So about 2.5 years after buying Skurka's book (and the Complete Walker for that matter), and about that much time after getting my trekking poles and tarp, I finally made it out for my first lightweight adventure. Something about having my first kid and grad school that has made this way more difficult than I planned. I've done other trips in the meantime, but they've always been with other folks, and have involved standard tents and pack weights.
No need to detail all the gear I used, but the big ticket items were a Borah Gear 9 x 5.5 tarp, a Borah Gear Bivy, an REI Flash 45, a fleece blanket from home (instead of my trusty Mountain Hardwear sleeping bag), and Outdoor Products "WalMart" trekking poles. I also finally made the move from low-cut hikers to trail runners, a pair of Brooks Cascadia 8's that I nabbed at REI on clearance a few weeks ago. My complete gear list is here: http://lighterpack.com/r/cj2wpq
I'd been to the Big Run area of Shenandoah before, and I really wanted to combine practicing the lightweight principles with exploring this location again. I initially planned a shorter route, but I thought through my fitness and ultimately settled on a 25-mile loop that would start me out on the waterfalls and streams of Doyles River/Jones Run, take me up the western border of SNP on Rockytop and then through the Big Run watershed. I got out to the park late on Friday from work so I planned my first night to be at Loft Mountain Campground.
The forecast called for storms off and on almost the entire time. I fully expected to get rained on Friday night, but I slept through some wind and woke up to a beautiful blue sky day. I drove to Doyles River Trail Parking and set out, stopping to heat up breakfast and coffee on the porch of the PATC's Doyles River Cabin. Hiking the shaded trail down Doyles River and then up Jones Run was fantastic, and I'm really glad that I added it onto my trip. I listened to some music for a bit, spent some time thinking and just enjoyed cranking out the miles while enjoying the scenery. I love my family and friends, and I always enjoy camping/hiking with them, but this is why I've wanted to do a solo trip for so long. It was just me and the woods.
After completing that short loop, I turned onto the AT and followed it to Browns Gap Parking, crossing Skyline Drive. Here I picked up Big Run Loop Trail and then headed onto Rockytop Trail.
I've been on Rockytop before, and as others have noted it's a little exposed by Shenandoah standards because of a fire several years ago. I climbed the ridge through woods for a while but eventually emerged into open air, with the Shenandoah Valley on my left and Massanutten Mountain in the distance, and a ridge on my right. This is when I started hearing thunder overhead, and I picked up the pace. I realize I wasn't in THAT bad of a position, but as I was hiking alone, I didn't want to chance anything. I cranked out the miles to Big Run Portal trail as fast as I could and started descending into the woods again. I got hit with some rain, but not nearly as much as the forecast had predicted.
The intersection where Rockytop Trail meets Big Run Portal Trail and Brown Mountain Trail is one of the prettiest in Shenandoah. You descend off Rockytop and pick up a fire road briefly before crossing a GIGANTIC metal bridge that definitely doesn't belong in "backcountry". Despite the overkill of a bridge, the stream itself is gorgeous, and it's here that one can find the nicest, emptiest campsites in the whole park. I had planned to camp here, and had already completed about 12 miles for the day, but after reloading on food I felt great, and I realized it was only about 5pm. My original itinerary had me going up Brown Mountain and Rocky Mountain, then down Rocky Mountain Run Trail back along Big Run. So I decided to eat some of those miles today and camp on top of Brown Mountain. Surely, there'd be some sort of a campsite up there, right?
Wrong. This was the only time of the trip that I really had to work, and by the time I cleared Brown Mountain I was dripping sweat and ready for a break. Don't get me wrong, one of the reasons I love hiking is the physical challenge of it, and Brown Mountain challenged me at that pace. It was actually kind of a cool feeling to hit the top and realize that I had more in me. I never thought I'd be the kind of guy that could hit 20 miles in a day, but that goal now seems in comfortable reach if I keep dropping my pack weight and working on my fitness.
Anyway, I finally found a small flat space on top of Brown Mountain. A little moss clearing near the trail worked for the tarp, and a small set of boulders worked for me to lean against while I cooked dinner. I realized I had cell reception so I started texting my wife. She explained that our son was not feeling well and asked if I could possibly come home a bit sooner the next day. I checked out the map and saw that I could backtrack, cutting out a loop and hiking stright along Big Run, dropping an hour or so. My plans made, I hung a bearbag (Ironwire rocks!) and snuggled into my new bivy.
Okay, so here's the only issue I had on this trip. I vastly overestimated the bivy's ability to keep mosquitoes off of me. I heard them buzzing for a while above my face, and didn't bother hanging the mesh with a line. I figured they couldn't get to me and it would cool off soon and they'd disappear. Not the case at all, the next morning I woke up to find my forehead and shoulders covered in bites. Lesson learned, DEET only works if you wear it (I only sprayed it on my legs while hiking) mesh doesn't work as well if you drape it directly on your skin. Freaking mosquitoes.
Overall, I wasn't extremely comfy on my Ridgerest pad in the bivy, but it worked, and I loved that as it got cold at night I simply reached down into the bivy and covered myself with the blanket. The modular setups of lightweight hiking definitely appeal to me now, and I look forward to getting better with them. The tarp system that I had practiced in my backyard was great too, and I even used a few trees in my pitching system. To all of you vets it may seem adorable that I was giddy trying such simple things, but after years of camping in ONE specific way, inside a heavy tent, each of these things is a minor revelation to me.
The next morning, I backtracked down Brown Mountain Trail and picked up Big Run Portal Trail. From here on out, I didn't see a single other person until I was almost back to my car. I set a crisp pace, skipped breakfast (I don't get hungry right away usually) and motored along Big Run, stopping occasionally for pictures and to check out the campsites (seriously, so many good spots!). Big Run Portal Trail fords the creek several times, and at one of these spots I climbed onto a boulder and pulled out some cheese and tortillas. As I watched the creek flow by me in between bites, I had a "moment". THIS is why I hike….
At the end of Big Run Portal Trail I picked up Big Run Loop Trail and headed back up to Skyline. Honestly, I felt great. I think I was grinning as I passed a few folks just hitting the trail and popped out onto Skyline smiling. What a difference a 20 lb pack and trekking poles makes. While I was ready to turn around and do a few more miles, duty called, so I threw the gear in my car and headed home, up Skyline and back to DC.
What worked: trekking poles, sleep system (mostly), my new Sawyer Mini Squeeze, trail runners. My new Houdini was excellent as well – most of the time it was the only layer I needed besides my hiking shirt.
What didn't: I definitely need to do a better job with bug protection while I sleep…my face looks…ridiculous right now. Bad enough that I've been pretty self conscious about it at work, haha.
Again, I know a lot of material gets rehashed ad nauseum on this website, but for guys just trying these techniques out, all of your advice and posts make the difference. I could have had a miserable time on this trip, but because I prepped and researched, most of what I tried went off okay. It also got me much more excited about future solo trips. I'm already thinking about tackling the Trout Run Valley Circumnavigation next…
Thanks for reading!
Complete route:
Park at Doyles River Trailhead
Doyles River to Jones Run
Jones Run to AT
AT to Big Run Loop Trail
Big Run Loop Trail to Rockytop Trail
Rockytop Trail to Big Run-Portal Trail
Big Run-Portal Trail to Brown Mountain Trail
Brown Mountain Trail to Big Run-Portal Trail
Big Run-Portal Trail to Big Run Loop Trail
Big Run Loop Trail to Big Run Overlook (cross Skyline to Doyles River Trailhead)
