Having now had my fill of Hillbilly Barbeque I pulled my jeep upto the entrance to Skyline Drive, a 100 mile stretch of road that runs along the top of the Blue Ridge Mountains from Front Royal to Waynesboro providing breathtaking after breathtaking views and vistas of the surrounding mountains and valleys. . I drove up to the Entrance Booth where I was met by Kristen, the Park Ranger working the booth. Personable and pleasant was she and me being me, I began asking her lots of questions. "May I have a map of the Park? Do you know where the best trails to hike are? Where are the exits from Skyline Drive?" Each question was met with the same answer, succinctly delivered, "Please stop at the Visitor's Center 4 miles in on the right and they can help you and answer your questions there." So proficient was she with that reply that I am sure had I asked her for a date I would have received the same answer from her. Of course at the Visitor's Center they would have told me "NO" :)
So I stopped at the Visitor's Center and as she had indicated they were most helpful. They had map upon map of hiking routes sorted out for distance and difficulty and whether you wanted to see vistas or waterfalls or stream crossings. As I was reviewing them with the Park Ranger Tom, he said "Now here is a good one, though difficult, right near Panorama" which struck a chord with me as my hiking friend Janine had mentioned this trail and what a great trail it was to hike. Her description was that it was a hard and rocky hike up to Mary's Point, two miles up and two miles back, with an incredible "panoramic" view at the top. The Ranger concurred with that noting that it was one of the most difficult two mile stretches in the park due to the rocks and a 1250 foot elevation gain, but heck, I do four miles in my sleep, so what's the big deal. So armed with my map I headed for the trail head.
With a beautiful clear day in the upper 80's and making sure that I had sufficient water with my pole and pack, I set off up the trail....and what a trail it was. To call it steep and rocky is an understatement. Those who have hiked with me know that I generally am a rather fast hiker, given my long legs that allow me to cover ground quick. But there was none of that here as each yard stride that I would normally take was reduced to feet or sometimes even inches. And the hiking poles on the rock were almost useless. About half way up the hill I was rolling around in my head that I really didn't need to see Mary's Point after all, that maybe a motel and dip in the pool to cool me off was in order, when around the bend heading down towards me came a middle aged woman who looked like what Heidi would look like at that age. Her blond braided hair with a pole that more resembled a staff, the only thing missing from this picture was a pair of leiderhosen and herd of sheep. I said to her, "So is the trip up worth it?" and she nodded yes and smiled and something told me that would have been the answer to just about any question that I might ask her. But armed with that affirmation, I pressed on...and on...and on...till I came to the rationalization that she probably grew up in the Alps and this was nothing to her. Again I contemplated turning around, who really needed to see the top anyway, a top is a top, when the quiet hike was interrupted by the downward descent of a Single Mom and her three teen offspring. Again I posed the question, "Is the trip up worth it?" and she replied with a smile and a song in her voice "Oh yes, it is incredible up there. So beautiful." .....and again reaffirmed, I pressed on, rock by rock, inch by inch. Now two thirds of the way up, still a lot ahead of me, once again I contemplated the effort to get to the top and really who needed to see it anyway and well, it was getting late and maybe heading down here was in order when around the next bend (and I wish that I was making this up, but this is true) came a four year old boy walking down.....his parents in tow. We chatted for a moment as I queried them on the boy being up there and they admitted that they had indeed carried him a good bit, but even at that. Only my pride stopped me from asking the dad to carry me up the rest of the way.
Finally, I did make the top.....and it was worth it. Spectacular views of the Shenandoah Valley and an apple were my reward. Sitting on the rocks and taking some time to reflect on the journey, I was so glad that I had not turned around. It truly was worth the effort and a personal metaphor for me to apply to things in my life. The descent was fun and reflective and the time passed quickly, and soon I was back where I started. A bit more tired. A bit sore. But a great day all in all.
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