Yesterday's hike took us on a 10-mile circuit on the Overall Run Trail, passing by Overall Run Falls, the tallest waterfall in Shenandoah National Park (at 93 feet). Now mind you, I didn't think this hike would take as long as it did, but I did not anticipate the amount of elevation change.
Our hike leader, Jon, who chooses our training trails said in the parking lot, "I've learned from Maya that there are 3 kinds of hills: 'I don't like Jon' hills, 'I hate Jon' hills, and 'I want to kill Jon' hills." Needless to say, we had all 3 varieties on this trek. (This has been a running joke for the 2 years I've known Jon -- he knows I love him dearly!)
We started at an elevation of 2900' and proceeded to hike down the trail into a canyon, and down some more. We actually kept going down for a couple of hours and then it hit us -- we're eventually going to have to get back up to the top! The good news for me as we were hiking down was that I practically run downhill (since gravity is working with me, I don't have much of a choice). The bad news was that most of my teammates have knee problems, so they have to take it much slower. Oh well, more time for me to stop and take pictures... It had also rained quite a bit the few days before, so all of our stream crossings proved to be somewhat challenging as the water was much higher than normal and it was difficult to find a way to cross without a) falling in, b) getting our boots soaked, or c) slipping on a wet rock. Oh, and did I mention that it was a bit chilly and sprinkling rain practically the whole time?
We made it as low as 900' before we started heading uphill. The first part wasn't so bad, but Jon keep warning us about the treacherous "Hill of Doom" that lay ahead. The return trip wasn't quite as long mileage-wise, but this one particular hill took us up 1 mile with 1200' feet of elevation gain. That's a pretty steep hill! I was doing fine until we got to the really really steep part:
Our hike leader, Jon, who chooses our training trails said in the parking lot, "I've learned from Maya that there are 3 kinds of hills: 'I don't like Jon' hills, 'I hate Jon' hills, and 'I want to kill Jon' hills." Needless to say, we had all 3 varieties on this trek. (This has been a running joke for the 2 years I've known Jon -- he knows I love him dearly!)
We started at an elevation of 2900' and proceeded to hike down the trail into a canyon, and down some more. We actually kept going down for a couple of hours and then it hit us -- we're eventually going to have to get back up to the top! The good news for me as we were hiking down was that I practically run downhill (since gravity is working with me, I don't have much of a choice). The bad news was that most of my teammates have knee problems, so they have to take it much slower. Oh well, more time for me to stop and take pictures... It had also rained quite a bit the few days before, so all of our stream crossings proved to be somewhat challenging as the water was much higher than normal and it was difficult to find a way to cross without a) falling in, b) getting our boots soaked, or c) slipping on a wet rock. Oh, and did I mention that it was a bit chilly and sprinkling rain practically the whole time?
We made it as low as 900' before we started heading uphill. The first part wasn't so bad, but Jon keep warning us about the treacherous "Hill of Doom" that lay ahead. The return trip wasn't quite as long mileage-wise, but this one particular hill took us up 1 mile with 1200' feet of elevation gain. That's a pretty steep hill! I was doing fine until we got to the really really steep part:
I had to stop periodically to catch my breath. It was the first time all hike season that I had experienced any asthma symptoms and I was not happy about it. But eventually, with all my whining and "why does Jon do this to us?" complaints, we came upon the beautiful waterfall and suddenly it was all worth it...
We eventually made it back up to 2900' -- hallelujah! Then it took us another 20 minutes to get to the end of the trail. After 10 miles and 8 hours of being on my feet, I could not wait to get back to my car and get my feet out of my rigid boots and into my comfy sandals. In the end, it was a tough hike (and my calves are still cursing Jon's name), but it was good preparation for our challenging trails in the Rocky Mountains. In fact, I think we have LESS elevation gain/loss there than we did here today. But at least I am READY!
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