Old Rag Aficionado’s Hike – Beginners Welcome (Attempt #2)

OVERVIEW

Hello fellow Old Rag lovers! (If you were wondering, that picture is indeed the Old Rag trail in January)

Did your professors assign final projects instead of final exams, and now you have way too much free time during finals week? Or if you do have finals, would you like to procrastinate with me? If you answered yes, then perhaps this is the trip for you! Since my last Old Rag trip had to be cancelled, hopefully I’ll be able to find enough drivers this time to actually make it. We’ll be hiking Old Rag mountain, which is about 9.5 miles. The first 3 or so miles are uphill with an awesome rock scramble, while the remaining mileage is all downhill. I am by no means a fast hiker and I like to take a lot of breaks, so I don’t want this to be a super intense hike (in case that changes your decision).

Old Rag is now doing ticket reservations to reduce the number of hikers on the trail, so if you get off the waitlist, please go to this website and purchase a $1.00 ticket for April 8 asap. It’s non-refundable, so if something happens (or the weather looks terrible) and I have to cancel the trip, I’m sorry – but there’s not really anything I can do about that. If no one has a park pass, we’ll also need to split the cost (which is about $5 each), but hopefully that won’t be the case.

https://www.recreation.gov/ticket/facility/10088450

Here’s the schedule for the day:
8:00 AM Meet at the corner of Echol’s dorm
9:00 AM Arrive at the Old Rag parking lot
~12 PM Arrive at the summit and eat lunch
12:30 – 3 PM Hike down the mountain
~4:00 PM arrive back at Echol’s dorm

What to bring?
– Good hiking shoes
– A few layers (it’s not supposed to be terribly warm, especially in the morning)
– Check the weather the day before to see if you need a poncho or rain gear
– Plenty of water (at least 2 liters)
– Lots of snacks (I like to have gummy bears on the trail)
– Lunch
– Sunscreen?
– An adventurous spirit 🙂

*** Drivers and those with Park Passes will get priority off the waitlist

N.B. Please only sign up (especially if you’re driving) if you’re sure that you can make it. Since we have to buy tickets, I’d hate to cancel the trip because a driver withdraws from the trip. Thanks!