Hike lives up to its hype

BY BILL FREEHLING

I've always considered hiking a perfectly pleasant but relatively boring activity.

Sure, it's great to be outside, and the views that come with most hikes worth doing are spectacular. It's usually a pretty good workout.

But most hikes offer about the same excitement level as canoeing across a placid open lake with no real destination in mind: It's pleasant, but it doesn't exactly get the heart rate going. That's what I figured my wife and I had in store when we decided to make a day trip out of hiking Old Rag Mountain in Shenandoah National Park.

People have always told us what a great hike Old Rag is, and how strenuous it is. Blah, blah, blah, I figured. I've gone on supposedly "strenuous" hikes, and most don't live up to the hype. Even if they're long and somewhat tiring, they don't meet my definition of strenuous.

Old Rag is different. Believe the hype. This is no easy paddle along a calm lake on a warm sunny day. This is white-water rafting through some decent rapids.

A great day trip

We left for Old Rag from our Spotsylvania County home about 9 a.m. on a recent Sunday. It took about 70 minutes to get to the parking area. The tiny lot near the trail head was full and probably had been for hours.

We paid the ranger the $15 to enter Shenandoah National Park at the parking area. She gave us a map of the trail and asked whether we had plenty of food and water. Sure we do, I responded, figuring we wouldn't really need it.

Emily and I set out down the roughly 0.7-mile paved road to the start of the 2.6-mile Ridge Trail. We arrived and started up Old Rag.

We motored up the trail for the first mile and a half. It was just like most hikes in the Shenandoah--pretty scene, switchbacks upward, a little huffing and puffing, but nothing overly taxing. Then we got to the rock scramble area, and I realized this wasn't like most hikes.

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GETTING THERE

It takes about an hour and a half to get to the Old Rag parking area from Fredericksburg. Take State Route 3 west to Culpeper, then get on U.S. 522 North for about nine miles. Turn left on State Route 707, which is a small rural road that is gravel in parts. Cross over State Route 231 and stay on Route 707. Cross a river and turn right onto State Route 600. The Old Rag parking area is on the left a couple of miles up the road. There's a small parking area at the trail head, but unless you plan to get there at the crack of dawn, good luck finding a place. You're not allowed to park on the road either, so it's best just to park in the designated area and make the less than one-mile walk to the trail head. WHAT IT COSTS

Old Rag is in the Shenandoah National Park, and you must pay to do the hike. Families pay $15 to enter the park. Passes get you back into the park for a week.

THE HIKE ITSELF

The hike takes about four to six hours. You go up Ridge Trail, and down Saddle Trail and the Weakley Hollow Fire Road. The Ridge Trail part is about 2.5 miles, and the descent is about 4.5 miles. Add another 1.5 miles walking to and from your car, making it an 8.5-mile hike that's not for the faint of heart.

WHAT TO BRING AND NOT BRING

Pets are prohibited on the Ridge Trail, and don't consider breaking this rule. There are NPS people on duty there, and your pet is likely to have a hard time with this hike anyway. Do bring plenty of food and water. You'll need it.

Date published: 4/19/2009

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