Day 65: Cowboy Camping

Hiked 16.7 miles, cowboy camping on top of Spy Rock.

Last night was brutally hot in the hostel and I slept poorly.  So I was a little groggy this morning.  Part of the deal of staying there is that you get one free entree at the cafe in the morning for breakfast.  They had great cinnamon rolls and I had to buckle down and get two.  They also have a wall in the cafe for thru hikers to sign and we made our mark.

Part of the thru hiker wall

You know there are hikers inside any establishment because our packs are always lined up outside

OB and Candypants were carrying wine glasses to celebrate Candypants's birthday in style

Candypants stocking up on birthday beverages

Today was hot.  We looked at the weather before leaving town.  High of 87 today.  The free shuttle from the hostel was at 10:30 in the morning which would mean our hardest climb of the day would be in the hotter part of the day, yuk.  Luckily we managed to secure transport earlier in the morning via Gary, a guy who runs a shuttle service in the area.  We split the shuttle between the four of us and Rosey Eagle.

On the climb up Cold Mountain

The initial climb was tough, but it wasn't the hardest we've done.  Even though it was pretty early in the morning it was still very hot.  I packed out a bag of cherries from town and ate them as we climbed.  Fresh fruit is fantastic!  In fact my pack was heavier than normal because I got greedy during my resupply and packed out an apple, two bananas, an avocado and cherries in addition to my usual stuff.  The added problem was that there was no available water for the first 12 miles of the day.  This meant we all left town carrying extra water.  One liter of water is about 2 lbs, so a couple extra liters makes a huge difference!

Why Not summiting Cold Mountain

View from Cold Mountain

View of the trail along the ridge

Everyone enjoying a snack and the sun on top of Cold Mountain

Continuing along the trail from the top of Cold Mountain

After the initial big climb much of the day was spent walking along a ridge.  The half mile after Cold Mountain was a long bald which was our great view for the day.  We could also see The Priest, which is a mountain we will climb tomorrow. Overall the theme for the day today was take it slow and enjoy the day and try not to dehydrate too much.  As a result our planned 20 mile day got shorter and shorter until we pitched the idea of camping at Spy Rock campground.

Our first view of The Priest in the distance

The trail along the ridgeline

Another view of The Priest, it is to the left of the big valley in the background

Spy Rock is a huge outcrop of rock that overlooks the Shenandoah valley.  It is named such because it was a heavily contested area during the Civil War. From the top you can watch the valleys on either side and these valleys were one of the only ways to move troops through the area.  It is an incredible 360 degree view.

On top of Spy Rock

180 degree panorama from Spy Rock

180 degrees in the other direction

Behind me is the Shenandoah Valley

Why Not climbing back up Spy Rock with her pack

Given the promise of a great sunset and sunrise from this vantage point and the nice weather we decided to forego pitching our tents at the campground and just cowboy camp at the top.  This just means laying out your sleeping bag on the ground.  We spent the evening on top of Spy Rock cooking and enjoying the weather and sunset.  This is my first time ever cowboy camping and I'm looking forward to seeing the stars as I go to sleep!

Sunset on Spy Rock

Srocket at sunset

Pariotic picture

Cowboy Camping