Hawksbill and Stony Man - April 2, 2011

Iva Gillett and Marit Gay co-led the group of 14 hikers on April 2, 2011 to Hawksbill Mountain and Stony Man.  We met at AHS and caravanned with four cars up to Thornton Gap.  As we were driving on Skyline Drive we were in a cloud of snow flurries.

Hawksbill Summit

The weather did not deter our plans, however, as we first went to Hawksbill Mountain to hike the 2.9 mile trail. The group enjoyed the circuit hike on the Appalachian Trail, Lower Hawksbill Trail and Salamander Trail. We had a variety of weather from sunshine to snow and hail. John Shannon and others took some time out to cut up a large tree blow-down on the path. Then we continued to the summit. The view of the Shenandoah Valley was spectacular from Hawksbill Mountain, the highest peak in the Shenandoah National Park at 4,050 feet.

Lunch at Skyland

With snow on the ground, wind, and cold temperatures we were ready for lunch at Skyland after completing the first hike.  We enjoyed the  meeting area off the lobby to have our meal and warm drinks from the restaurant.  Dennis Templeton started a fire for us in the beautiful, stone fireplace.  We were quite cozy!

Leon Gorman, Bailey, and Wanda Hamlin departed from the group after lunch to return home.  The remaining 12 hikers began a 3.5 mile loop by first ascending Stony Man, the second highest mountain in SNP at 4,010 feet.

Stony Man peak

We had a wonderful view of the valley, including incoming clouds of snow and hail showers.  We continued to the mountain of  Little Stony Man.  A large group of students from the College of William and Mary were rappelling on the cliffs, so we stopped to watch and catch the view for a few minutes.  At this point we continued on the AT until we intersected the Passamaquoddy Trail.

Ice on Passamaquoddy Trail

Ice on the rocky descent made for some careful stepping, but no casualties occurred.  Beautiful dripping ice formations lined the trail. We proceeded back to the parking area via the horse trail.

It was a wonderful day of hiking and the group also included John Brant, Marian Styles, Don Davis, Brad Young, Liz Lyons, Barbara Shenefield, Bev Moresca and Pete Fink.

Submitted by Marit Gay