Slipping and Sliding over the Shenandoah Mountains

Slow, Steep Miles up to Skyline Drive and over Old Rag

Last Saturday my buddy and I headed out to the Old Rag area of Skyline Drive, one of the best hiking spots near the DC area.  Though its only an hour away it feels like a whole different world out there.  I haven't been feeling great lately.  My energy levels seem normal, but its been tough to be motivated with winter dragging on for so long.  The main issue is with my left knee - something just feels funky in it and I really don't want to push through the pain.  Most of my recent weeks have not seen a lot of miles running, in favor of swimming, spinning, yoga classes, and even speed walking up a steeply inclined treadmill (this is actually a legitimate training strategy for mountain trail running).  I had also been feeling just really "dead-legged" in both lower legs but that seems to have subsided with some rest and generally taking it easy.

As an aside, Old Rag is an absolute "must-hike" for any nature or fitness lover in the DC/VA area; I have been hiking around Old Rag since I was a kid and its still so fun scrambling around on the rocks there!  Its 8.8 miles round-trip so plan a whole day around it.  I recommend hiking up the "Ridge Trail", which starts off unassumingly but about 2/3 of the way up has you scrambling around boulders, squeezing through crevasses, and climbing up rock walls! Make sure to stop and take in the gorgeous views.  Pack some snacks, a lunch for the summit, and plenty of water to drink.  While it may feel warm at the bottom, the top can get cold and windy in a hurry so be sure to bring a hat, gloves, and extra layers of clothing.

"Shouldn't we be over there?"

We started off on a fire road, but even that was too steep to run in some sections, then veered onto the trail to Robertson Mountain.  Trail running quickly turned into speed hiking uphill through snow, though for every 2 steps we took it felt like we were sliding back 1.  Once we were close to the summit there was about 6 inches of snow in the shaded areas of the mountain.  While I was dripping sweat on the way up, after things leveled out I put on my extra layers to stay warm.  The views from here were spectacular and reminded me of the barren, treeless peaks of the Rockies.  We soon scrambled back down the other side of the mountain, and while still snowy at least we were able to run down.

Panoramic view off Mt. Robertson.

Back on the Old Rag fire road we headed up to Skyline Drive, turned around and ran back down.  This brought us to a cross-roads: head back to the car to refuel, or attempt Old Rag?  We both still had some water in our packs so we opted for the latter.

My friend Andrew, descending back into the snow.

Hiking up the backside of Old Rag was slow going but steady.  At this point my feet were already wet and cold so I didn't mind walking through the melting snow.  After a quick visit to the summit we headed back down the infamous Ridge Trail.  This is tough enough to climb up when dry, but descending it while dealing with snow and ice provided a new (albeit dangerous) challenge.  There were a few scary moments, like having to lower yourself off of a boulder, with nothing to hold onto, and oh yea - you are landing on ice so you better keep your balance!

Down we went, until the snow dried up and the terrain turned into runable switchbacks.  Closer to the bottom I couldn't believe some of the people starting out were only wear a t-shirt and shorts, but its deceptively cooler down there.

From the summit of Old Rag.

All in all a super fun day.  18 miles in just under 5 hours, and I set a new record for my slowest mile ever: 41 minutes!  Very happy to get in all the climbing and elevation in preparation for Terrapin Mountain!