Time Change Old Rag Sunrise!

OVERVIEW

This coming Sunday, the United States Department of Transportation’s ‘Daylight Savings Time’ change will be gifting to us (for better or for worse) one extra hour, insofar as the societal construct that is ‘time’ is concerned, so I’ll be heading out to Old Rag to the make the most of it in catching the sunrise over what should be a jaw-dropping spectacle of foliage in Shenandoah National Park!

The departure time for this one definitely might scare ya a lil on first glance, but just hear me out… we’re getting an extra hour of sleep, we’ll be doing this on a Sunday when napping opportunities post-hike are likely to be abound, and I personally believe this has quite the potential to be one of your more memorable hiking experiences ever. The weather conditions, while maybe a bit frigid, are supposed to be about as good as they can be, so we’ll have the rare chance to stop and stargaze along the hike with minimal light pollution as a result of the moon approaching new and our decrease in proximity to a city.

If you never hiked Old Rag before, it’s an absolute bucket-list hike and a Mecca of sorts in SNP. We’ll be bagging about ~2,400ft in elevation gain and ~9miles roundtrip, as well as doing some sweet rock scrambles towards the summit. I personally don’t think that this hike is incredibly challenging, and we won’t be rushing to get to the top, but use your own best judgement when deciding if you think you’re up for this hike physically/emotionally!

Check it out here: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/virginia/old-rag-mountain-loop-trail

On the time change: We will be leaving at 2:45am! With the time change happening, this means that when your clock hits 2, it’s going to jump back to 1, so you’ll have an extra hour to sleep. Hopefully everybody’s phones will update their clocks and this won’t be an issue, but it will essentially be as if we were leaving at 3:45, only the clock has changed to give us an extra hour. Please don’t show up an hour early!

On weather and timing: The winds are supposed to be relatively low this weekend, but the air will be cool and the summit is exposed so expect it to be cold when we’re waiting for the sun to come up! We’ll be moving and heating our bodies up during the hike, so wear synthetic clothes and layer appropriately as you would wear to exercise in the cold, but plan on bringing extra warm layers to put on once we get to the top and stop moving! I’m thinking we’ll be on track to get back to Cville around 10am, but if people would be into stopping at Waffle House or Duck donuts on the way back, that may also be a thing.

Logistics:
-leave Echols @ 2:45am ***NOTE THE TIME CHANGE***
-drive about an hour to the Old Rag parking lot
-summit that bad boy (mostly in sheer darkness)
-watch the sunrise and hang out for a bit
-hike out and drive back, should be back in Cville somewhere around 10

important: will cost $5 for parking if we don’t get SNP passes, I’ll let you know if that becomes an issue
You bring:
-shenandoah park pass (if you have one)
-sturdy hiking shoes
-headlamp
-2L water + snacks (really more of a breakfast??)
-something warm to wear at the summit (seriously, for your own good)
-$$ if you’d be interested in grabbing food on the way back
-a serious appreciation for type 2 fun

If anybody actually wants to do this, DRIVERS NEEDED!
-drivers get priority off the waitlist. The club reimburses for gas +50% tip!
-drivers need to show up to Echols with a full tank of gas!