It is no secret that the Adirondacks post some arctic temperatures. Even when it's bitter cold, there is always a way to admire the sweet views and freshness that the Adirondacks offer.
T'was the weekend before '24 Christmas....
Timing was right to do a few Christmas weekend walk abouts in short intetvals that brought some icy but pleasant sights. No elevation hiking as the knee is still in rough shape. Kept it simple and easy. A nice brief escape from the concrete metropolis!
Areas include Lake Placid, Lussi Trail, Silver Lake, & Hawkeye.
Passed by some cuz family of Donner & Blitzen grazing whatever they could.
Appreciate the landscapes and time with nature.
Til next time.
The Massanutten Trail is a 71-mile National Recreation Trail in George Washington National Forest in Central Virginia. Much of the path is steep and rugged/rocky, with some mountain views. The trail travels the Massanutten Range around its inner valley. Shenandoah National Park is to the east, and Great North Mountain is to the west.
The trail's origins are in the American Revolutionary War. Originally known as Morgan's Road, a portion of the trail at Veach Gap was built as a potential avenue for retreat in case the Continental Army had been defeated at the battle of Yorktown. George Washington had Daniel Morgan construct the road over the eastern ridge into the valley.
In the 19th century, the area was used for mining and the...
I was informed by a friend to check this place out and told I would love it and not be disappointed. Admittedly, I had never heard of Jefferson Rock before, but I surmised the name came from Thomas Jefferson. I would later learn that he stood there on October 25, 1783; who knew 241 years later, I would stand there? Jefferson described the view as "worth a voyage across the Atlantic,” it seems he hadn't been to any higher elevations yet.
It was a short hike from the railroad station parking lot, the only nearby area to park. Many streets are narrow, to begin with, and then they're marked “no parking” or flagged "2 hours only". Since I didn't want to be constrained in time, I opted for the train station.
It was a walk southeast on...
With all the trails available to hike, including the famous white-blazed Appalachian Trail dominating in popularity, there’s something unique about the orange-blazed Massanutten Trail. I rarely see other hikers, compared to the more popular trails. The Massanutten Trail is a George Washington National Forest loop trail system. It is a rugged 71-mile trail that encircles Fort Valley in Shenandoah County.
Today I hiked Copernicus Ridge. When you turn onto Forest Road 374 from State Route 675, the forest road bears right, and to the left is the gravel road to the parking lot. I parked on the first pull-off and just passed the gate on the left. I could have parked in one of the pull-offs further up the road. There is a small pull-off...
Big Schloss is a peak in the Great North Mountain range of the Appalachian mountains, with an elevation of 2,964 feet. The peak is in George Washington National Forest and borders Virginia and West Virginia. There are several different routes to hiking this mountain and Mill Mountain. I opted to hike from Wolf Gap and do an out-and-back hike. I grabbed my pack, locked the car, and was on the trail by 7:59 am. The first part of the trail coming out of Wolf Gap is where I would pick up most of my elevation gain. This would be the most challenging part of the trail, but the trail switchbacks up to the ridge, and I did not find it difficult.
Once up on the ridge, I had plenty of views looking into Virginia and West Virginia, depending on...