19/11 – 24/11/2024
Spending time in the shoulder or off-season in the Appalachians is much more appealing to me than hiking there in summer. Summers under the canopy of the Appalachians‘ mostly deciduous trees are pleasant and shaded, but it is also quite humid and stuffy. Having hiked the Benton Mackeye Trail in April and June back in 2019, and having done numerous day hikes along the US-American East Coast in summer, gave me a pretty good impression of the specific challenges hiking in this region, beyond the continuous ups and downs of the rolling mountains. After a quick visit along the popular Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park in February 2020 on the way to visiting friends in Kentucky, I always wanted to do an off-season hike in the ranges of the East Coast. Eventually, the perfect opportunity came up: my partner and I had some time in November 2024 to hike, and we decided to hike the 71-mile loop on the Massanutten Mountain in Virginia.
This trail follows mostly the ridge line of the northern half of the Massanutten Mountains in Virginia, roughly half an hour west of Shenandoah National Park, in the George Washington National Forest, surrounding Fort Valley. The whole area has quite some historical significance: first, parts of Massanutten Mountain were surveyed by George Washington himself. Because of the terrain (enclosed by the mountains), Fort Valley was a possible retreat of troops during the Revolutionary War. Fortunately, it never got used. Later, the area gained significance for mining and creating pig iron. In the 1930s, several camps and outdoor facilities were established thanks to the Civilian Conservation Corps. However, the word „Massanutten „derives from a Cherokee Indian word meaning „bread basket „. Signal Knob, near the north end, was used by the Signal Corps of both armies in the US Civil War. Nowadays, it is a fantastic viewpoint with more than 180-degree views over the land. The trail was dedicated in 2002 and designated a National Recreation Trail in 2003.
As off the beaten path, this trail does not see many hikers, despite the local ones, especially not in the off-season. So, to no surprise, we did not see any other hikers, but a few hunters as we were hiking in hunting season. This caused some uneasy feelings as it is not overly comfortable to be around firearms. One evening, when it was already dark outside and we were all cuddled up in our tent, we heard voices, and suddenly a giant dog was barking right next to our tent. I was really scared as it is not the tiny pet-kind dog hunters own. However, hunting dogs are typically well-trained, and so was this specific one: one command by its owner, and the dog left.
Hiking this trail needed a fair amount of logistical planning: fortunately, several roads cross the ridgeline, and there are several trailheads where we could park the car. Oh yes, it would be easiest to bring your own mode of transportation. Not only to get to the trail, but also to cache water before you set out on the hike. As the trail follows the ridge, there is almost no water along the trail. Therefore, we cached a couple of gallons of water (and some food supplies in our bear-proof canisters, because why not?!) on strategically located trailheads. Along the trail, there is one shelter and several campsites. Because of the very rugged nature of the area, it is pretty challenging to pitch a tent between the designated camp spots. Typically, this would not have been a big issue, so we planned out the days depending on the location of the campsites and depending on our experience, what we could hike in a day in this kind of rugged terrain. But we underestimated the daylight hours: we only had around 9 hours of daylight daily. Consequently, we had to rush a little bit more during the day than we would have liked to make it to the campsite at dawn and not have to cook dinner in the darkness. Mainly because it is hunting season, you don’t want to be out there after nightfall. On the second day, one of the longest on this hike, we rushed towards Kennedy Peak. A storm with heavy rain was forecasted, and we knew that the viewing platform on top of the mountain had a little three-walled day shelter, just big enough to pitch our tent inside. We got spared by the rain, but the temperatures dropped a lot. Still, staying on top was a good idea as we had terrific views toward the sunset and sunrise in the morning. A massive advantage of hiking in the off-season is that there are no leaves on the trees anymore, and you get amazing views. Especially as hiking on a ridge, we had glorious sunsets most days. However, these leaves now covered the trail’s rocks and roots, making it even harder not to roll your ankle as we constantly slurred through piles of foliage.
Anyway, the temperatures dropped even more than forecasted as a cold sweep came in; on the third day, it even started to snow. Fortunately, we brought warm clothes, but as we didn’t anticipate freezing temperatures, we were worried if our water caches would be frozen. Fortunately, we cached the water in gaps and covered the plastic jugs with leaves. More so, to not be seen. But it was enough to prevent them from freezing solid. Only one jug started to build a skinny layer of ice.
We had a pretty good time on the trail, except that John rolled his ankle just a few kilometres from the finish line. I in particular liked the isolation and remoteness of the trail. As I communicate with many people in my professional life, I enjoy the quietness and solitude when hiking. This time, I even deleted all social media and news apps. I just didn’t want to be bothered by any noise from the outside, especially after the election of a new US administration on November 4. This really helped to decompress and immerse myself in nature. Despite the remote feeling, there were almost constant reminders that we were not that far off from civilisation: gun shots from hunters at night, traffic noise from the Interstate in the Shenandoah Valley, and planes in the busy air corridor off the East Coast.
