A** Kickin' Adventure #4 - Destination: Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
August 27 - 29, 2004
by Stephanie A. (Kick A** guest writer); Kick A** photos by KC D., Roman B.& Megan B.


Day 1 - Friday PM:
Campsites 89-91B. We set up camp at 10pm on Friday, and sat around our bonfire for 2 hours. At 1am we retired to our makeshift homes. Tired of falling asleep on that old mattress? Do you find yourself constantly tossing and turning? Well come along with the most hardcore of campers, and you'll crawl into and lie in your cramped tent with a rock sticking into your back and a tree root pressing against your leg, waking you up when your leg goes numb; then somehow you drift back asleep to mother nature's white noise of hypnotic and incessant chirping crickets and other unknown insects. And never again shall you complain about your old mattress that you thought was so uncomfortable…

Day 2 - Saturday AM: The warmth of sun and the buzzing of flies landing on and swarming round our tent roused us from our sleep. A chaotic assembly of paper towels, ceramic and plastic cups, tea bags, sugar, metal spoons and pop tarts were spread across the picnic table.

Well-rested, well-fed and our bodies acclimatized, we started upon a 4 mile warm up hike to Overall Run Falls.

AM Hike to Overall Run Falls. Pebbles and stones with sharp edges littered the path. Looping about from left to right, we trekked towards a waterfall. As we came upon an 'almost view', some of us had sworn we heard a roaring sound - running water? We continued down the path, and crossed over a dried riverbed - hmm, perhaps this used to be the waterfall? The path narrowed, wound around, dropped steeper, leading us to an ever-steeper descent full of large rocks, dangerously towards a precipice where our eyes beheld hazy mountains lined with deciduous trees. NP staff have fooled us! The "waterfall" is nothing but a trickle of water sliding lazily down a cliff side.

We inhaled our bottled water and took a small snack.

Luckily, (most) dogs come equipped with a built-in safety device to prevent them from tumbling off precipices. Looking closely at the photo on the left, you can see Lee demonstrating this feature on her dog, Annie.

Then slowly we began our ascent back home. Sweat dripping down our foreheads and backs, exhaling heavily, we lunged forward, carefully balancing each step so as to not tumble along the rocky path. Fellow hikers: This hike has been re-rated to a 4.

"No really, this hike wasn't that hard!" say Lee and Annie.

PM Hike to Hawksbill Peak. Awaiting us at camp are a few late arrivals. After a well-deserved lunch (peanut butter and jelly, sardines in tuna fish, Doritos, m & m's and cheese), we decide upon the PM hike - nearly 3 miles - to a peak of 4050 ft. Hopping into cars to drive to the location, we were greeted by a sign at the entrance to the trail telling us to "enjoy watching bears". Hopefully, they won't enjoy eating us!

The ascent was arduous. Our ears popped as we negotiate the steep slope upward. Along the way a deer stared at us from the woods. Or rather, we stared back at it from the trail. Poor creature must've been mortified.

We heard the sounds of our hearts pounding in our heads and paused momentarily to catch our breath. Finally, we arrive at the summit - yee-ha! We lined up for a group photo atop yet another perilous rocky precipice, 4050 ft above sea level!

A narrow footpath awaited us - winding round the mountain side, and suddenly, our trail merged with the Appalachian mountain trail!

Saturday PM: Master chefs Lee and Megan ignited their portable camping stoves, and gracefully prepared beef fajitas with onions, peppers and cheese and superb couscous. Roman brought along the hotdogs - and Megan the marshmallows, chocolates and graham crackers for smores - an all-American picnic. Some of us sipped our beer and became hypnotized by the sound of crickets; others engaged in a guessing game. Another night of just sittin' round the campfire underneath the stars. We city folk enjoyed listening to the sound of the wind rustling the leaves of trees; looking at the shining light of the full moon…ah, nothing like bein' in the great outdoors, yee-ha!

Day 3 - Sunday AM: After a hearty breakfast of eggs and mashed corned beef and potatoes, we dismantled our tents, packed our bags, and sped off back towards civilization, hot showers, clean toilets, and in search of any food that was not categorized as junk or canned. Yet another adventure greeted us on the ride back. One driver's car wheel imploded. We grabbed our cell phones out of our pockets, frantically searching for reception - T-mobile, Virgin and Sprint - why don't you give us service where we need it most - in the mountains in the middle of nowhere! Panic! Then, we got the idea for two of us to head to the next town and try to get reception. 10 miles later- reception! Help was called for - but was ungiven as the driver did not make the call - he was watching his car - so much for emergency assistance! We made the best of the situation - made a bee-line for the convenience store - got caffeine and freshly made sandwiches. Jumping back into our vehicle, we sped down route 66 and - the guys had replaced the tire themselves. So a happy ending - we made a safe return to civilization - but are already feeling the irresistible lure of the great outdoors - we'll brainstorm soon over the next great a** kicking adventure - yee-ha! So stay tuned yee devoted hiking crew!!