Kennedy and Compton Peaks (VA)

With 18 summits left to scale and less than ten weeks to get ‘er done, I was duly motivated to find myself another twofer—two summits in one day, that is. The weather looked good for a November 23rd outing and my sleuthing led me to Kennedy and Compton Peaks, in and near my old standby for dayhikes, Shenandoah National Park. I might as well get my money’s worth out of that annual pass.

43. Kennedy Peak: The hike up Kennedy, west of the park, was easy, pleasant and lonely. I forwent the easier start at a ridge crest parking area and instead launched at the trailhead a mile below in order to enjoy some semblance of a workout. The trail gained the crest and rambled along an old jeep road with lots of sun lighting up the hardwoods. My pyramidal objective rose dead ahead. At about three miles, a final huff upward led to the highest rocks and summit overlook, an elevated platform that presented a mostly unobstructed view. The stairs and handrails were sketchy but the aging deck felt solid enough for a sandwich break. Yup, that’s Virginia alright. I hate to admit it, but these views of the Shenandoah were starting to feel a little too familiar. Halfway back to the car, I passed a handful of hikers and one squirrel. I still had just enough time to zip over to Compton.

Miles (RT):  6.1 miles; elevation gain: 1,300 feet
Cumulative mileage and gain:  192.0 miles / 52,700 feet

The jeep trail.

Kennedy Peak.

Nice poster.

Columnar jointing on Compton Peak.

44. Compton Peak: Entering the park from the north, I needed to continue ten miles south to the trailhead at Compton Gap. Once there, I had an hour and a half of daylight left and not even three miles to cover, so no problem. The hike to the summit requires no description, other than to say it was getting rather cold and windy about the time I arrived. That other sandwich would have to wait. Nice view though. I did manage to make the stair-steppy side-trip down to the oft-touted columnar jointing outcrop of Catoctin lava, an added visual treat and worth the effort. Reportedly, the lava cooled more than a half billion years ago, which is somewhat more than a wee bit ago.

Miles (RT):  2.4 miles; elevation gain: 800 feet

Cumulative mileage and gain:  194.4 miles / 53,500 feet