February 12th and the weather was perfect. Starting temp for our hike was 50 degrees and we finished in the mid 60s.
14 scouts and a gaggle of scouters tackled Buck Hollow and Mary’s Rock. There is a total elevation gain of 2,600 feet, which is a tad strenuous in anyone’s language. But the guys (and girls) did a great job.
The hike starts right by the side of Rt 211 a couple of miles west of Sperryville and heads up (and up some more) to Skyline Drive and then up some more to Mary’s Rock. At times it was really steep but we had some fun stream crossings and an amazing array of climate variations. At one point we all felt a really weird warm breeze. It was really odd and if anything too warm.
When we arrived at the top the beautiful view was non-existent – really low cloud, strong winds and driving rain. But luckily for all the big people Mr. Forrer had his stove and made us all a really welcome pot of coffee.
The hike back down the hill was easier (for the young ones with intact knees) and the sun even came out. We kept walking along a ridge knowing that at some point we had to drop down to the road. But the ridge kept going. Eventually we came to the drop. It was about a ¼ mile descent down man-made steps and as the spritely young gazelles skipped down the hill the old ones hobbled down saying a variety of interesting words to express their joy of the feeling they felt after each step.
We all made it back to cars alive and well and can tick of our list a challenging but rewarding hike. The elevation made this hike breathtaking, the clouds made the view underwhelming, but the trail itself was great and made us all feel like we walking on soft fluffy kittens with every step.
Andre, Ian S. and Noah should be high-fived for completing this hike, it was a real challenge for the little fellas and they did really well.