Yesterday was our "big hike" day, leaving today for shorter adventures. But first we had to take care of some important details, namely the Junior Ranger program. Frankie had finished most of the required activities to earn his Junior Ranger badge yesterday, but wouldn't be able to officially swear in until he attended a ranger-led program. There were a few to choose from, but one obvious choice for our boy -- the birds of prey program at Big Meadows. Frankie's favorite animal is the peregrine falcon, so this was a no brainer. Sometimes Erwin and I feel a bit disgruntled at having to schedule a whole day around infrequent programs. But this program was actually pretty great. We all enjoyed it.
After the ranger signed off in his booklet, we drove to the
visitor's center so Frankie could officially swear in as a Shenandoah Junior
Ranger. Then we were finally free to hike!
We drove back to the Skyland area, and parked at the trailhead for Stony Man. Erwin and I had hiked Stony Man from this same trailhead as a quick out-and-back while driving through the park the spring I was pregnant with Frankie. It was before leaf out and we didn't have time to linger; it was our only stop except for a few scenic overlooks. Today would be a very different experience -- we would have the time to hike further, and there would be plants. Hurray!
We hiked the reverse of the route described by the National Park Service as "Passamaquoddy Loop Hike" with the addition of the spur trail up to Stony Man. This consisted of repeating our ascent of Stony Man, then continuing on the Appalachian Trail to Little Stony Man. From Little Stony Man, we continued north on the Appalachian Trail, descending to the junction with the Passamaquoddy Trail, which we took back southward below the cliffs until we reached the Furnace Springs Trail, which leads back to the parking lot. This loops starts out on a wide and gravel-surfaced, with easy grades. Even with me stopping to gawk at the wildflowers, we were still at the top in pretty short order, soaking up the glorious views (and admiring more flowers).
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| fly poison (Amianthium muscitoxicum) |
I get so excited to explore mountain summits! The boys sat down to have a snack, so I took the liberty to crawl around on the rocks and look at the flowers. I have the hardest time sitting down in this kind of setting; I get overstimulated and buzz about.
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| Allegany stonecrop (Hylotelephium telephioides) |
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| cliff saxifrage (Micranthes petiolaris) |
Finally we decided to move on to Little Stony Man -- all new territory! From this point forward, the trails were narrower and less trafficked. No more wide stone dust. The trail passes right over the top of the cliffs that comprise Little Stony Man. There were fixed ropes and climbers at the base. Erwin and Frankie had another snack and I poked around the summit again, finding more flowers to admire.
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| long-leaved bluets (Houstonia longifolia) |
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| Appalachian bellflower (Campanula divaricata) |
Then we moved on, passing quickly through the shady downhill sections of the Appalachian Trail before turning onto the Passamaquoddy Trail. At the base of the cliff, we met the climbing guide. He hiked and chatted with us briefly before splitting off on an unmarked guide route. The Passamaquoddy Trail is very quiet and peaceful; we met only one other party in our traverse back below the summits.
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| white bergamot (Monarda clinopodia) |
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| white monkshood (Aconitum reclinatum) |
Right before the junction of the Furnace Springs Trail, we encountered the "hobbit house" shown below. This is actually the pump house for the spring that provides drinking water to the Skyland, but it's more fun to call it a hobbit house.
The Furnace Springs Trail is mostly uphill all the way to the parking lot, but it is fairly short, only half a mile or so. Soon enough twinkling windshields glinted through the trees and we were back at the car, discussing our options for the rest of the day. Would we have time to squeeze in another adventure before dinner? You can guess my vote... yes, yes, always YES!
MapMyRide tracked this delightful loop as 4 miles with 640 feet elevation gain. Stony Man is the second highest peak in Shenandoah National Park, one of only two above 4,000 feet in elevation. It was a real treat to see it again in a different season, to share it with Frankie, and to explore Little Stony Man and the rest of the circuit.
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