WhiteGrass

This post takes a slightly different turn as one of the Adventure Girls went cross country skiing at White Grass last weekend.  Cross country skiing, also known as Nordic skiing or Uphill skiing, is like hiking, right?

Anyway, it was a bitterly cold and windy day when we started the 2.5 hour drive back to Canaan WVa and we were all hoping that we had on enough clothes.  The forecast was not to be warm and it was a 100% chance of snow for that area.

When we arrived, it was mostly cloudy with the sun peeking out occasionally but the wind wasn't too bad.  Here are a couple of pictures of the area and the crowd in the morning.

We got our equipment, which by the way is a great deal, and headed out to hit the trails.  The area use pass and all your equipment can be had for $42.  Lessons can be purchased for an additional small sum.  The Lodge is smallish but always a very warm, if not bohemian, atmosphere and folks are happy to help you.  The Lodge also boasts a very good café which thrown in with the flowing beer and occasional music lends to a party atmosphere.

As the day went on, we wondered where the snow was that was forecasted.  We didn't have to wait long and when it started, it never let up.  The fresh powder was falling fast and furious and made for epic skiing conditions.  Between the fresh powder and beautiful evergreens, I almost felt like I was back in Montana.

 

 

We continued along the beautiful trails and availed ourselves of the warming huts as we came upon them to take a break and eat a snack.  We couldn't stay too long in the huts, though, because the brutal cold would soon sink in and you would quickly get back out there moving to get your blood flowing again.  Here is a picture of the snow barrage from inside one of the warming huts:

 

 

 

We enjoyed the snow, the beautiful scenery, the nice folks you meet and managed to ski almost 10 miles that day.  It was so enjoyable that we are hoping to go back in March and do it all again.  Here is the same picture we took in the morning and what it looked like when we were getting ready to leave:

 

 

 

According to their website, they had over 500 skiers that day but the trails are so plentiful and long that you only felt like there were that many people there when you visited the Lodge or the Yurt.

 

We headed home, weary and thankful for 4WD, but completely content with the day.  If you get a chance to go to WhiteGrass, I highly recommend it.  Lots of fun for all ages and affordable, too.

 

 







Dark Hollow Falls and Bearfence Mountain

On a crisp morning in January, we headed up to Shenandoah National Park to complete two more trails off of the list of the top 20.  Since we were a little pressed for time on this day, we thought it would be advantageous to combine two very short hikes that are near each other.  So, we started with Dark Hollow Falls and finished with Bearfence Mountain.

Dark Hollow Falls begins just below Big Meadows and we saw large herds of deer in the meadows this morning as we were driving by.  When we arrived at the parking lot for Dark Hollow Falls, we saw a rare sight:  an empty parking lot.  Dark Hollow Falls is one of the most popular hikes on the Skyline Drive because it is fairly short with a big pay-off and attracts lots of visitors.

Today, we got to see not only beautiful waterfalls with strong flow, but also beautiful ice falls.

 

 

The trail follows the stream all the way down to the spectacular falls with lovely pools along the way that would be very inviting during the warmer months.  Arriving at the top of the falls, one can carefully climb on the rocks and gain a vantage point of looking down the falls.  Taking the trail down the steep incline, you arrive at the base of the major falls which in the summer is almost always full of people.  We enjoyed the solitude of having the falls to ourselves today.

 

 

 

As you continue down the path, the trail ends at the Fire Road that is part of Rose River Loop (see our last post for a review of Rose River Falls here .

 

 

And here is a short video of the beautiful waterfall:

 



 

Jeanine says:  Dark Hollow Falls never fails to please because even when the streams are running lower, the falls are impressive.  The trail is well-maintained and is very family-friendly.

 

Kathy says: 

This trail is usually full of people. The real treat is in the winter as the water flowing over the side of the rocks is frozen over and very few people venture out. The trail provides two vantage points: one at the brink of the falls and one at the bottom of the falls. The falls are quite breathtaking and it's worth walking the extra yards to see the falls from the lower vantage point. The hike to the falls is an easy downhill stroll, but the hike back to the parking lot is a strenuous climb.

 

After the steep climb back out of Dark Hollow, we made the short drive south to Bearfence Mountain.  Bearfence is another very short hike, but has the unique feature of being a somewhat challenging rock scramble with nice views.

 

The initial climb up Bearfence is somewhat steep and just before you get to the rocks, there is a nice view of Massanutten Resort.

 

 

 

At this point, the fun begins as you have to scramble across the rocks.  This part of the hike reminds you a little of a mini- Old Rag except that the rocks are not worn and smooth but very sharp and jagged.  This does make it a little easier to obtain foot-holds and hand-holds as compared to Old Rag which has been worn down over time and by the thousands of people climbing the rocks.

 

 

 

After scrambling along the rocks, you finally make it to the summit which has some pretty nice views.

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

Bearfence Mountain was ranked number 14 on the list of top 20 and Dark Hollow Falls was ranked number 15.  We had a great day doing both but on this day, I think we would have ranked Dark Hollow Falls higher than Bearfence.  Of course, it is not often that you have Dark Hollow Falls with great flow all to yourself, either.

 

 

 

Information about Dark Hollow Falls can be found here.  Information about Bearfence Mountain can be found here.



Rose River Falls

Our first hike of the was the Rose River Falls Loop located in the central portion of Shenandoah National Park. 

As we wrote before, we have set two hiking goals for this year and figured we might as well get started right away.  So, on New Years Day, we were blessed with beautiful weather and set out on this 4.4 mile hike.  The hike begins just north of the Dark Hollow Falls parking area where it picks up one of the many Big Meadows Horse trails for a bit and then turns off towards the Rose river.  The majority of this hike then follows the many cascades and waterfalls of this beautiful river.

A little further down-stream and you come upon the centerpiece of this hike, the roaring falls.

The river continues gurgling along the path as you advance toward Dark Hollow Falls passing the remnants of an old copper mine.  There's not much left of the old mine except the base of one of the flumes used to transport the copper from the mine to the river.

Just before you reach the fire road at Dark Hollow, you cross the river over a scenic footbridge.

The rest of this hike passes over the horse bridge at Dark Hollow Falls and follows the fire road back to the parking area.  This trail was rated number 4 on the list of most popular trails and we can easily see why.  The hike is not strenuous and is very scenic the majority of the time.  We highly recommend this hike, especially after a rainy period when the water is flowing strongly.

 

Waterfalls in the winter offer unique perspectives that you don't see any other time of the year.  Cold weather allows some of the mist to freeze and accumulate on nearby objects creating beautiful icicles which capture the light.  There is also a remarkable sense of renewal when you see the beautiful, still green ferns and moss against the winter landscape.



Our Story

Valley Adventure Girls is a group of women who enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking, kayaking, cross-country skiing, and rafting.  As women with these common interests, we often find ourselves in some of the most beautiful areas of nature.  At times, we simply enjoy the fresh air and peace of sitting next to a waterfall, or pushing ourselves to make it to the summit, and other times we enjoy the pulse-racing excitement that only a true adventure can bring.  This blog will allow us to share those experiences and hopefully encourage you to get out, share the sisterhood, and enjoy the great outdoors.

This year, we have set two goals.  The first goal is the hike 300 miles in 2014.  The second goal is to hike the top 20 hikes in or around Virginia according to this blog.

We started off the first day of this new year by reaching the first 5.13 miles of our 300 mile goal and marking one of the hikes off of the top 20 list.  That hike, Rose River Falls loop, will be reviewed in a separate post.

We thought that we would start reviewing the hikes,  to encourage others to go out and enjoy them.  We also thought it would be fun to rate them against the Virginia Trail Guide at the end of the year.  Some of the members have already done some of the hikes, but not everyone had so we thought it would be fun to do them again.  We hope you enjoy these reviews and would love comments, questions, and feedback.