Training Hike #5 - Little Devils Stairs

This week's hike was a "friends and family" event where we could invite other hikers to join us. On Friday afternoon, a small group of us headed out to Front Royal to go camping overnight. (A big thank you to my friend Patrick for coming out with us!) Despite the rain showers that came and went, we had a good time and managed to stay fairly dry.

We met the group at the trailhead for Little Devils Stairs around 8am on Saturday morning. The beginning of the trail was a steep uphill climb for about 2.2 miles, with several stream crossings, however, the water was pretty low. There were parts where we literally had to ascend steps in the huge rocks lining the trail, making we wish there was such a thing as a "little angels escalator." Turns out we climbed approximately 2,200 feet in elevation before we reached the Keyser Run Fire Road at the top of the trail. Here is a photo of one of my teammates heading up part of the "stairs."

It was pretty hot and muggy, but seemed to cool off a bit when we finally started heading downhill. All along the fire road, there were tons of butterflies feeding on the nectar of wildflowers.

To see more pictures from the hike, click here.

The whole thing took almost 4 hours, by which time my feet were hurting. But I really felt like I had accomplished something significant. After the hike, Patrick, Pamela (our hike leader) and her friend Maggie went back to the campsite to cook a well-deserved lunch of brats, onions and chicken wings.

Training Hike #4 - Harpers Ferry

This week's hike took us to scenic Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. We had been warned that this was a really steep trail, but at least it was shaded and not nearly as hot as last weekend. It was actually a beautiful day for a hike.

I volunteered to be the "sweeper" this week, which means I got to stay at the back of the hike group and make sure that everyone made it off the trail safely. I hiked with two lovely ladies who kept me entertained the whole way up and down the trail, talking about our families and our reasons for doing this fundraiser.

We made it up to the cliffs overlooking the town of Harpers Ferry, the C & O Canal and the Potomac River where I snapped a few photos.

The trek back down was not quite as challenging, but definitely harder on the knees. We finished the hike in about 2.5 hours and joined the rest of the hike group for lunch at the Armory Pub in town.

To check out more photos, click here.

Training Hike #3 - Billy Goat Trail

I woke up at 5am to get ready for our training hike on the Billy Goat Trail in Great Falls, MD. Did I mention that I am not a morning person? Nevertheless, I made it to the park on time - I set multiple alarms the night before - and was able to lead the hike.

It was really foggy when we first set out, and the rocks on the trail were still wet from the rainstorm the night before. I wasn't too worried about slipping until we got to the steep rock face. Fortunately, there were a couple of guys in my hike group who helped me up and down some of the more technical parts of the rock scrambles. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, but one of my teammates took some pics. Here's a picture of us climbing up the steep part:

Despite the crazy humidity, it was a terrific hike. We finished it in about 2 hours, and left before it got really crowded.

Fundraising Update

It has been only a week since I sent out my initial fundraising email, but I have already raised over $1,500! I just have to give a shout-out to my very first donors who made this possible -- you guys are terrific!

Viengkeo & Dave Tzong
Susie & Steve Cooper
Patrick Taylor*
Sue McNeely
Jessica McClure
David Hobson
Amy Longyear
Colleen McGuire
Sridevi Nanjundaram
Karen Kimball & Peter Hackett
Patrick Hackett
Ellen Ward
Beth Tichansky
Danielle Davant
Maria Hernandez

*Platinum Donor

Training Hike #2 - Great Falls National Park

This morning was our group's second training hike in Great Falls National Park. Unfortunately, my new cell phone's alarm clock got the better of me, and didn't go off. I made it to the park about half an hour late, but had missed the rest of the group. Instead of trying to catch up to them on the looped River Trail (which I hiked last year), I decided to do a 1.5-hour out-and-back and meet up with them at the end. I didn't bring my camera with me on my solo hike, but I wish I had. I saw this really cool lizard with black and yellow stripes that faded to a bright blue tail. (Later, after a brief Google search, I found out that it's a Five-Lined Skink.)

A heat wave has hit northern Virginia. It was definitely in the 90s by 9am, and of course, very, very humid. I had plenty of water and moisture-wicking clothes, but MAN it was warm. I hiked along the trail that overlooks the Potomac River, the falls, and Mather Gorge (the steep canyon created by the falls). Fortunately, the trail was pretty shady so I could stay out of the sun.

I eventually rendezvous-ed with the group near the falls overlook. I had my camera with me by then, so we posed for a couple of photos:

Training Hike Schedule

Here is the hike schedule for the season:

June 30 - Fountainhead Regional Park - Fairfax Station, VA
July 7 - Great Falls National Park, VA
July 14 - Billy Goat Trail at Great Falls National Park, MD
July 21 - Harpers Ferry, WV
July 28 - Little Devils Stairs at Shenandoah National Park, VA
August 5 - Plan my own (Sunday hike)
August 11 - Sugarloaf Mountain in Comus, MD
August 18 - Bull Run - Centreville, VA
August 25 - Old Rag Mountain in Luray, VA
September 1 - Plan my own
September 8 - Jeremy’s Run Loop at Shenandoah National Park, VA
September 15 - White Oak Canyon at Shenandoah National Park, VA
September 22 - Plan my own
September 29 - Grand Canyon National Park!

Unfortunately, we can't invite any non-participants to hike with us, but if you "happen" to be on the trail at the same time, that would be cool if you want to come out and hike. Everyone is invited to the "plan my own" hikes, so let me know if you're interested!