A rare mid-week hike brought together 4 PATC hikers on the east side of Massanutten Mountain, northwest of Luray on Wednesday, March 10th. Included in the group were veteran PATC hiker Mike Hammer, new PATC Hikes Committee Chair, Iva Gillet, Hikingupward.com founder, and Lee District chainsaw volunteer Tony Van Vugt, and hike leader Jeff Monroe. Joining the humans were hiker dogs Remy and Gracie.
The group met at a boat launch on the Shenandoah River and ascended the Habron Gap Trail to the ridge of Massanutten before turning south onto the Massanutten Trail.
There were many ascents and descents on the Massanutten Trail before it reached the summit of Kennedy Peak, 5.7 miles into the hike. From the top of the fire tower, the group could see a fire in the valley below - the result of some controlled burning conducted by the Forest Service. The group lunched at the fire tower before returning back via the same route they took going out. This was a tough hike, with nearly 3,400 feet ascended and temperatures in the 70's. The group was beat when they got back to their cars!
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