mountain to a spring for water. There was so much laughing and excitement I would say that a good part of the fun was being with such a fun group!

Our guides made us hearty burritos for dinner. There was an appetizer and dessert too; it was great to hike all day and then have our own chefs to make dinner! It was like glamping!

Up on that ridge, it got cold quickly and I knew that first night would be difficult to get a good night’s sleep so I turned in very early. I took a little ribbing for it the next day but I figured I would need 10 hours to get a good 8 hours sleep that first night. There was a lot of tossing and turning and it rained all night. It was a light rain, and all my gear held up but it was foggy and chilly next morning.

Day 2

We awoke to hot coffee courtesy of the guides. This was followed by a hearty breakfast; and after that we struck camp, topped off our water and were on our way!

It was still pretty chilly and foggy, so the hike began with rain gear, rain covers on our packs and long pants. As we hiked along the ridge we came to an overlook in which we were above the clouds and a rainbow was sticking up out of the clouds!

We made our way to the Pinnacles Picnic Area in the park for a mid-morning snack and water break. From there we headed down to Skyline Drive and upon crossing it we departed the Appalachian Trail for some other trails on Shenandoah NP.

We bid farewell to the Appalachian Trail and headed down the mountain on a trail called the Nicholson Hollow Trail.

We were pretty deep in the forest with really beautiful scenery and so quiet! There was such beauty, like every dead log hosting a different variety of mushroom. I’d never seen any of them before but our guide Matt knew their names, medicinal properties, dangers, and uses of all of them.

We hiked to Corbin Cabin which can be rented from the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club. We only used its porch for lunch. Our guides, Matt and Mariah set out a fantastic feast heavy in protein and variety. There was a beautiful stream by this very old cabin, one of the last residences in the park.

Since the beginning of the trip, Mariah had been warning us that we had a difficult climb on the afternoon of Day 2. As we sat in this alarmingly beautiful spot enjoying a fantastic lunch, it was now time for that ascent. We would climb over 1,000 unrelenting feet of elevation without switchbacks, just a straight up steep climb. While I felt strong the day before I was now dragging my ass up this mountain. Full packs and full bellies did not help and there was a lot less chit-chat on this segment! I waited as long. as I could before finally saying, “Guys, sorry but I need to stop for a minute and get some water.” The response from everyone was, “Oh thank God!!!”

After what seemed like an endless slog, we turned off the Nicholson Hollow Trail onto the Indian Run Trail, hiking along another beautiful stream until we arrived at a place called Berry Hollow. We found a great spot and made camp. We would be here for 2 nights which was a real luxury!

The camp was in a hollow (a little further south it would be called a “holler”). It’s a small, sheltered stream-side valley. It was like a small bowl and our hiking trail was up at the rim. It was very secluded and sheltered. We could hear wind up in the trees but it didn’t make it down to our level.

Our guides set up a kitchen and filtered enough water for dinner, dishes, breakfast next morning and topping off our water bottles. This is a lot of work and while they did it we soaked our feet in the icy stream. Supposedly there are minnows that eat the dead skin off your feet. This was a spa treatment I did not need but it did yield another inside joke!

Each night as we sat around eating dinner we played “High Low Buffalo”. We went around the circle and everyone would share their day’s high point, low point, and a random, usually funny moment, the buffalo. These simple moments were so fun as to be unforgettable. But. it got better! One of our campers had brought along a game called Catch Phrase. This small electronic game would display a phrase and you had to get your team. to say that phrase without saying it yourself. We laughed constantly and played forever! At one point someone said, “I can’t believe we just met yesterday morning!” it was true, we had bonded in this intense experience.

Good thing too, because there’s an unavoidable intimacy when living together in the woods. Pooping quickly became a regular topic of conversation and when someone was headed off to do their business–away from the stream, away from the trail, and away from camp–there was no discretion, you simply said, “I’m off to dig a hole!” You’d give that person some time and space but at some point would begin to think, “she should have been back by now.”

Each night we had to take care of the bear canisters. These are indestructible clear plastic containers for anything that would smell interesting to a bear. This includes food, trash, toiletries, bug spray, and sunscreen. Each of us carried one, along with some of the food for the group. At night we would put them on the ground a safe distance from camp. In the picture above of our kitchen you can see several in the foreground. They also became our camp stools.

Day 3

The next morning was the big day, Old Rag. This legendary Virginia mountain is mostly famous for its exciting rock scramble to the top. That is too far outside my comfort zone so I opted for the traditional hike up the trail. Mariah went with me while Matt and the others took the rock scramble. They hiked about 4 more miles than we did and had. to wait for access to the rocks. This is impressive since we had a day of 10 miles and 2700 ft of elevation!

One really sweet thing was that we would be in the same camp 2 nights in a row. Not only did that mean we didn’t have to strike and set up camp that 2nd day, but it also meant we could take just a small day pack for water on the hike. What a difference to shed 25 pounds!

In our short time together in the woods, we had become used to the quiet solitude. Suddenly we were on one of the most popular hikes in Virginia! People of every age, many ill-prepared for such a climb were taking to Old Rag and the scene at the summit was a crowded jumble of tourists. That said, there are several great overlooks along the way, and the summit is a large flat area with numerous lookouts and picnic areas. Mariah and I had a great lunch, took some pictures and rested . We had come down one mountain to get to the trail head so when we descended Old Rag we would still have another 1,000 feet of elevation to get back to camp.

After coming down Old Rag, Mariah and I took the Old Rag Fire Road back to camp. It was still a long steep climb, but easier going than the trail we had taken in the morning. It was a couple hours before the rest of the group returned and when I could hear voices in the distance I ran down the trail to greet them. In just a few days I had come to miss them! We spent dinner and the evening recounting our day.

Day 4

Day 4 was pretty easy hiking. It was literally all downhill from here! Sometime during the trip, an REI employee had moved our van to the Old Rag parking lot and we had a pretty direct descent to there, half of which was just fire road. Good thing too. We were all tired by then and in need of a cold beer, a shower, and. a soft bed!

We loaded everything into the trailer and headed to the nearby town of Sperryville to a restaurant called the Black Twig. We got that cold beer, and some fries, and sandwiches and reminisced about the highlights of our 4 days together.

We were very fortunate to have such a great group! We truly enjoyed each others’ company from the very start. Our group had 2 Kathleens, one of them, a nurse was like a punching bag that kept getting knocked down by mother nature and kept popping back up with a smile! In our time together she twisted an ankle, got it taped up and continued without complaint. Then she had a blister that required field surgery by the guides. It was clearly painful but she never complained. Finally, on the last day she was stung by a bee!

Her friend since college was Emily, known to her niece as Aunty Em! She was the holder of Catch Phrase. She was so funny and could hold court with a single story that had all 5 of us paying rapt attention! The 2nd Kathleen (dubbed “K2”) was a communications consultant from DC and had one of my favorite qualities in a person, she laughed at my jokes!

Finally there were the two guides, Matt and Mariah. These 2 individuals were the best representatives of REI there could be. They were so competent and knowledgeable I never worried about who was in charge. They were up before everyone else each morning, and went to bed after everyone else each night. They made sure camp was safe, dishes were clean, and we had a plan for tomorrow. They knew the park, the wildlife, the flora, and how to make the trip comfortable and interesting. I am so grateful, and would not hesitate to do another REI Adventure. While I could probably repeat this trip on my own since I live nearby, I would absolutely use REI to go to a new area that I was not familiar with.

My goal had been to learn how to enjoy the camping part, and to be more comfortable, and thus have more fun on the trail. As I said previously, Mission accomplished!

TT