Old Rag

There's a hike in Virginia...many hikers call it the best in the Commonwealth.  And, though I'm no professional hiker, I enthusiastically agree.

Old Rag Mountain is in Madison County, Virginia...one of the more beautiful counties I've visited (both from a historical and geographical perspective).  For our Webelos day hike to complete the boys' Arrow of Light requirement, we decided to tackle Old Rag.  It's about an 8-mile hike round trip...and just enough of a challenge to make it adventurous for 10-year old boys.

We were at the trail head by 6:30AM.  Next time, I want to be at the summit for sunrise.  Even though the sun rose as we scaled the mountain, it was early enough to still get this view mid-way:

There is something about the rising mist in the Blue Ridge mountains that really stirs my soul.

Old Rag is definitely not family-friendly.  I would hesitate to take anyone younger than 10 years old.  In addition to needing some amount of strength to pull yourself up and through various parts of the rock scramble, long legs and arms are certainly a plus, too.  I've hiked a lot of trails in my life, and I don't recall a trail where I was more dependent on the markers than I was with this one.  Once you reach the rock scramble, there are blue arrows painted on the granite to indicate where the trail is and, at times, which direction to go.  Here's one spot where Alex (one of the Webelos) got ahead and was unsure of the next direction:

So it was critical we kept an eye for the blue paint:

Yes, we fit through that crack in the picture above.  It's a little bigger than it looks.  And as you can see in the picture below, trees grow anywhere...even if there's nothing but rock (so it appears).  It's really quite amazing.

If you lose sight of the blue paint, sometimes the best thing to do is to look both ways...

So look through these photos and see if you can find the blue paint to keep us on the trail!

 

I love this next picture.  Garrett is just lifting Mark by his backpack to provide him a little more assistance.  Are we still on the trail? 

Do you see the blue paint in this next picture?  What direction do you think we went from here???

And if we had had no blue paint along the trail, we still would have had our guide - Garrett Dudley.  I love this man.

He was always one step ahead and always in a position to lend support or provide assistance.

Garrett knew when to stop and just chat.  And when to press forward.  He shared experiences he has had rock climbing and hiking in general.

This picture summarizes it well.  Garrett is a good man...as good as they come.  And the boys are fortunate to have him.

Garrett is the one who suggested we have a prayer before the hike.  And, while I'm still unsure of what actually happened, I know Mark was protected as a result of that prayer.  The venom of a copperhead is relatively mild for adults.  But I'm glad we didn't have to learn how serious it could have been for a 10 year old.  This copperhead was actually on the trail at one of the switchbacks.  Mark was in the lead and the first to reach that particular switchback.  He's convinced it fell out of the tree.  The adults think the sound he heard was actually the copperhead striking at Mark.  Either way, there were numerous factors that made this a little miracle for us.

The rock scramble was certainly the most fun.  A solid mile of nothing but granite.  We went up and down...we had to suck it in and maneuver through tiny cracks...we had to find the right hand hold...and even jump on occasion.  It was everything a 10 year old boys loves to do (and the adults enjoyed it, too)!

This was the very beginning of the rock scramble.  We had no idea what was up ahead!  Good thing we took this quick break to enjoy some scenery.

We quickly learned that we needed both hands free for this part of the hike.  The dad's couldn't carry their sons backpack during this time.  And you couldn't hold your water.

At times, the boys would stand back and watch Garrett work his magic.  Then they tried their best to follow his footsteps.  You definitely don't want to misstep on these rocks.

The views were incredible - even near the beginning of the hike.  This picture was taken during our first of many breaks.  We found a nice flat piece of granite in the middle of the forest just a short walk off the path.  The morning sun was just beginning to rise.

 

As we got a little higher, the views became more breathtaking.  

And the rock formations are amazing on Old Rag.  I would love to see how they have been formed over time.

During our lunch break, Scott Sims found a nice spot to sit alone and enjoy the scenery.  Even in the late morning sun in the middle of August, the temperature and breeze were comfortable and refreshing.  It was a perfect day.

The boys - Steven, Alex, and Mark.  Steven is no longer officially a Webelos, but he's good friends with Mark and Alex and we thought he and his dad would enjoy the hike.  We certainly enjoyed the extra company.

See how strong these Webelos are?!?  They kept the rocks high enough for us to pass through. :)

Mark found some shade at the summit.  The boys enjoyed some exploration when we got up there.

Me and Mark at the summit...4 miles from the parking lot.

Here's a nice shot of Mark, Alex, and Steven.  They are good kids.

And here's the group - Steve and Steven, Scott and Alex, Garrett, and me and Mark.  It was a great hike and we couldn't have asked for a more perfect day.  And it was a great way for the boys to complete their Arrow of Light.