Old Rag Mountain
We left for Shenandoah on Wednesday morning. We took a driving break after 3 hours at the Richmond TRC. There were some fun climbs, and I struggled my way up a grey 5.9 and pink 5.10. We later ate lunch at Panda Express on a bench on VCU’s campus. It was then another 2 hour drive to Big Meadows campground.
We bought some firewood and set up camp. Dinner was pesto pasta with chicken and spinach. We realized that we needed to buy ice to keep the rest of our food cold; this was C’s mission. His first attempt was a fail, because he doesn’t like to ask for help. He went to the lodge and then the camp store, however, returned empty handy. On his second mission, he successfully asked the clerk at the lodge for help, and he returned triumphant.
Our types of introversion are different. I have gotten accustomed to small interactions with strangers. C has noted that I start talking to random people; a woman about her camping organization system in the bathroom, or commenting about the delicious decision a couple friends made to order blackberry ice cream at the camp store. However, my social battery is quickly depleted. C, on the other hand, does not like talking to strangers or asking for help, however, he has a much longer battery life and seems to get along with most people.
The next day (Thursday) was our big hike. We ate biscuits and cold chicken sausages in the car, as we drove to Old Rag. It was about a 9-mile hike. We brought our trekking poles that proved helpful. After about 2 miles of hiking, there is a fun/ daunting rock scramble. A couple in front of us, let out some groans and profanities as they navigated their way through it. Two younger women following us were pretty chatty throughout the whole hike. After about 7 hours (9am – 4pm, we’re slow hikers), we were done!
We drove back to the campground and later learned that there was an alert for poor air quality conditions. Apparently, smoke from the fires in eastern Canada had migrated to our area. We had been wondering why it was so hazy out, obscuring views of the mountains and valley. Luckily, we both don’t have any underlying pulmonary conditions and didn’t experience any symptoms.
We stopped at the store. I had blackberry ice cream and C had vanilla soft serve. I also cranked out a new smashed penny of Camp Rapidan. At the campground, we had a nice shower. The prices went up from my last visit, less than a year ago; from $2.25 for 5 minutes to $5.00 for 10 minutes! We had to feed 20 quarters into the machine. We ate Frito pie, some hot chocolate, and slept well.
Highlights: 1) Fun rock scrambling. Glad that there were no injuries. 2) Trekking poles ftw. 3) Climbing in Richmond.
Looking forward: 1) Old Rag is such a fun (type 2) and interesting hike. There are so many other hikes in Shenandoah that I’d like to explore. With these short trips, it’s hard to make time to do others.
Update: We went back to Old Rag in 2024, and brought friends! Check it out: Old Rag - 2024