We could see the Priest, Three Ridges and the slopes of Wintergreen Resort. We took some time to take off our heavy packs and enjoy the view. We had this lofty ridge all to ourselves. These views are about 2.5 miles from the better known outcropping of Humpback Rocks, and we thought they were even nicer! The crowds, graffiti and car noise always take away from the experience at Humpback Rocks. However, we were pleasantly surprised to find spectacular views along the rocky, spiny ridge of Humpback Mountain. We also knew from past hikes on Dobie Mountain that we’d be passing one decent overlook at Glass Hollow. We figured we might take the side trail to Humpback Rocks and eat lunch there. We didn’t really have any expectations for great views on this hike. Soon after that, the views started to open up. We saw several nice campsites along the trail. The hike continued gradually uphill along the side of Humpback Mountain. Below: Hiking up Humpback Mountain Adam checks out the view of Wintergreen Pretty views. Christine enjoys the outcropping overlooking Wintergreen. The sign included an outline drawing of a moose, and we both found it comical to think about the implausibility of Virginia water being contaminated by a moose. We noticed the sign marking the spring indicated that water might be contaminated and should be filtered or boiled. The bottles were situated next to one of the trail’s spring-fed water sources. Typically by September, streams and springs in the Shenandoah Valley are dry or running very low, so the free, clean water would be quite welcome. The camera and whiteboard were provided so that hikers could take photos with their trail names.Ī couple tenths of a mile down the trail, we passed even more trail magic in the form of 2 liter-sized bottles of tap water from Wintergreen Resort. We found a log book, a camera, a small whiteboard, a bottle of ibuprofen and a nice supply of granola bars. Almost immediately, we spotted a small cooler alongside the trail – trail magic! We didn’t need (or take) any trail magic on our hike, but we were curious so we opened the cooler to see what was inside. The hike starts out climbing gently uphill through the woods. The AT crosses the parkway at this point, so it’s an easy place to hop on without using any access trails or spurs. Supposedly, it was a water source well-used by Monocan Indians en route to summer hunting grounds. The name Dripping Rock refers to the small spring adjacent to the parking area. From there, we drove our second vehicle to the Dripping Rock parking area at mile 9.6 on the BRP. For this hike, we left one car parked in the small lot near where the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) crosses I-64 and Rt250. We started our morning with a big breakfast at Thunderbird Café and then made the 40 minute drive to the trailhead. Following an all-day soaking rain and a cold front on Saturday, we had ideal weather for hiking and camping on Sunday into Monday – low humidity, clear skies, daytime highs in the 70s and a nighttime low near 45. Below: We found trail magic right away on our hike Adam climbing the southern side of Humpback Mountain Rock walls along the trail.įor Christine’s birthday this year, we decided to do a quick overnight backpacking trip along the Appalachian Trail. View the Full Album of Photos From This Hike Adam traverses Humpback Mountain. Wolfe Memorial Shelter, which is located on the bank of lovely, rushing Mill Creek. The campsite for the evening is the Paul C. This 14.5 mile section of the Appalachian Trail includes great views of Wintergreen Resort from Humpback Mountain.
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