Post by GaliWalker on Mar 4, 2024 11:31:19 GMT -8
Little Schloss (Mar/2/2024)
George Washington National Forest, Virginia
It had rained incessantly overnight and on the drive to the trailhead for Little Schloss, and was still raining, albeit more gently, as I drove up Johnstown Road. 1.6mi short of the trailhead I got balked unexpectedly by a gate across the road. After parking the car, I set off up the road, which seemed to be in perfect condition. Half an hour later I reached the actual trailhead. It was still raining, and mist shrouded the mountains around me.
The trail sported the occasional blowdown, but nothing too bad, and I made good time up to the base of the Little Schloss summit block. This required a 70ft scramble up a steep rocky gully to get atop. It had stopped raining, finally, but the scramble route up the gully was made slipperier than normal due to a combination of the dampness and the green lichen coating the rocks. Still, nothing too bad, and I was quickly done with it. As I paused to gather my breath, I was surprised to hear a rustling noise. I hadn’t expected to see anyone else on my hike due to the rain and accessibility issues. Anyway, I looked up to see what appeared to be a large dog or coyote appear, spot me, and then turn tail and run off back into the woods. One, how did it get up top? Probably not via the gully. It must have accessed the summit from the rear, somehow. Two, I’m leaning towards it having been a coyote, even if it was heavier/bigger than the ones I've seen before; a dog would have approached me and not run off. It all happened quickly, so I didn't get a good enough look at the animal. (I was thankful it wasn’t a stray dog, because I’d expect a wild animal to be more scared of me, and not try and have a go at me.)
There were no views from the top. I hung around up there for a while, keeping my eyes pealed for mysterious dog/coyote/wolf hybrids, but it was soon obvious that the mist wasn’t going anywhere.
I got down from the summit and continued up the trail to the intersection with the Bread Trail. My original plan had been to do a longer hike, but by this time I’d begun to suffer from a lack of motivation due to the extra 3.2mi road-walk and the hitherto total lack of views. So, I turned around and retraced my steps to the Little Schloss overlook, where I spent another futile half-hour hoping that the mist might clear away. Eventually, I decided that enough was enough, and hurried back down to the car.
Stats: 10mi, 1700ft elevation gain
George Washington National Forest, Virginia
It had rained incessantly overnight and on the drive to the trailhead for Little Schloss, and was still raining, albeit more gently, as I drove up Johnstown Road. 1.6mi short of the trailhead I got balked unexpectedly by a gate across the road. After parking the car, I set off up the road, which seemed to be in perfect condition. Half an hour later I reached the actual trailhead. It was still raining, and mist shrouded the mountains around me.
The trail sported the occasional blowdown, but nothing too bad, and I made good time up to the base of the Little Schloss summit block. This required a 70ft scramble up a steep rocky gully to get atop. It had stopped raining, finally, but the scramble route up the gully was made slipperier than normal due to a combination of the dampness and the green lichen coating the rocks. Still, nothing too bad, and I was quickly done with it. As I paused to gather my breath, I was surprised to hear a rustling noise. I hadn’t expected to see anyone else on my hike due to the rain and accessibility issues. Anyway, I looked up to see what appeared to be a large dog or coyote appear, spot me, and then turn tail and run off back into the woods. One, how did it get up top? Probably not via the gully. It must have accessed the summit from the rear, somehow. Two, I’m leaning towards it having been a coyote, even if it was heavier/bigger than the ones I've seen before; a dog would have approached me and not run off. It all happened quickly, so I didn't get a good enough look at the animal. (I was thankful it wasn’t a stray dog, because I’d expect a wild animal to be more scared of me, and not try and have a go at me.)
There were no views from the top. I hung around up there for a while, keeping my eyes pealed for mysterious dog/coyote/wolf hybrids, but it was soon obvious that the mist wasn’t going anywhere.
I got down from the summit and continued up the trail to the intersection with the Bread Trail. My original plan had been to do a longer hike, but by this time I’d begun to suffer from a lack of motivation due to the extra 3.2mi road-walk and the hitherto total lack of views. So, I turned around and retraced my steps to the Little Schloss overlook, where I spent another futile half-hour hoping that the mist might clear away. Eventually, I decided that enough was enough, and hurried back down to the car.
Stats: 10mi, 1700ft elevation gain