We returned to Overall Run to do a long hike today. This hike was the first place we had hiked, other than Old Rag, with our friend that we lost last year. Lots of memories today. We started at Thompson Hollow trailhead on the boundary of the park and hiked the quick mile to the Overall Run Trail. It was nice and warm (in the 50s), but we could hear the wind roaring above us. We were surprised, when we got Overall Run, to see how low the creek is for April. We haven't gotten much rain this spring and the creeks show it.
From there, we turned left and began the hike up to Overall Run Falls. In the first mile, we passed through lots of new spring flowers: Bloodroot, Cut-leaf Toothwort, Dutchman's Breeches, and Hepatica. We also heard our first Louisiana Waterthrushes of the year. After about a mile, the trail turns away from the creek and begins one of the steeper climbs in Shenandoah National Park. The mile up to the falls is definitely character building. It has switchbacks now and it is still steep, but the switchbacks criss-cross the old trail, which was basically straight up the mountain. There was more water in the falls than I expected, but not as much as should be for this time of year. The wind at the falls was a force to be reckoned with. Strong gusts of freezing cold blasts kept us from lingering there for more than a couple of minutes. It was definitely still winter up there. No signs of spring vegetation or buds on trees to be seen.
From the falls, we continued up another mile to the junction with the Weedlewood Trail. Almost immediately, we found a nice log that was out of the wind for lunch. The Weedlewood Trail is a very pleasant horse trail that winds down the mountain, eventually connecting with the Heiskell Hollow Trail. The Heiskell Hollow took us back down to the valley and into early spring, with wildflowers reappearing along the trail. We took the Overall Run Connector and then the Overall Run Trail back to where we started. It was a really nice day on trail. We saw one group of four people and one group of two then entire day, which was pretty nice for a trail that can be fairly busy.
Pictures:
