North Boundary to Jenkins Gap

Date: Jan 28, 2012

Start: Compton Gap

End: Jenkins Gap

Total miles: 6.5

Total AT miles: 4.1

Time: 5hrs 15mins

We've officially started our hike! The weather held and it was a beautiful Saturday for hiking. We met at 8:40am at the Compton Gap parking lot (I was running about 10mins late). We dropped the Escape down at Jenkins Gap and then came back to Compton to start the hike. Our itinerary was to hike out 2 miles to tag the park boundary, then backtrack 2 miles to Compton Gap where we started, then continue on to Jenkins Gap for 2.1 more miles. I know that doesn't add up to 6.5, but there was a little blue-blazing I'll get into shortly. 


We started out at just a few minutes after 9am. The temp was 35º with a wind chill of 27º. The forecast was for 50+º day and no rain. Since I didn't have Rosie, I used both trekking poles. Boy, did they really help! Oh, and all of that gear I had on my "winter hiking list"?  Pssssshh!! I left it all behind except a knit hat, down jacket, light gloves, headlamp, handwarmers, swiss army knife, first aid kit, dry socks, a nalgene of water, and lunch.


The hike out to the boundary was great! It felt good to be hiking with my sister again. There were lots and lots of tracks on the trail, and I kept trying to find a bear track, but no success. Just boots, dogs and deer. We found the SNP backcountry self-registration station, so we knew the park boundary was very close. We continued on and found another sign facing south-bound hikers stating you were "..leaving Shenandoah National Park and entering private land...".  Well, that was confusing? We couldn't understand why south-bound would be "leaving" the park??? So we went the few extra yards north to Possum's Overlook and took some pictures, then I went scampering for another boundary sign while Jen went to seek fellowship with nature. ☺ The AT started to switchback steeply downhill, so I decided to bag it and we'd call it close enough. As we were hiking back south and taking more pictures, we were still wondering why the "leaving" sign was facing the south-bound hikers? Then Jen said, "It would make sense if it were facing the other way, towards north-bound hikers". Then the light-bulb went on! I took hold of the sign, and slowly turned it around 180º. Fixed!

We then hiked the 2 miles back to Compton Gap and Jen's car. We stopped and ate lunch, then I re-stocked for dinner since we planned on jumping in the Escape and driving south on Skyline Drive to look for wildlife. Since there is nothing open in SNP this time of year, we had to stock for lunch and dinner. We started off around noon for Compton Peak. It was around .8 miles up to the summit, then 1.3 on to Jenkins Gap. Once at the summit, there are two blue-blazed side trails. One takes you .2 miles to an overlook, and the other takes you .2 miles down to a rock. Now most people would prefer the overlook (and I think Jen would have preferred the overlook), but I chose the rock. See, it's not just any rock. It is the only basalt column rock in Virginia, and possibly in the entire east coast. The trail got real tricky towards the end, hand over hand climbing on wet slick rocks. Jen had to bow out since her knees were complaining big-time. So I scampered on down by myself. There were three geology students there when I arrived. They were real friendly, and surprised that I knew about "the rock". I got some pics and then scrambled back to Jen. We hiked back up to the AT and continued south. 

We passed through a section that had been burnt recently. All of the laurel was scorched, but new shoots were already pushing up from the base of each plant. It was pretty awesome. Once we descended Compton Peak, the trail flattened out again. At one point, Jen reminded me were were right behind where I had spotted a mama bear and three cubs a few months back. Even though I'm not terrified of meeting a bear on the AT, it does make me a little leery. Fortunately (or unfortunately?), we didn't run into any bears.

We finally finished up a bit after 2pm. For the record, the swiss army knife did come in handy to tighten up the clamps on Jen's trekking poles. ☺


My feet and Jen's knees were both complaining rather loudly. I took a couple of Aleve, and it really did help that evening. I woke up Sunday morning feeling like I had been hit by a truck.  Ugh. Once I started moving around though I felt better. Good enough to take Rosie for a hike. We did around 3+ miles up at Seneca. She deserved it though. 


We're already planning the next section. From Jenkins Gap to Little Hogback for 6.8 miles. It may be too ambitious depending on the elevation profiles. If so, we'll stop at Gravel Springs instead.

Looking good

The weather for this weekend is looking most excellent!! Fingers crossed that it stays that way. I had to bail on a snowboarding trip on Friday (tomorrow) because of work stuff. As usual, we're doing more work with less people. The weather on Friday is a little "iffy" anyway, so I'd rather save it up for hiking. I'm going to call Jen tonight so we can discuss, but we may try and hike both Saturday and Sunday to make up some miles. Seeing as how our current mile total is a big fat zero, we can only improve from there!

Ma Nature has quite the sense of humor

Once again Ma Nature has prevented us from starting our hike. Snow, freezing rain and ice has shut down not only Shenandoah National Park, but has made driving in general a somewhat hazardous undertaking. Ma Nature has proven to be quite the jokester when it comes to me and my plans. I guess I'll re-direct my "planning" from the hike itself to hike-related periphery.

I'm being lazy and cozy this weekend. Everyone needs a lazy & cozy weekend now and then. I did set up my REI Chrysalis solo tent with just the rainfly/footprint pitch. Thinking I will carry it this winter as an emergency shelter when appropriate. I got it down to the rainfly, footprint, poles and 3 stakes. It's a freestanding pitch, so I only need 3 stakes: one for the vestibule, and one on each side to pull the sides away. I haven't weighed it yet, but I'm guessing I got it down to about 2.5lbs. I may end up ditching the idea of carrying a shelter, especially since our hike will never take us too far from Skyline Drive and the safety of civilization.

I found a reasonably priced set of snowshoes at Sams Club. Snowshoes, carry bag and two poles for $80 bucks. I'm sure they're heavier than the more expensive options, but considering I'm not sure how much I will use them, they are a great starter set. If it turns out snowshoeing is in my DNA, I will invest in a higher quality set down the road. Now I just need to figure out the best way to attach them to my pack. I plan on carrying my REI Lookout 40 pack. It's the one I got for Alaska. It's roomier than my TNF pack, so I have more capacity to carry my winter gear.

Of course I will dress in layers including thermals/fleece/shell/hat/gloves/etc. And here's my winter gear list I plan on carrying in my pack:

  1. Emergency shelter (Chrysalis solo minimum UL pitch)  2.5lbs
  2. Winter gloves
  3. Extra knit cap
  4. Extra long underwear
  5. Dry socks
  6. First aid kit
  7. Headlamp
  8. Swiss Army knife
  9. Lighter & waterproof matches
10. Rain gear
11. Water (at least one Nalgene)
12. Food/snacks
13. Hand warmers
Optional gear depending on weather conditions:
14. Snowshoes
15. Katahoola Microspikes

I'm skipping the map/compass since we both have the PATC AT map on our smart phones. And the AT intersects Skyline Drive literally every couple of miles or so. Getting "unlost" consists of remembering which side of Skyline you are on (east or west), then walking uphill until you hit the road. I've also hiked in Shenandoah pretty extensively, and even though I don't know every foot of every trail, I know my way around pretty good. I will probably carry a printout of the specific area of the park we will be hiking as a backup.

The weather for next weekend is looking better, but we'll have to wait and see what Ma Nature has up her sleeve.

Looking Promising

The weather is looking promising for starting our 101 mile hike this weekend. Jen posted that Skyline Dr. has opened from Front Royal to Thornton Gap, so as long as it doesn't snow or ice over between now and the weekend, we should be good to start our hike. I'm currently reading "Southbound" by The Barefoot Sisters. I really wish my knees and feet were healthy enough to do a through-hike of the AT. Not that I would do it even then. I have all the good excuses like work, mortgage, bills, pets, etc. But still, just knowing it was a viable option would be nice. So I'll settle for section hikes of the AT in Shenandoah. Who knows, when we finish all 101 miles, I may start tacking on more sections in VA, then WV, then PA, then who knows!?! :) As for the Barefoot Sisters, I think I'll stick with my hiking boots.

Once Jen and I get on the trail and get some miles down, I'm hoping I'll get a legit trail name. I've been given a couple, but not convinced yet. "Poopfinder"?  "Bing"? We'll see what sticks.

Warm & Toasty

Start: Home
End:  Home
Total Miles:  zero

Skyline Dr. was closed again today. That meant our only option was Plan B, which would give us about 2mi towards our total. According to weather.com, the low temp in SNP this morning was 15deg, with a windchill colder than that! Kenny didn't really want Jen to go, and since I was all warm and toasty under the covers, I was easily dissuaded from any cold weather hiking. We decided to bag it and try again next weekend.
Rosie was happy, since that meant she had me all to herself today. We slept in a bit, then headed down to Manassas Battlefield after breakfast. I dressed in 4 layers on top, and two on the bottom. I think I overestimated the cold...plus it was closer to 11am by then and getting warmer, so I ended up shedding a top layer. I tried out my new EMS Endo Trek pants that I got on Saturday. The pants were 50% off, but these were already on clearance and when the guy rang me up, they came up as 50% off the clearance price. Woot! I got a $99 pair of pants for $25 bucks. I shot a video pouring water on them (and it ran right off) and sent it to Jen. Now she has to have a pair. I think they'll be real nice for XC skiing this winter. Anyhoosey, back to Manassas.  Rosie and I did about 5.5 miles total. My foot was starting to really hurt towards the end, and even more now that I'm resting. It usually takes a day or two to recover. Lots of stretching, Aleve and rest. Plantar faciitis sucks!
I'm supposed to work out with Maia tomorrow. I will have to find something that does not involve using my feet...much.

The Start of the Beginning (or the Beginning of the Start?)

The weather is NOT cooperating! After at least one week of careful planning...checking parking, approach trails, mileage and elevation profiles our kick-off to our 101 miles is delayed due to ice.  Blah!  Ok, let me back up a bit. Back on January 4, 2012, Jen posted on Facebook about her cool new PATC iPhone app that mapped the entire Appalachian Trail in Shenandoah National Park. So on a whim (sort of), I posted, "We should set a goal to hike the entire AT in SNP in 2012. We could do some sections as day hikes, then backpacks when the weather gets warmer. :)". To which Jen replied, "I'm in!".  

And so our adventure begins. 

I did some calculating ('cause I'm an analyst and that's how I roll) and figured out we'd have to average about 2 miles a week, or 8.5 miles a month.  We can do this!  Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy!! 


Even though we've decided we don't have to hike the trail "in order", we at least would like to start at the northern boundary of SNP. Sort of makes the "kick-off" more like a true beginning! Our plan was to start and end on Skyline Dr. Hike 2 miles north to tag the park boundary and double back and continue south to a waiting vehicle for a total of 6.1 miles, 4.1 of which would count towards the 101 mile total. Unfortunately,the NPS (National Park Service) closed Skyline Drive due to ice on Fri and Sat. That puts a little kink in our plan. We're hoping Skyline will re-open on Sunday, Jan 15. If not, I have a Plan B (like I said, I'm an analyst...WHAT!?!), which is to park outside SNP near Compton Gap on State Route 601, then hike up to the AT via an approach trail, tag the SNP boundary, then hike south to Skyline and double back out. We will only get 2miles counted towards our total, but it's better than a zero.