Last Sunday, we did our March hike to Signal Knob. We've all seen that mountain while driving west on I66. It's the northernmost part of Massanutten Mountain, with the antennae on top, just before you get to I81. So it was great to actually go climb it.
As we left McLean, there were drizzles and clouds. But once again, the weather shined on us upon arrival at the trailhead--temps in 50s with a mix of blue skies and high clouds.
We had 8 Scouts with us for the hike: Ethan A., Brayden T., Daniel H., Azad L., Brandon C., Jordan C., Andre G., and Helen F. Special Kudos to Azad, who completed his first 10-miler with us.
Starting in the east, the hike followed a counter-clockwise loop climbing and descending the ridge first heading west then heading back east. The view (looking north) from the top of the first climb was quite impressive--probably 270 degrees of sweep with the hills of Maryland in the distance. This was the spot in the Civil War where the two sides took turns posting Signal Corps.
The return trip over the ridge followed the same route as part of the Mudhole Gap hike. I quite enjoyed seeing how the two hikes fit together. (And I'm thinking we should do the big loop -- northern part of Signal Knob and southern part of Mudhole Gap as a ~15 miler in future years).
Commodore Salt had to miss our hike last week. But had he attended, he surely would have waxed poetic about the synclinal ridge that forms Massanutten Mountain. The surface rock in the valleys is much older than all of the ridges (even the rock beneath the ridges). What is now a ridge was a valley not that long ago (measured geologically). Crazy.
About the number of hikers last weekend....of course there are benefits to having a smaller sized group sometimes. But of the 43 Scouts and parents who plan to go to Philmont in 2020, only 7 attended the Signal Knob hike. The Sunday hikes are not the only way to prepare for Philmont. But I'm certainly hoping for higher turnout from the Philmonters starting with Old Rag. (BTW, Old Rag is a lot easier to climb than the Tooth of Time or Mt. Baldy).
Speaking of Old Rag--we're doing it Next Weekend (Sunday April 14th)!! It is an absolute classic. It requires more upper body strength than most of our walks. And you'll want sturdy gloves when using hands for balance in the more technical sections. But if you've finished strong on other 10-milers with us, you should be fine for this one. The Old Rag SUG will be out shortly.
Check out the hike pictures over here.