White Oak Canyon/Hawksbill Trail Run

OVERVIEW

A weekend of warm, wet weather makes for wonderful waterfall watching!

Join me this weekend for a strenuous but rewarding run/hike up Hawksbill via White Oak Canyon in Shenandoah NP. The goal is to complete the ten mile loop and 3000 feet of climbing in ~3ish hours. Expect fast paced hiking up the steep sections and running in most other spots, but with some stops to enjoy the multiple waterfalls and summit views!

Expect to get wet from either rain, waterfall swimming, puddle splashing, creek crossing, sweating, or some combination of all of these. There is rain in the forecast for the next few days, but it supposed to be almost 70 degrees on Saturday and the precipitation should lead to ample water flow!

Here is a link to the route if you’d like to check it out: https://www.strava.com/routes/12056646

Its a good idea to possibly bring a change of clothes or at least an extra pair of socks for the car-ride back in case we are caked in mud and don’t want to get the car dirty!

The plan is to leave Echols at 11:00am, drive for an hour to the trailhead, run/hike for 3 hours or so, then get back to grounds between 4-5pm.

Bring:

Running shoes with good traction
Athletic clothes that can get muddy
Water you can run with
Some energy snacks
Change of clothes for the car
A towel?
Thin rain shell?

*Due to the conditions, pace, distance, and elevation, this is an intermediate/advanced activity.
*I have a parks pass so you shouldn’t need to pay anything