Spontaneity has made me a more well rounded person...There are 544 miles (roughly one quarter) of the Appalachian Trail in Virginia. About one hundred of these miles are in Shenandoah National Park. Further south, the Trail generally parallels the Blue Ridge Parkway, eventually going through the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area and then coming into the town of Damascus.
I stared outside my window in disdain for the wintry mix that had been falling from the sky all afternoon. As quickly as it arrived, fall had now disappeared. The reds, yellows and oranges of autumn had been replaced by white.
This time last year I was enjoying an unseasonably warm weekend in Shenandoah National Park. After speaking to a friend who had visited the park this week, I decided to take a last minute trip in an attempt to catch one last glimpse of fall. I packed up Saturday night and headed down to Front Royal, VA.
The hike to Mary’s Rock follows a 3.4 mile stretch along the Appalachian Trail (for a total hike of 6.8 miles), starting out from the Jewell Hollow Overlook on Skyline Drive.
I laced up my boots and hit the trail shortly before 10am. The first mile was a bit rough as there were several loose rocks. Once I hit the Pinnacle (viewpoint) things leveled out and the remainder of the hike was easy.
When I reached Mary’s Rock it was cold and windy. I only stayed there long enough to find a benchmark and my first virtual geocache.
Only a few others seemed to have been sharing the trail with me. The dusting of snow must have kept many people from venturing out. I enjoyed the solitude.
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