wolf gap, wv this weekend

“i might take friday, saturday and sunday and do the hike around the valley or i may car camp and day hike up to big schloss and tibbet knob.

it's going to be a nice weekend in that area.”

“If you car camp at Wolf Gap grab a site early, it could be a popular weekend there.”

“baume, when are you going to be there on Friday?”

“i'm thinking sometime around 11 or 12.”

“oh well - I don't think I can make it that early - sigh - I think I'll just go bushwhack somewhere in Shen - maybe Ivy Creek area - there is an old road there that I want to explore - on the other hand there is an old trail out of Gap Run that would be good to find”

“do you want company? i could meet you somewhere near the park later in the day. i have the southern half map, but know nothing about it. never been inside of the park.”

“i'm not against a bushwhack as long as i don't have to carry too much water, plus, it would be less of a drive for me and i wouldn't have to hurry around packing in the morning. i have to work from 6pm to 6am tonight and i don't have any food around yet. was planning on small pack and no stove with either bivy or hammock.”

“well the place I am thinking of (Ivy Creek) isn't too tough of a bushwhack just head down stream from Pine Fields Hut until you reach the main creek then go down stream maybe 100 yards - good spots for either hammock or bivy as I recall - at least there is ONE good spot for a hammock (grin) - I've hung there before. Altogether the Ivy Creek site is not more than about 1.5 miles from Skyline Drive - .2 trail walking from parking area to hut and then the rest as a bushwhack down streem from the hut. I was thinking of basecamping and then dayhiking around the area. This was the same idea that I had for the Gap Run area - basecamp and then dayhike. For Gap Run the site I am thinking of is just off of the Gap Run Tr. which is off of the Rocky Mount Tr. but this is definately a hammock site (lots of rocks) - there is however another site close by there that is good for tents and bivys. The hike in to this site is all on trails but the dayhiking is mainly bushwhacking unless one wants to go up on top of Rocky Mount (good views up there).

For parking for Rocky Mount Tr. park at the Two Mile Run overlook and head about .1 north on Skyline Drive to the trailhead - the hike in to the campsite is about 3-4 miles, mostly downhill.

Parking for Ivy Creek is at the Pine Field ahhh area - its a small pull over with some limited parking. If that is full one can also park at Ivy Creek overlook and then hike north on the AT until you get to the turn off for the hut. It is OK however to park anywhere along SD so long as you're completely off the pavement.

All that said it turns out that I can also make it to Wolf Gap by 11 or so - I was able to take the whole day off instead of just the afternoon that I thought was all that I could get.”

“so........

what do you want to do? i am not familiar with any of the spots you mentioned in shenandoah (or any others for that matter). are they on patc map 11? i think it covers the park from us 33 and south to i-64.

if we do wolf gap, do you want to try and get a spot in the campground? i could bring firewood. we could do some day hikes, big schloss and tibbet knob and eat out of coolers (fresh foods cooked over campfire). water on the trails may be in short supply. the areas we were in last time i was there had some water, but not on the ridge we bushwhacked. i don't think there is much up near big schloss either so we would have to carry a fair amount. here's a map of the area. the camp ground is right where rt 675 intersects with the tibbet knob trail and the mill mountain trail. the campsites are free, first come first serve. i'm fine with whatever. let me know before morning so i know what time i need to leave my house and where to go if i am heading to shenandoah.”

“Go to Shen!! I want to return to Wolf Gap but I can't this weekend.

Hey HOI - beware that if you stay at the campground in Wolf Gap, baume will be armed with his banjo. ;o)”

“water is easy to get from either of the two sites I am thinking of in Shen. I know what you mean about the Big Schloss area - I did not see any water up there once I got on the ridge - but I've only been up there as a dayhike so I wasn't paying a lot of attention to campsite selection.

With regard to the sites in Shen. both of them are on map 11 - the Ivy Creek site would be from a trailhead at mp 75.2 approximately and the trail head for the Gap Run site is just a little bit further south at mp 76.1. Sign at 75.2 is "Pinefield Parking Area" I think or at least something with the word Pinefield in it. The trail post at the 76.1 trailhead is labeled "Rocky Mount" and is .1 north of the Two Mile Run overlook.

WRT getting a campsite at Wolf Gap Camping Area - I thought there was somesort of a fee involved but again I was just dayhiking and so did not pay a lot of attention to the signage. Personally I generally try to avoid campgrounds and would not want to camp there.

My problem is that I want to explore the trails around Wolf Gap but the water situation makes it a bit of a bytch with the weight to carry. For example there are some nice campsites just as you reach the top of the ridge heading toward Big Schloss but they are dry and being on the top of the ridge perhaps not the best for hammocking (probably windy).

sigh

nice thing about Wolf Gap etc. is that we can have a campfire which we can't have in Shen.

well its shyt or get off the pot time

awwwh screw it - I'll meet you at Wolf Gap tomorrow (Friday) between 11 am and 12 noon - who knows maybe I'll even see a campsite in the campground that we can use - but it has to have a hammock capable set of trees for me (grin)”

“10-4. the campsites are free. i used one already this year. if you get there first, look around and see if you see a campsite you like. if i get there first, i look for one and make sure it is hammock friendly. if we stay in the campground, i'll probably sleep in my vehicle. i have screen windows for it now. i'll bring firewood. if we don't stay in the campsite, someone will use it. see you tomorrow.”

“i'm now thinking it will be more around 12:00 to 12:30 before i get there.”

“OK - I'll look for you around then.”