Stupendous Sunset Summiting of Old Rag

OVERVIEW

SUNSETTT No reeeegrets, first chance, last dance, caught in the middleeee…

Noticed those trees out there? Making like chameleons and changing color like crazy? Wanna see them? They’re super cool and what better way to complement the rusty and warm colored foliage than with some golden light provided by the milkyway’s celebrity: our sun?

Basically, we gonna scram, possibly skedaddle up some rocks and some dirt to make our way to a borderline emotional viewpoint. Join Jonathan and Ben on their good ol’ rag sunset hike adventure!

No more fun, important stuff now! Pay attention:

Since the climb is fairly strenuous (9.5 miles) and the hike down will be done post-sunset, this is not a good trip for those not fairly experienced with hiking. We will also be racing the clock on the climb to avoid missing the sunset so please only sign up if you feel comfortable moving at whatever pace is necessary to summit in time for the sunset (hopefully not a run or anything but we are going to try and move with a purpose). Also, there’s a bit of scrambling/climbing-esque elements on the trip up (hooray), so please be comfortable with maneuvering up and around rocks.

The price for the trip is 2 dollars because you have to buy a hiking permit to climb the mountain to avoid crowds. I doubt most people going are rad enough to go for a sunset viewing but we still have to buy permits anyway. If the price is a limiting factor for you don’t worry about it, I’m fine paying for ya.

You bring:
• Eyeballs to enjoy the view
• Water!! – I really can’t stress that enough, your tiny water bottle *will run out halfway up.* SO, please bring at least 1 liter of water for the trip, because there’s not place to refill on the hike, you’ll wither away into a dry skeleton and be found years later. (if this happens be sure to bring a journal with mysteries and golden trinket for an adventurer to find and study after accidentally stumbling upon your husky corpse)
• Snacks for the summit, or, if you’re brave, bring a full meal and transport it
• Whatever will keep you warm when the sun goes down (good arctic monkeys song)
• Vibes

We bring:
• Some headlamps, but if you want one guaranteed check one out from the gear room (or we can brave the darkness – Ben)
• First aid kit

I (Jonathan) have a national park pass, but since we’re going to have two cars, someone else with a pass gets priority off the waitlist. Drivers also get priority off the waitlist because neither Ben nor I is capable of driving due to our meager and underwhelming ages 🙁

Da Plan:
• 12:30: meet at Echols and speed off into the distance
•1:30 arrive at trailhead and begin treacherous journey
• 4:45ish: arrive at summit and watch sunset, say our ooohs and aaahhhhs- if we get there early we’ll play some games or something
• 5:45ish: begin descent (in the darkness)
• 8: arrive back at parking lot, maybe some stargazing if it’s clear?
• 9:15 – arrive at UVA
• 10:20 reminisce about how much fun you just had

Congratulations reader! You made it to the end of another long trip description and can now, guilt-free, smash that join waitlist button. Maybe go drink some water if you haven’t today, gotta stay hydrated. I think I use too many commas, if you’re an english major, maybe tell me if that’s true in the questions below? – Ben