Monday, July 24, 2017

Falls Ridge Hike, GWNF, Liberty Furnace VA

"Argghhh!" I screamed at 6:30 Sunday morning, having been full-bodied slammed into wakefulness by a monster charley horse in my right hamstring. Instantly my mind flooded with memories of how hot the restaurant kitchen was the night before, how much I was sweating, and how brutally long dinner service went on. The restaurant is now packed every night since I have announced that I am closing it on August the 5th and moving to Oregon.

The Falls
Ann had wanted to go back to Big Meadows and hike the three waterfalls there and when we were jolted awake at 6:30, I groggily reminded her that we should get going, given that it is a 2-hour drive from the house. Neither of us was feeling that drive, though Ann was the first to voice that. I had fallen asleep sometime after midnight and was up from 4:30 to 5:30 before falling asleep once again. Not enough sleep on top of a brutal week at the restaurant. So we lay in bed until the dogs forced us to get up and take them out at 7:00.

During coffee, Ann went in search of another, closer hike involving a waterfall and she found the Falls Ridge hike on HikingUpward, the sister hike to our recent Laurel Run hike. I didn't really care where we went so I gave a quick OK without checking out the hike and the corresponding elevation profile, which had I done might have set off some alarm bells. I don't care so much about grueling climbs (Annie calls me Mountain Goat) but long climbs are tougher on her than they are on me.

Hastily, I made some sandwiches for lunch and we got our daypacks packed and hydration bladders filled. In my groggy state, I was really lucky that I didn't forget anything. We got away from the house around 8am and headed south on I-81 towards Woodstock.

My earlier cramping told me that I was no doubt dehydrated and my electrolytes were out of kilter. I took two antacid tablets to get some calcium in my system and we made it a point to stop in Stephens City (Sheetz right at the exit ramp; easy on, easy off) to get some Gatorade and a breakfast biscuit. I hate Gatorade but it has its place. Still, it took me all day to drink the bottle and I had to wash it down with water each time I took a drink.

From Woodstock, we headed out towards Wolf Gap but took the turn to Liberty Furnace before heading up into the mountains, ultimately arriving at FR 252. I read on HikingUpward that the gate on FR 252 would be closed and that we should go in a back way, but not being familiar with the back entrance and being super-tired, I decided to just head up to the gate and take my chances. It was closed and so we road-walked the two miles to the beginning of the official hike, hike number 27 for us this year, and the two miles back after for a total of 10.9 miles for the day. The road walk wasn't terrible as there was no traffic to spew dust everywhere and we were really familiar with it from our recent Laurel Run hike.

FR 252 Closed
On the map fragment below, you can see the gate across Laurel Run Road where we parked. We then hiked in to the official start of the hike, right at the You Are Here arrow below, where the purple-blazed Stack Rock Trail meets the blue-blazed dirt road. We continued down the blue-blazed dirt road past the gate on the far side (just off the bottom of the map) and then turned right up the mountain on the yellow-blazed Falls Ridge Trail. After taking a detour to see the waterfall and eat lunch, we climbed to the top of the mountain where we joined the orange-blazed North Mountain Trail for a few yards before descending on the purple-blazed trail and back to the car via the dirt road.

Our Loop Hike
Walking In, North Mountain in Background
One great thing about the roadwalk (six of our eleven miles were roadwalk) was the sheer number and variety of wildflowers in the sunny spots along the road. In places, the roadsides were covered in Queen Anne's Lace, sunflowers, or Heal-all.

Brown-Eyed Susan, Rudbeckia hirta
Common Heal-all, Prunella vulgaris
Butter-Plate Sized Queen Anne's Lace, Daucus carota
White Campion, Silene latifolia
Woodland Sunflowers, Helianthus divaricatus
At one point, I found myself standing in an area of chicory that spanned the entire color spectrum from white to deepest periwinkle blue, just a spectacular show of color from one of our most common roadside weeds.

Common Chicory, Cichorium intybus
Bumblebee on Thistle
Pale-Spike Lobelia, Lobelia spicata, Everywhere
Bee on Wild Bergamot, Monarda fistulosa
White Snakeroot, Ageratina altissima
Wasp on a Goldenrod, Solidago sp.
Rattlesnake Weed, Hieracium venosum
Tree Canopy Forming a Tunnel
Still Life with Red Leaf and Coltsfoot, Tussilago farfara
Tulip Poplar, Liriodendron tulipifera, Leaf Holding Rainwater
Rainwater on Milkweed, Asclepias sp.
New Redbud, Cercis canadensis, Foliage
Who Lost This?
Another benefit of the extended roadwalk was the easy access to all manner of berries. We feasted until we could feast no more on wineberries, blackberries, and blueberries. At one point, we scared a bear that was down by the roadside eating berries. We never saw it, but we heard it crashing off through the bushes. The only large animal we actually saw was a lone doe who nervously watched us a bit before loping off a few feet.

Wineberry, Rubus phoenicolasius
Pounds and Pounds of Unripe Blackberries, Rubus sp.
Annie Feasting on Blackberries
Unripe Blue- or Huckleberries, Vaccinium sp.
After four miles of road-walk, we passed the second gate on FR 252 and turned right up the hill on the yellow-blazed Falls Ridge Trail. It immediately turned steep and almost all the wildflowers disappeared, except for a few white asters and a tickseed Coreopsis here and there.

Whorled Coreopsis, Coreopsis verticillata
Tiny Red Oak, Quercus rubra, with Lots of Galls
The directions on HikingUpward led us to believe that it might be hard to spot the side trail to the waterfall. Not so. There is a very large cairn marked with a white blaze opposite the trail. And the trail is newly marked with bright white blazes. The trail is steep and slippery in places although not long, but on the return trip to the yellow-blazed trail, you have a decent climb on your hands. And then you have an even longer climb to reach the top of the mountain on the yellow-blazed trail. All in all, it is up, up, up for a very long way. It is workout and we were feeling it especially in the suffocating humidity. I was sweating so much that the sweat was dripping off the brim of my baseball cap.

Cairn Marking Waterfall Trail
Brand New White Blazes
Annie Traversing Boulder Pit to Falls
Falls are Not Very High
Goofing
A Blessed Relief from the Heat
Indian Pipe, Monotropa uniflora, Near Falls
A Salsify, Tragopogon sp., Seed Head

All in all, our hike amounted to 10.9 miles, 6 of which were road walk and 4 of which were beastly up hill. Although a welcome respite from the heat, the small waterfall was probably not sufficient payoff for all the work, especially now that in the summer, there are no views from the top of the Stack Rock Trail as there are in the winter.

We were hot and tired when we arrived home to stand under the shower. Sleep came very easily Sunday night.

Monday, July 17, 2017

Tibbet Knob Encore

The title of this blog "Forks in Our Road" is very appropriate for this post. Life has its way of throwing up obstacles and challenges and screwing with your best-made plans. How you deal with that is up to you. It's best to be flexible and take the long view. So, let me start with the punch line before I get into the joke. Yesterday turned out to be a wonderful day with my wife. And the joke: nothing, but nothing, went according to plan.

So last week, the windows on the Jeep stopped working. Blown fuse, right? No. The shop ordered a new fuse (the wrong amperage, idiots) and when I went to put it in, the old one wasn't blown. Crap. The switch is hosed but they'll have to have a look at it to make sure and to make sure they order the correct replacement, which given their track record, is a crapshoot. The first time they can get us in is 2pm on Sunday, prime hiking time, or else we wait 2-3 weeks for a weekday slot.

So Sunday it is. Cancel those hiking plans. Hey, but let's make lemonade from those lemons. Let's go on a sunset hike to Big Schloss where the view of the sunset will be spectacular and the trail is easy enough to negotiate in the dark coming back. Ann was all for that and wanted to spend the night too so that we could schlep a bottle of Champagne up to the top to have with our dinner as we waited for the sun to set. So the plan is coming together. But the fat lady, she hasn't sung yet.

Sunday turns out just not to be a day for Annie to be motivated. She is nearly 10am getting out of bed and has been doing the same for the past 2-3 days. In the back of my mind, I know that she's off her game. We finally get our gear packed and the car loaded up and we're ready by 1pm. So, let's get some lunch before we hit the shop and we'll hang out in the waiting room and then head to Big Schloss after.

Where to eat? In the shopping center next to the shop is a newly opened kabob house in the space where a really crappy kabob house used to be. Bonus, we know the owner of the new kabob house. He owns the salon next door and Ann worked for him briefly. Shameless plug: Classic Kabob in Winchester has really good food. It's sad that we found this out just weeks before we move, but it is what it is.

Annie and Outstanding Chickpea Stew

Falafel Platter 

Lamb Sandwich

Lamb Platter
It turns out that the owner, Daniel, was in the restaurant when we went in and we spent a minute or two chatting with him. Annie, who generally orders too much food, ordered both a falafel platter and a lamb sandwich. I got a lamb platter not wanting to load up on bread. I want to load up on bread, but my belly is smaller if I don't! Everything is as you see it, nicely cooked and nicely presented and this restaurant is worlds better than the crappy joint that it replaced. The chickpea soup in particular was outstanding. It's just really nice to find a restaurant that cares about the product that it puts out.

We get to the Jeep dealer and of course, the mechanic is running behind. But long story short, involving a waiting room with obnoxious cartoons on the TV, it only takes an hour and fifteen minutes, of which the mechanic only spent a half an hour working, and so our bill was half of what we expected. Sure enough, we need a new switch and hopefully it comes in this week and we can get it dealt with. Having no windows in a vehicle is a decided bummer.

An uneventful 55-minute drive found us driving up into Wolf Gap on the Virginia-West Virginia border between Shenandoah and Hardy counties. As we arrived right at 4:00pm, we had plenty of time to kill so we thought we would head south out of the gap for the 3.3-mile round trip to Tibbet Knob before returning to the gap and heading north to Big Schloss in time to catch the sunset.

On the way down, Annie had already decided to forego camping because I had an early morning appointment back in Winchester and she did not want to get up early and "be rushed" getting back to town. We planned to drive back to town sometime before midnight.

Starting the Tibbet Knob Hike

First Overlook Looking East
It was clear from the outset that Ann was not having a good day. Finally, about halfway up to the top I said to her, "You don't look like you're having any fun today." And she replied, "I'm not" and trudged on for a couple more minutes before telling me to hike to the top on my own and that she would wait for me on a rock beside the trail.

At that point, I knew she really wasn't doing well, so I set off for the top at a very quick pace, finishing the rocky uphill three-quarters of a mile with two rock scrambles in 15 minutes. I climb hills really well (that might be why Annie calls me a mountain goat though it might also be for some of my other more caprine qualities) and though I missed my wife's company greatly, it was kind of fun to unleash the beast on the hill.

Big Schloss from Tibbet Knob

Another View North from Tibbet Knob
I texted Ann to let her know that I was at the top and she replied that she was heading back down to the gap to find a picnic table on which to lie. At this point, I knew our day was done and there would be no heading up to Big Schloss for the sunset. It doesn't do any good to get angry about such a situation. We all go through periods when we just don't feel well. For myself, my employees just about called 911 on Friday because an hour before a crazy dinner service, I was lying on the floor of the restaurant, face white as a sheet, with rivers of sweat pouring off me. Sometimes you just don't feel well. I get it.

Anyway, I tried valiantly to catch her on the way back, but she had too much of a head start. And I might have stopped to pick some blueberries. We rendezvoused at a picnic table just shy of the gap and then made our way back to the car and home. We didn't get to do what we set out to do, but I got in a good speed hike and we ended up having a great evening at home. Lemonade from lemons.

Blueberries: Free Hiker Snacks
Back home, we unpacked our dinner and Champagne and had it on the sofa while catching up on a series that we are watching. I made us sandwiches of goat cheese, spinach, avocado, turkey, and tomato for our hike and while they might have tasted marginally better up on Big Schloss, they were really good back at home.

Big Schloss Fare
And my genius self decided to put our Champagne in the PlatyPreserve wine bottle for our hike to save the weight of the Champagne bottle. But as you can see in the photo below, the collapsible bottle is pregnantly distended, never being intended for sparkling wine. The soft sides of the bottle stretch enough to let all the carbon dioxide come out of solution, leaving a weakly fizzy drink behind, in this case grand cru Chardonnay from our Roland Champion Chouilly Grand Cru Champagne.

Epic Fail: Platypreserve and Champagne
Because we were doing a lightweight overnight hike, I decided to bring a single pair of shoes to use on the trail and in camp. I chose my Keen Newport H2s. I've hiked in them on fairly non-technical trails and they do great, but this would be my first time with steep slopes, rocky trails, and a couple of somewhat technical rock scrambles. I have to say that they did great. I am considering hiking in them more and more as an alternative to my trail runners.

Monday, July 10, 2017

Lost River State Park, Mathias, WV

We're almost to halfway in our 52-Hike Challenge this year, our return trip on Sunday to Lost River State Park in Mathias WV being number 25. This is a hike that we did on Super Bowl Sunday of this year and liked so much that we vowed to return. This post is just going to be a photo-essay. You can go to the February post for details.

Suspension Bridge Over Howard's Lick Run

Rhododendron maximum by the Creek

Common Heal-all, Prunella vulgaris, in the Fire Road

Moth on Common Milkweed, Asclepias syriaca

White Cabbage Butterfly, Pieris rapae, on Thistle

Bee on Thistle, Climbing White Oak Trail

Bottle Brush Grass, Elymus hystrix

Shelter on White Oak Trail

View From Shelter

Posing at the Shelter

Places Are Covered with Deptford Pinks, Dianthus armeria

Viper's Bugloss, Echium vulgare

Catnip, Nepeta cataria, Behind Shelter

We Shared White Oak Trail with Horses

Cranny Crow Overlook

Bouncing-bet (Soapwort), Saponaria officinalis

Sundrops, Oenothera fruticosa

Columbine, Aquilegia canadensis

Apocynum androsaemifolium, Spreading Dogbane

View From Cranny Crow

Boot Shot at Cranny Crow

Panorama at Cranny Crow

At Southern Point of Big Ridge

Pine Cone Detail

Big Ridge South End: Blueberry Scrub Under Pines

Lots of Ripe Blueberries

Hiker Snacks!

Perhaps Belongs to a Turkey Vulture?

Ferns on Virginia View Trail

Moth in the Grass

Picnic Shelter

Striped Wintergreen, Chimaphila maculata

Fire Tower From Warden's Cabin

Red-spotted Purple Butterfly, Limenitis arthemis

Grass Under Oaks, Big Ridge Trail

Common Mullein, Verbascum thapsus

Very Fragrant Hoary Mountain Mint,
Pycnanthemum incanum

Longleaf Bluets, Houstonia longifolia

Motherwort, Leonurus cardiaca

Moth on Garlic Mustard

Undulations Looking East at Miller's Rock

Lost City, WV

Another View

I Love These Mountains

1840 William Tusing Cabin

Horse Nettle, Solanum carolinense

Tiny Moth on Back of Ann's Arm

Beers in the Creek Post-Hike

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