We had done hike to Manassas Gap on 4th May 2019 .It is located in Linden,Virginia.
Hike Location
Name: Manassas Gap
Distance: 122 miles from Herndon (approx)
Total hiking distance: 5 miles
Elevation Gain: 1055 ft
Hike Team: me and my wife.
Hiking Experience: We decided to hike early morning this season and so got up around 4:20 am and then started around 5:34 am for the destination which is around 2 hours from our place. It was dark still by the time we started. We reached the parking lot around 7:45 am. There were few cars at the parking lot by the time we reached. It was cloudy with no wind. We started the hike around 7:50 am. The hike started with wooden bridge across a stream with flowing water due to previous night heavy downpour.
The trail was very narrow with small plants and huge trees on either side of the trail. It was on Appalachian Trail (white blazed trail - A.T.).The trail was full of slippery stones and moss. The climate was just apt for our hike and leaves of the trees were shining in green colour as they were wet. Trail was steep. At some places there was mud on the trail covered with leaves making it little difficult to hike. Soon the trail got wider, with steep still remaining the same. It started drizzling though initially we thought it was the water on the leaves. The rain was on and off as we hiked further. We decided not to turn back until we are done with the hike. There were wooden steps on the trail. As we climbed further the trail took lot of turns and suddenly the steep increased as we carefully climbed the slippery rocks. So far we have not seen any companion on our way. As we walked further there were stone walls to our left which were little damaged and seems like they were used to contain the cattle. The trail got straight and we were passing in midst of trees. It was good relief. Due to the huge tree cover we just experienced few drops of rain. we saw couple of deers at a distance which quickly disappeared into the woods.
There were beautiful flowers with various colors on the side of the trail which made it more scenic. We continued our path on the A.T. As we were enjoying the hike in such a wonderful atmosphere all of sudden we heard some heavy breathing and foot steps. we were startled and turned to see our first fellow hiker pacing steadily and he quickly crossed us and went ahead. There was a stream which is passing by on the side of the trail. At some points there were huge trees with large trunks on the middle of the trail appeared as though blocking the way. we went ahead with steady pace and soon we reached our destination point the Manassas Gap Shelter at 9:22 am. It was a wooden shelter with one room and has picnic table and fire pit. There was Register as well in the shelter. We had our breakfast around 9:25 am. By this time we could experience the heat of Sun as the clouds moved away. It was great experience to hike all the way and have breakfast in the middle of the jungle echoed by bird songs.
Around 9:35 am we signed the register and started to return. We just need to retrace our steps to reach the parking lot. While returning we saw many hikers long the path along with their pets.It was downhill for most of the time. With scorching heat from the Sun,slippery rocks and muddy path the descent was not easy as we thought. Slowly we walked down and was surprised to learn that we have hiked all that way up couple of hours before. It was a great feeling of achievement and we continued further. Around 10:45 am reached the parking lot. By the time we reached , there were couple of elder people helping the hikers with food and drinks. There were so many cars now being parked and it was almost full. We did couple of exercises to relax our muscles and left for home around 10:50 am. we thoroughly enjoyed every moment of our hike, discussed about our experience, as this was our first hike of this season and had our lunch around 12:30 pm in the car itself and reached home around 1:00 pm. It was a great memorable experience. All is Well.
Photos
