Hiking the Blue Ridge Mountains: Mary's Rock with my parents.

Due to the kind of person I am while living in New Jersey, it’s pretty obvious that I hate most people I come in contact with. So naturally, when my family decided to take a trip to Virginia, I was happy to get away from the crowds of loud, crass, stuck-up, and selfish folks. I have always been a “Southern sympathizer” as some may still call it. My father and I actually share a dream of one day owning a small house in the South that we can, “go onto the porch and take a piss while shooting a rifle.” Many areas of the South offer peace, quiet, relaxation, damn-good food, and open spaces. It certainly can’t get any better, right? Wrong. It gets way better when you see the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Sunset from Shenandoah Overlook in Shenadoah National Park.

My mother, father, and I went to Virginia planning to spend some time in Shenandoah National Park. Shenandoah National Park is a beautiful park that I personally didn’t hear much about until I began doing research. Shenandoah National Park is stunning and why it is not as well known as other parks is beyond me. It is also easily accessible to vacationers because of the location of the city of Front Royal. Hardly a city, Front Royal is a medium sized town that outside the town center is a historical rural community. Front Royal itself is located only 66 miles away from Washington D.C., yet the crowds, traffic, and homeless people stay there. If any reader decides to take a trip to Shenandoah National Park and needs a hotel, I suggest staying at the Holiday Inn Blue Ridge Shadows. The rooms were clean, the service was excellent, and the staff was very friendly and professional.

So being that I have outdoor experience, my father has basic outdoor experience, and my mom has none, it was up to me to plan a hike for us to do. I knew that the hike had to be somewhat easy, but I didn’t want it to be a walk over some hills with no views or points of interest. So I made the logical decision of finding a mountain and plotting a route for a limping Lyme disease patient, a 53 year-old man, and an overweight woman to hike up. It made perfect sense! (not)

The hike was from the Thorton Gap parking area to the top of Mary’s Rock. It was 1.5 miles to the summit, making it a 3 mile round trip. Distance-wise the hike was not long, but I made the mistake of underestimating the terrain. Although it didn’t faze me, my mom and dad struggled with the rocky nature of the trail and the incline. The weather also was against us in the beginning. When we arrived at the trailhead it began to rain. That together with the mountain breeze made it a bit chilly. I put my rain shell on and was fine, but because my parents didn’t have proper gear they put on sweatshirts and in my dad’s case a denim jacket. As we hiked, they quickly had to shed layers of clothes yet still find a balance where they could stay dry. About halfway up the mountain the rain stopped and left low-lying clouds that were at equal height to us. It made for very cool scenery to see clouds float between mountains and, at times, to hike through them. My goal of a scenic hike was partially accomplished before even reaching the summit.

Mom and dad at the beginning of the hike.

  

At this point the physical stress of the hike began to affect my parents. My dad pushed through and toughed it out, but my mom was angry and dehydrated. Having absolutely, positively, zero outdoor experience one of her biggest fears was peeing outdoors. Because of this, she was attempting to take in minimal amounts of water. Obviously a heavier person needs to hydrate more than someone of average weight, and she was not doing it which led to headaches, cramps, and frustration. I cannot say it enough, hydrate!

Dad taking a break on the trail.

Mom and Dad on the trail.

I scouted ahead for the trail that would take us to the summit while my parents slowly closed the gap between us. After about 20 minutes, I found the .1 mile trail to the summit; just in time for my parents. As we reached the summit the cloud-cover broke and the sun came shining through. Few things are more exhilarating than when the sun breaks through the clouds as you reach a summit. The view from Mary’s Rock was spectacular. It offered views of the ever-beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains and the legendary Shenandoah Valley as a whole.

Mom and Dad enjoying the view.

Mom and dad at the summit.

In the end we reached the car and I felt I introduced what I love to do to my parents successfully. My dad expressed interest in maybe doing it again sometime and I feel my mom now has a better understanding of what I do out there, why I do it, and why I love it. My mom was proud of the fact that she climbed a real mountain once her anger subsided and I know it’ll make a good story for her to tell her friends. It was certainly a very good hike that I won’t soon forget, and hopefully neither will them.

Stay tuned for my family’s experience on the Shenandoah River!