TThis 6.2 mile linear day hike happened on Saturday, September 15, 2023. It was sponsored by the
Participants were Randy Cline, hike leader, Brad Hiddle, Dennis Turner and myself.
I left Manassas, VA around 6:15 AM and get to Waynesboro, VA by 9:00 AM. I met Randy at the site of the former Afton Inn on a mountain overlooking Waynesboro, VA. This is where there would be a “Hawk Watch” later that afternoon.
Randy and I were leaving to hike this one when Brad called. We picked him up at the bottom of the mountain and then entered Shenandoah National Park southern entrance.
We got to Beagle Gap at around mile post 99.5 and started the hike around 10:00 AM. The first up was a steep one. We made it to the tower complex around 10:30AM. There were some nice views there. After leaving this area we had another slight up. I took a spill on this stretch. The others helped me up. Only my pride was injured.
Around 11:00 AM we got to McCormack Gap and Dennis Turner was waiting for us there. He had camped out the previous night at nearby Loft Mountain Campground. We were at about the 2 mile mark. So now there were four of us.
We met two pairs of lady hikers on this stretch. Each pair were related and each pair had hiked in from Rockfish Gap and would pass us a second time when they were returning to Rockfish Gap. They were faster hikers than us.
We initially had a gruelling up, then a series of ups and downs, then a long stretch of level to down trail. This trail was very rocky, which impeeded our progress. As usual, I was the slowest hiker. I appreciate that Randy was always within site in case I had issues.
This final 4 mile stretch seemed to take forever. I was getting tired and weak. I took two advil, a vitamin and a protein shake during this stretch to get me through. Not much scenery along this stretch but the woods were very scenic and the temperature was just right.
We didn’t get done until 1:30 PM. Probably because I was slow. Brad went and got his vehicle, then drove all of us to get Dennis and Randy’s vehicle, then we all drove back to the abandoned Afton Inn on top of the mountain overlooking Waynesboro, VA.
There were now about twenty people with chairs that were hawk watching. There were not many birds of any type in the air at that time. But the group appeared to be having a good time. Randy, Dennis and Brad joined this group. I left because I had a long drive home.
So I made the long drive and got home around 4:00 PM. The temperature during this hike was between 59 and 66 degrees. Perfect! I hiked this section 23 years ago with Charlie Johnson. It was a lot tougher today. But I had a nice time. The other guys on the hike were great and Randy was a fantastic hike leader. Oh, and I lost a few more pounds. To sum it all up, this was a great day to hike.
Mike C
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