Daily Archives: August 1, 2016
Hawksbill Mountain in Shenandoah National Park
My goal this past Sunday was to wake up early and get to the summit of Hawksbill Mountain to watch the sunrise. That didn’t exactly happen but I at least made it to Shenandoah National Park just as the sun was coming up over the thick cloud cover. I’m not fully satisfied with my photos but they at least represent what I saw with my eyes. I proceeded to stop at the many overlooks on the way to the parking area since I was no longer in a hurry to reach the summit.
I had done some research prior to doing this hike. The best research was to take the Appalachian Trail around the other side of the mountain until you reach the Salamander Trail. This is a more gentle approach to hiking to the summit. As I think back on it, though, I should have taken the Lower Hawksbill Trail to prepare for my upcoming Spartan Race. The trail is very steep and strenuous. It was difficult to come down the trail and a little hard on my knees. The Appalachian Trail was really pretty. You’re immediately surrounded by green ferns and beautiful trees. Mushrooms pop their heads out here and there. Although it was humid, the temperature was low 70s on the trail. It made for a pleasant hike at 7:20 am. I only passed two people on this portion of the trail. One was a through-hiker and the other was someone hiking just a portion with the through-hiker. I was glad to see them because I knew that for at least the rest of this portion of my hike the cobwebs would be cleared out. I have an unreasonable fear of spiders and walking through webs while hiking always freaks me out. I’m getting more tolerant of them but a shriek may escape my lips when I get one on my face. There is a portion of the trail that is simply large rocks. They caution you to stay on the trail for 300 yards. I imagine some have attempted to scramble up the side of the mountain with these rocks (see below) and caused them to slide down. About halfway through the rocky portion there was a clearing and you could look out and see the cloud-covered valley and mountains. Past the rocky area it isn’t long before you reach the Salamander Trail which will take you the .7 miles left to reach the summit.
The rocky portion of the trail
The Salamander Trail was positioned just perfectly with the morning sun. As I hiked rays of the sun streamed through the trees. It was just beautiful. I was completely alone in this area. All you could hear were birds and the incredibly loud buzzing of flies. The buzzing of the flies is a constant on this hike. They didn’t really land on me nor were they biting flies but they are loud. I sprayed a bit more bug spray around me but that didn’t really deter them.
As you get close to the summit you’ll see an opening between two large boulders. This is an excellent lookout area. If you find that the summit is busy, this is a good alternative. There is a place to stand and take photos without worrying too much about going over the side of the mountain. After leaving here you’ll curve around and see the Byrds Nest 2 Shelter. And from there, you’re just a moment away from the true summit. There are plenty of rocks here to rest on, eat lunch, take photos and just marvel in the view around you. For me, the clouds were thick. They looked amazing. In one area, you could see the clouds moving in towards the mountains. At this moment I wished I had a wide angle lens for my camera. My photos just didn’t seem to capture the beauty below me.
It was still very early in the morning so it was me and two other women at the summit. There is a brick structure representing the summit. From that point, you have almost a 360 degree view of the Shenandoah’s. I was kicking myself for not being up there for the sunrise. Or the sunset. Either would be amazing. I think my goal will be to go for the sunset. I imagine it gets busy up there but the rocks allow for people to spread out and not crowd in one area.
The hike is fairly easy. It can be made more difficult by taking the Lower Hawksbill Trail up to the summit. The trail is only one mile so the huffing and puffing won’t last too long. As I came down the trail I passed quite a few people. It certainly pays to get there early if you want peace and quiet (especially as one group I passed was yelling constantly). If you take your time, there is a lot to see. I did see a bear on my way to the parking area and I was able to capture butterflies and bird. Wildflowers are everywhere. The Shenandoah’s are truly a beautiful place.
If you’d like to see all of my photos (which I’m sure you do), please click on the album below.
Hiking Adventures 