Post by GaliWalker on Dec 6, 2015 13:53:05 GMT -8
Big Schloss
A year ago I'd made a trip up Big Schloss Peak, a lovely viewpoint on Mill Mountain, in the Virginias' George Washington National Forest. It had been an overcast day, but it left me sufficiently impressed to slot a sunrise trip into my to-do list.
Yesterday, to catch said sunrise I left Pittsburgh at 2:20am, reaching Wolf Gap 4hrs later. 10min later I was on my way up the Mill Mountain Trail, ensconced in the bubble of light cast by my headlamp. 50min and 2.2 uneventful miles later, I was standing atop the rocky outcrop of Big Schloss, just as dawn was breaking.
Hiking/Photography stats: 4.4mi, 1035ft elevation gain, 3hrs
Little Stony Creek - Little Schloss loop
After my Big Schloss hike I drove east for a short 20min, to the trailhead on FDR92 for the Little Sluice Mountain Trail. Little Schloss, my next objective, was a mere 1.9mi hike from this point. A straight shot up would have made me miss out on nicer late afternoon light, as well as made for too short an outing (even after my first hike). Instead, I was going to do a loop hike, going up via the parallel Little Stony Creek Trail and finishing up with Little Schloss, on my way down the Sluice Mountain Trail.
To put this plan in action, I walked 2.5mi further along FDR92. Road walking isn't an ideal part of a hike for me, but this one was better than most, since views of Mill Mountain and Big Schloss, which I'd been hiking along just a little more than an hour back, were quite nice. 40min later I was at the trailhead for the Little Stony Creek Trail. The first 1.3mi up was beside the creek, which was quite pretty, but under the bright sunshine non-ideal for investing the time to do some photography. I put my head down and kept hiking, content to enjoy the music of tumbling water.
The next 2.5mi led me away from the creek and a little more steeply up the mountainside. At the top, just beyond the Sugar Knob Cabin, I intersected the wide Tuscarora Trail. As I took a right on this one, to lumber over Sugar Knob, I was dismayed to see some recent jeep tracks. Sure enough, a mile later, at the intersection with the Little Sluice Trail, I encountered two trucks packed with hunters and baying dogs; not what I'd call the ideal wilderness experience.
I took a right on the Little Sluice Trail, which would eventually lead me to Lttle Schloss and then to my car. The 4mi or so to Little Schloss went by quite quickly. There wasn't much to see of interest, except for a meadow 0.6mi before the viewpoint, so I pretty much kept on moving.
A side trail took me up to Little Schloss. The final summit block required a short, though steep scramble. The views were really nice, but not as nice as from Big Schloss. My timing was also a bit off - I only got a whiff of the nice light I'd hoped to take photos in. I decided not to wait for the light to develop, snapped off a few shots, and headed down to the car.
Hiking/Photography stats: 13.2mi, 2220ft elevation gain, 5.3hrs
Cumulative stats: 17.6mi, 3255ft gain, 8.3hrs hiking time, 17.5hrs total trip time