Buzzard Rock Trail
I've been off my training this week. In addition to feeling low energy, sleepy and some minor headaches, I had some family responsibilities that kept me off the trail all week. I was looking forward to another big training weekend in spite of the weather forecast for snow and ice on Sunday.
On Saturday I again woke tired and sluggish, I decided to go back to sleep and hike later if I felt better.
Later I forced myself to get out on the trail. I drove out to George Washington National Forest again to hike the Buzzard Rock trail. I didn't leave the car until 1:30 or so and it had just begun to snow. I thought the snow was coming on Sunday! Looking back now from Monday, it didn't even snow on Sunday as forecast.
The hike was a long and hard one for me, what a difference feeling good makes. That being said the trail was amazing, rock to scramble over and beautiful snow all day. I had my pack loaded with bottles of water again to train with a realistic weight on my back. I believed that I was getting it up to over 34 pounds now, but when I weighed it the next day it was only 31 pounds, I can't figure where the other 3 pounds went to from the week before. Had I really miss weighed my pack at 33 pounds the last two times? Ah well, I just have to keep adding weight each week.
Buzzard Rock trail parking with the snow just beginning to fall
4 miles to my goal
The trail begins to climb
The first "view" point
On the knife edge, the slope falling off to either side
Near here I passed a group of about 10 people (mostly women) on their way back to he parking lot.
Near here I passed a group of about 10 people (mostly women) on their way back to he parking lot.
This is the trail, climb through the gap
View into the "Fort Valley"
View into oblivion
Looking out and down through the "oblivion" view above
Looking left through the "oblivion" view above
This trail must have some fantastic views on a clear day
but provided plenty to marvel at even on a snowy day.
The higher I climbed to more snow accumulated
Small trees were bent over the trail waiting to dump a load of snow on me as I passed
Almost at the highest point of the trip
I passed a over hang big enough to be considered a cave
Looks like a good place to stop to eat out of the weather
Nearing the endpoint of the trip, at the junction with the Massanutten trail on the ridge
Sitting out of the snow in the cave on my way back, still 4 miles to go at this point
A convenient seat in the cave, cold but dry
Looking out at the weather
The temperature was dropping an the snow kept falling as I made my way back.
At this point I began slipping and put on a pair of MicroSpikes to give me better traction. The snow clumped up quite a bit under the chains but really did help, although each foot felt like it gained a pound.
Cones
One final view into the valley, when I took this I could see thru the fog into the valley.
I could just make out the Fort Valley road below.
Exhausted but still almost 2 miles to go
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