We spent Saturday on Old Rag volunteering with Old Rag Mountain Stewards. It was a beautiful fall Saturday in October, which meant the parking lot was already full when we arrived to start our day. We got to spend a good part of our day with one of the park rangers, which was a rare treat. Fall is in full swing: the leaves are changing and the forest is shutting down for the coming winter.
Goldenrod (
Solidago sp.) blooming along the Saddle Trail
A Woolly Worm caterpillar.
This is pretty representative of the crowds all over the summit most of the afternoon. There were so.many.people.
Around 4:30, Michael and I were talking about wrapping up for the day. The crowds were starting to thin and we were thinking of dinner. At that moment, a group came over and asked if we could help a member of their party who had an abrasion on their head. We patched the person up (it wasn't serious) and chatted with them for a bit. In the meantime, a thin layer of clouds had rolled in and we realized that we were nearly the last people on the summit of the mountain. It was quiet, the light was stunningly beautiful, and ravens soared and played on the wind. We stayed for another half an hour or so, just enjoying it. Old Rag can be magical under the right conditions and this was one of those times.
Ravens taking a break on some rocks.
The sun streaming through the clouds to the west of the mountain.
A raven landing on a rock
Soaring over the valley.
This raven had picked up a bit of food left by a hiker on the summit.
Looking west.
Looking northwest towards Hot Short Mountain
Looking south.
Leaves turning on the Saddle Trail on the way down.
I am often amazed that on the busiest of fall weekend days that I can sometimes have the summit to myself from even a half hour before sunset to 40-60 minutes past sunset. As much as I like the busy crowds I truly cherish those times of solitude when it just myself and nature.
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