Let the peak-bagging begin: Shenandoah (VA)

When I turned 50, I decided to bag 50 new summits, including way too many easy ones, and a few harder ones, like the 5.9 South Buttress of Cathedral Peak in Washington’s Pasayten Wilderness (bragging rights are still in force for that one).  This year, I’ve stewed up a similar hankering to attain 60 new summits, which is only about one every six days.  The point isn’t to impress anyone (other than me), but more to ensure that I get my backside out there exploring new ground.  As if I need the prodding.  I committed to this year’s quest months ago, yet here it is almost the end of May and I have scurried up a grand total of zero summits in 2013.  So with a nice forecast for the Memorial Day weekend, Kris and I zipped over to Shenandoah on Saturday for a two-fer: Hightop Mountain and craggy Bearfence.  Both were short hikes with tantalizing views and some rock to sit on at or near the summit.  Now this is civilized peak-bagging.

We began the day visiting a colleague from work who was spending the weekend with family and friends at a semi-remote cabin in the eastern foothills above Stanardsville, Virginia.  A scenic drive on a narrow road led us to Entry Run and a ten-minute walk up to the cabin.  We found everyone dutifully chilling at what is just one of dozens of cabins maintained by the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club.  Kris and I vowed to join the club soon and partake in the wilderness cabin thing too.  Next stop was Shenandoah.

 

1. Hightop Mountain:  The trailhead for this one is right on Skyline Drive, a little south of Swift Run Gap (Highway 33).  A pleasant woodsy walk on a steady grade led about 1.7 miles to a fine overlook and a Krissy-approved snoozing rock with a wide view west across the Shenandoah Valley to the Alleghenies.  The actual summit was in the trees nearby and a signpost pointed the way.  At 3,587 feet, this is also the highest point in the park south of the Gap.  We made it official by documenting the occasion with several million pixels of evidence.  While lunching on the rock, a family sauntered by and mentioned to our surprise that they had been chased up the trail by a deer.  Just in case, we kept a sharp eye out for flailing hooves on the descent.  Summit #1 in the bag.  Only 59 to go.

Miles (RT):  3.5 miles; elevation gain: 950 feet
Cumulative mileage and gain:  3.5 miles / 950 feet

The PATC cabin at Entry Run.

 



2. Bearfence:  Since I only need to impress myself with my Sixty new summits thing, I’ve decreed that even the little ones must count.  Admittedly, had I claimed Bearfence as a “peak” out in the Pacific Northwest, my fellow mountaineer buddies would still be chortling and flicking their nuts and raisins at me.  But Bearfence sounded kinda fun as a short rock scramble and it wasn’t too far down the road from Hightop.

A quick hike up some steps led to the start of the craggy spine that aptly gives the ridge its name.  It was over all too soon, however, and we sat a spell to enjoy the 360 panorama.  The 3,620-foot summit is in the woods again, but was quickly reached, and a return via the Appalachian Trail added a few more minutes of new scenery.

Miles (RT):  1.2 miles; elevation gain: 380 feet
Cumulative mileage and gain:  4.7 miles / 1,330 feet