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On the Trail

Every outing should begin with proper preparation, which usually takes only a few minutes. Even the easiest trail can turn up unexpected surprises. People seldom think about getting lost or injured, but unexpected things can and do happen. Simple precautions can make the difference between a good story and a dangerous situation.

Have a Plan

Before You Go

Choose Wisely The first step to enjoying any trail is to match the trail to your abilities. It’s no use overestimating your experience or fitness—know your abilities and limitations, and use the Top Trails difficulty rating that accompanies each trail.

Leave Word About Your Plans The most basic of precautions is leaving word of your intentions with friends or family. Many people will hike the backcountry their entire lives without ever relying on this safety net, but establishing this simple habit is free insurance.

It’s best to leave specific information—location, trail name, intended time of travel—with a responsible person. It takes but a minute to shoot a friend or loved one a text. If, however, this isn’t possible or if your plans change at the last minute, you should still leave word. If there’s a ranger station, trail register, or visitor center, check in.

Review the Route Before embarking on any hike, read the entire description and study the map. It isn’t necessary to memorize every detail, but you do want to have a clear mental picture of the trail and general area.

Prepare and Plan

• Know your abilities and limitations.

• Leave word about your plans.

• Know your route and the area.

Because virtually all of the described trails are well used and easy to follow, a supplemental topographic map isn’t a must, but for those who prefer to use them, a list of U.S. Geological Survey topos is provided at the beginning of each chapter.

Carry the Essentials

Proper preparation for any type of trail use also includes gathering certain essential items to carry. Your trip checklist will vary according to trail choice and conditions.

Clothing When the weather is good, light, comfortable clothing is the obvious choice. It’s easy to believe that very little spare clothing is needed, but a prepared hiker has something tucked away for any emergency from a surprise shower to an unexpected overnight in a remote area.

Clothing includes proper footwear, essential for hiking and running trails. As a trail becomes more demanding, you will need footwear that performs. Running shoes are fine for many trails. If you will be carrying substantial weight or encountering sustained rugged terrain, step up to hiking boots.

Shenandoah can be notoriously humid in summer. Hikers often sweat more than normal. Breathable, moisture-wicking clothes will help keep you cool and dry. In cooler weather, particularly when it’s wet, carry waterproof outer garments and quick-drying undergarments (avoid cotton). Shenandoah can also be a rainy place. Unless the forecast calls for absolutely no chance of rain, bring a rain jacket or poncho. As general rule, whatever the conditions, bring layers that can be combined or removed to provide comfort and protection from the elements in a wide variety of conditions.

Water Never embark on a trail without carrying water. At all times, particularly in warm weather, adequate water is of key importance. Experts recommend at least 2 quarts of water per day; when hiking in heat, a gallon or more may be more appropriate. At the extreme, dehydration can be life-threatening. More commonly, inadequate water brings fatigue and muscle aches.

For most outings, unless the day is very hot or the trail very long, you should plan to carry sufficient water for the entire trail. Unfortunately, in North America natural water sources are questionable, and generally loaded with various risks: bacteria, viruses, and fertilizers.

Trail Essentials

• Dress to keep cool, but be ready for cold.

• Carry plenty of water.

• Have adequate food (plus a little extra).

Water Treatment If you find yourself needing to make use of trailside water, you’ll want to treat it before you drink it. There are three treatment methods: boiling, chemicals, and filtering. Boiling is the most effective but often impractical—it requires a heat source, a pot, and plenty of time. Chemical treatments, available at outdoors stores, take care of some problems, including the troublesome giardia parasite, but they won’t combat many artificial chemical pollutants, plus they tend to add an unpleasant aftertaste. The preferred method is filtration, which removes giardia and other contaminants minus the chemical aftertaste. Today’s filters, such as those made by Sawyer, are small, lightweight, and inexpensive.

If this hasn’t convinced you to carry all the water you need, here’s one final admonishment: be prepared for surprises. Water sources described in the text or shown on maps can change course or dry up completely. Never let your water bottle run dry in expectation of the next source—fill up wherever water is available, and always keep a little in reserve.

Food While not as critical as water, food is energy and its importance shouldn’t be underestimated. Avoid foods that are hard to digest, such as candy bars and potato chips. Carry high energy, fast-digesting foods: nutrition bars, dehydrated fruit, trail mix, and jerky. Bring a little more food that you think you’ll need—it’s good to bring along on an outing that turns unexpectedly long, perhaps because of inclement weather or losing your way.

Useful but Less-Than-Essential Items

Map and Compass (and the Know-How to Use Them) Many trails don’t require much navigation, meaning that a map and compass aren’t always as essential as water or food—but it can be a close judgment call. If the trail is remote or infrequently visited, a map and compass should be considered necessities.

A dedicated GPS receiver is also a useful trail companion. While it’s no substitute for a map and compass, a GPS, along with downloaded topographic maps, is good to have in your navigational toolbox. The drawback is batteries dying or the device otherwise becoming unusable.

Smartphone Much of the Blue Ridge and lowlands near towns and along the roads that cross Shenandoah have some level of cellular coverage. In many areas, however, especially in hollows and along streams, there is no service at all. In extreme circumstances, a smartphone can be a lifesaver as a GPS unit and communication device, but you shouldn’t depend on it—coverage is unpredictable, especially deep in the hollows. As with a dedicated GPS, smartphone batteries run out of juice eventually, so before you make a call or fire up your mapping app, make sure it’s warranted—a blister doesn’t justify a call to search-and-rescue.

Gear Depending on the remoteness and rigor of the trail, there are many additional useful items to consider: pocketknife, flashlight, fire source (waterproof matches, light, or flint), and a first aid kit. Every member of your party should carry the appropriate essential items described above; groups often split up or get separated along the trail. Solo hikers should be even more disciplined about preparation and carry more gear. Traveling solo is inherently more risky. This isn’t meant to discourage solo travel, but rather to emphasize the need for extra preparation.

Trail Etiquette

The overriding rule on the trail is Leave No Trace. This is especially applicable to the more popular hiking destinations in and about Shenandoah National Park, where certain waterfalls and overlooks will be visited by hundreds of hikers.

Never Litter If you carried it in, it’s even easier to carry it out, since it weighs less. Try picking up any litter you encounter and packing it out—it’s a rewarding feeling. Nature also litters, and I make it a habit to move at least a bit of debris from the trail, be it boulders, branches, or small trees. It is amazing just how large a tree a few sturdy hikers can move.

Don’t Build Campsites Constructing your own camp furniture or clearing the ground to place a tent or tarp transforms a pristine site into a human one—hardly a wilderness experience. Also, if you’re going cross-country, don’t mark your route. Let others do their own rewarding pathfinding just as you did.

Stay on the Trail Repeated shortcutting of switchbacks can lead to rapid erosion and time-consuming trail repair, costing taxpayer dollars. Also, because shortcuts are steeper and have an uneven, sometimes bouldery tread, they can be dangerous, particularly for an exhausted backpacker in a hurry to get down. Don’t risk broken bones or sprained ankles.

Share the Trail Shenandoah’s trails attract many visitors, so be prepared to share the trail with them. Commonly accepted trail etiquette dictates that hikers yield to equestrians and their stock, and that ascending and descending hikers keep to their respective right side as they pass each other. Short tourist trails host hundreds to thousands of visitors a day. You may meet an obnoxious person or two, but don’t become that person and spoil someone else’s day.

Trail Etiquette

• Leave no trace—Never litter.

• Stay on the trail—Never cut switchbacks.

• Share the trail—Use courtesy and common sense.

• Leave it there—Don’t disturb plants or wildlife.

Salamander in repose on the Hazel River (see Trail 15)

Leave It There Removing or destroying plants, animals, and historical artifacts is both unethical and illegal.