Old Rag in Winter - Trip Report

“Left early to meet Bearmagnet at Old Rag, flew down 66 blasting the Allman Bros. with the windows down becaus it was 50 degrees this morning. I decided to take the long way because I had left extra early, only to discover that the long way was a lot longer than I thought, I ended up blasting down mountain roads at high speed to make it to the trailhead on time; I pulled in right at 9 am. Started looking for Bearmagnets car but he was nowhere to be seen. Waited, a bunch of teens and adults showed up wearing fatigues and red berets (scouts?, Princes army?). At 9:30 I decided I was done waiting and headed up the road to the trail from the lower parking lot. About halfway up to the upper parking lot, Bearmagnet blows by me in his car. I get up to the upper lot, and meet Bearmagnet (The first TTer I've met). After solving the dilemma of where to park his car (we found a semi-legal spot) we headed up the trail. We flew past the rednecks in fatigues, making great time (I always hike Old Rag first every year, and I'm always sucking wind on the way up. Not today though, working out all winter really paid off). Then about halfway up we find the ice, lots and lots of ice all over the trail, we step through very carefully trying to find traction on rocks and muddy patches. We get to the fun part of the climb (the rock scramble) without falling on the ice, and head up to the summit. The gulleys and chimneys that you climb up through are all full of ice, so the going is slow. By this time we start noticing crampon tracks in the mud, it would have been real nice to have something to bite the ice, but full crampons seemed like overkill. We come to the tunnel and two guys are standing inside, one of them wearing plastic climbing boots with the crampons. We keep heading up making good time but being very careful with the ice which fortuneatly isn't a real problem in any of the more exposed sections. At the summit we search for a place to take in the view, but the wind is howling and everything is exposed. We find a reasonably sheltered area (Well not really the wind is still howling through, but seems to stop every once in awhile) I smoke a cigarette and have a clif bar, Then we decide the wind is too much and we should head down, it's also begun spitting snow. We were concerned about the trail being icy on the descent but there really isn't any...Until we get below Byrd's Nest... And then the real fun begins. The trail is completely iced over... We begin picking our way down very carefully, very slowly. We try to find rocks sticking above the ice, we grab on to branches, we edge along the side of the trail, where the ice isn't so bad. The trail get more and more covered with ice. Then we come to a spot where the trail opens up, there are no trees or large rocks on the downhill side to stop a fall. At one point we come to an area where meltwater has come down over the trail, and created a section that is incredibly slick. We decide there is no way we can cross this part, so we decide to cut the switchback knowing the trail is somewhere below us, and there doesn't seem to be as much ice between the switchbacks. Bearmagnet leads the way and sure enough about 30 feet down is the very icy trail, Bearmagnet gets back on the trail and starts making his way down, I get to the trail and immediately fall on my ass, fortunately I just sprawl out on the trail without falling off down hill. We were lucky that that was the only fall on the hike. about a quarter mile above the fire road the ice finally ends, but we find ourselves hiking through a swamp of mud. We get to the fire road, which is free of mud and fairly free of ice, and hike back to our cars. This will be the last time I hike old Rag this early in the year. It was hairy.”

“3 words - CMI Instep Crampons

light enough to carry without too much extra weight and useful enough to make ice walking easy -they stay under your foot very well conpaired to other ice walking things”

“I actually thought of those while we were trying to get down.”

“Wow, I always thought Bearmagnet was a troll. Got any trip pictures?”

“No one brought a camera, It just skipped my mind when I left. You also said I was a troll until I went hiking with someone from TT, do I qualify for non-trollness now, or do I still need pictures?”

“Did I call you a troll? Probably, I call everyone a troll...however, I don't know what the rules are when two TTers that haven't hiked with someone in the "core group (large circle of TTers seperated by 1-3 degrees)" hike together...I'm guessing that troll status would remain active under the suspicion that you could be both Bison and Bearmagnet. I'm assuming he didn't have a camera either? How convenient ;-)”

“We were so busy holding on to branches and stuff trying to stand up that we probably wouldn't have taken many pictures anyway. I'm sure I'll catch up with you on a hike soon Dub, I see you come out this way often. Perhaps I'll come to Dolly Sods if that group isn't gonna be too big.”

“Bison - Thanks of the trip report. I have a couple of quesitons, if you don't mind.

Me being from Michigan way, where is Old Rag?

How early did you hike it before?

How may trial miles did you put in?

Would you do this same trip, under the same conditions, if you where better prepared?

What was your pack weight?

Were the views at least pleasing?

Are you willing to trudge up to Michigan for a hike?”

“Nice report. Glad neither of you were hurt. On your way out did you stop at the Appetite Repair Shop?”

“Yeah Bison, you're welcome to come to Dolly Sods. I'd love to meet you and verify you're not a troll ;-) I don't think the group size is gonna be a problem.”

“Laqtis -
Old Rag is in the Central District of Shenandoah National Park. The earliest I've hiked it is late March.
Trial miles(?) I assume you meant trail miles, It's 7.1 with a 2200 foot elevation gain, It took us 6 hours (normally takes me about 4.5). I probably won't go again this early even if I have the equipment, I can wait till spring in the future, there are plenty of other hikes in this area (Although Old Rag is by far and away the most spectacular). It was a dayhike so packweight wasn't an issue. The views were great as they always are from Old Rag. I'd love to come up to Michigan to hike, but I don't know when I'll get an opportunity, I use all my vacation to go to Colorado and Wyoming, and Michigan's a little far for a 3 or 4 day weekend.

Nowslimmer - Where's the Appetite Repair Shop, never heard of it (Sperryville? Culpepper?). I'll have to check it out next time.”

“I'm putting myself down for that trip, I'll be there.”

“Sperryville”

“Cool, see you there! My old stomping grounds, gonna be a blast!”

“Cop got me near Tysons on 66 doing 74. That was about 10 minutes into my drive. Would have made it on time, I swear!”

“Thanks for the report. Better than I could do.”

“I try, I hope it's descriptive enough. I kind of pounded it out stream of consciousness style.”

“There have been a lot of hikers who have slipped off Old Rag on the ice and met their doom. Not a good place to be in February without crampons.”

“Yeah geo, probably wasn't one of the smartest moves. Wasn't my dumbest either, though!”

“bison - thanks for the details. Understand that you always have an open invite up here in Michigan if you ever get up this way. April, we'll be having a nice little "to do".”

“When I was a reporter in Waynesboro Va. in the early 80s I did a story about a guy whose dog slipped on ice and went over the side from the summit. They guy was trying to retrieve the dog and fell to his death. The dog was okay. The rangers had a hell of a time finding the guy's carcass and hauling it up in a litter basket.

That's when the rangers told me that quite a few people have slid off the top of Old Rag when it gets icy. There are no trees to grab onto on the way down.”

“OMG! I'll keep that in mind. I recall there wasn't any ice up there and we were looking for shelter from the wind so I'm not sure either of us got near the edge. Still, could have been death of a "troll/s" trip report, aye?”

“The ice was mostly all on the trail, the peak was pretty clear.”

“ok my curiosity has been aroused. What is the elevation of Old Rag. From the photo posted it looks somewhat exposed toward the top. Is it a bald, or is it getting close to the timperline?”

“elevation 3291. I'm really going to miss the smokies and easy access to the sixers.”

“No, it's not that high but it's a tough climb. The rock scrammbling makes it fun and its a crash course in rock climbing 101 if you've never done it. We are far from high peaks but now you're as close tho the ADks as you are to the Smokies!”

“The peak is exposed granite.”

“I am thinking that maybe I will be alot closer to the Mt. Washington too!!”

“I bet with good crampons and an ice axe this would be a fun one in January.”

“Next time you\'re in the area
keep going on rt.231 south (if you\'re comin\' from north) instead of turning on to the trails, go about 2 1/2 miles to the village of Etlan. come on in and vist THE LITTLE COUNRTY STORE. We have grocerys, hot and cold deli, sodas,cold water, cold beer, and Old Rag tee\'s, hats, mugs, etc.
and after the hike, treat your self to a scoop or two of the famous Hershey\'s Hand dipped Ice Cream.
\"hike on over, and join us\" ;-)”

“there is going to be a group of us by there in a few weeks. Sounds like a plan.”

“great, were open mon-sat 6:30am-7:30pm, sun 1pm-7pm. we just set the date for our second bi-annual celebrate etlan fest. we have live local bands, pig roast, local vendors. its going to be on may 29, memorial day weekend, you could hike the trails early in the day, then come down and enjoy the food and music, it's held at the store. and by the way the appitite repair shop mentioned before is closed, now they have like a home cookin' diner.”

“Food troll? Cool.”

“Hello Etlan. I lived in the Syria area for about a year or two back in the late 70s.”

“MY FAMILY HAS LIVED HERE FOREVER, AND I STILL LOVE SEEING THE MOUNTAIN EVERY DAY!”

“Who's Etlan? where'd you come from? did I miss someone new?
Oh well, it's time to hike, nashvillehiker is moving to DC, and we're going up old rag for an overnighter it's listed on the trips page, check it out.”