Early Morning Old Rag??

OVERVIEW

Do you not have class until 11:00 am or later on Fridays? Do you enjoying waking up hours before the butt crack of dawn to climb a friggin steep hill super fast with a headlamp on? Do you like towels that have been repeatedly used for years on end without having been washed in between said uses???

Well, if you answered yes to all of these questions, boy oh boy do I have the trip for you. I have been itching for an old rag hike and, after conferencing with Prof. Patrick Brown (yes, he teaches a class), we decided it would be awesome to do it this Friday super duper early in the morning (because is there really a better time to hike??).

SO, that being said, we will be going at a relatively quick pace, and in the interest of time we will NOT be doing the entire loop, just out to the peak and back (so like ~3.7 miles and ~2,500 ft one way). We will also be waking up wonderfully early in order to leave Echols at 4 am. This puts us at the trailhead just around 5 am so it will be reasonably dark outside — please please please bring a headlamp, we will be scrambling in the dark, if you don’t have one I can get one for you. If we keep a good pace we SHOULD reach the rag around sunrise (like 7am ish) and make it back to the cars by 9-9:30 am. PLEASE only come on this trip if you think you can keep up with this time frame; and, be prepared to potentially not get back to grounds until after 11 am (not likely, but it is a possibility). Also, Patrick and I will not be providing nutrients to you all so make sure to bring a snack, eat before the trip, and bring at least 2L of water.

Lastly, the $1 charge is for the reservations each person has to have before climbing old rag which is kinda inconvenient but hey Uncle Sam’s gotta eat too. This trip needs one driver so if you wanna come and can drive that would be much appreciated, it is ~1 hr away from Charlottesville, so you would likely get your sweet sweet gas refund plus 50% tip! Priority off waitlist will be given to people with a park pass (we only need one more), drivers, and drivers with park passes.

Things to bring:
– Headlamp + batteries
– 2L Water
– Trail Snack
– Layers (will start off cold and get pretty warm)
– Hiking shoes to wear on your feet