Hiking
I'm trying to hike 5 days a week (and not quite making it), I try to go every day so that if I miss a day I still average 5 days a week. I recently got permission to hike at a private preserve, normally closed to the public. It's near home and has a decent climb to a ridge. There's a 5 mile loop trail and a spur that adds another mile.
Pack
I've been increasing my pack weight each week by adding bottles of water to my pack. Each bottle weighs a bit more that 1 pound. I'll add 1 bottle a week until May 1st. It's currently 32 pounds. My goal is to get it up to between 38 and 40 pounds by May 1st. On my last few multiday trips my pack weighed 38 to 42 pounds, depending on how much food I was carrying.
Hiking at Elizabeth Furnace
On Sunday 2/28/2016, I drove out to Elizabeth Furnace in George Washington National Forest to get in some late day hiking. I left the car at 2:30pm with a 30pound pack. I hiked up to the eastern ridge then hiked south on the Tuscarora/Massanutten trail. The weather was perfect. At about 5:30 as I was nearing the Sherman Gap trail a bobcat came out on the trail about 60 yards ahead of me and didn't notice me. He walked south away from me and I was able to watch him for a minute or two until he finally noticed me and ran off. The hike down from the ridge on the Sherman Gap trail was very steep. Half way down it got dark and I donned my head lamp and finished the last... long... 2.5 miles back to the car.
8.33 mile hike at Elizabeth Furnace (Red line)
A bobcat picture, from Google, similar to the one I saw.
Trail intersection on the ridge above Elisabeth Furnace
A view from the ridge looking east towards Shenandoah National Park.
You can see Skyline drive on the distant ridge.
The trail became narrow, dropping off on each side of the ridge
Another Eastward View
This is where I saw the bobcat, it's in the picture but too small to see
Sherman Gap Trail Intersection on the ridge
Sherman Gap trail Marker, after dark at the intersection with XXXX trail
Hike in the Private Preserve
After hiking in the preserve for several hours and while driving home, I got a urgent call from the preserve manager. She wanted to warn me that hunters would be on the preserve for the next month and I should probably not hike there until they had cleared out. I promised that I'd not go back until the all clear date.
Cabin Remains
A view to the east
A view to the east
What city is that?
Found on the boundary line of the preserve and private property
The pictures are amazing. You have a knack for capturing your adventure on film. I am reading all of this and amazed at the progression in your journey since you started. Way to go Uncle Dave!
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