Sunday, October 24, 2010

Fall Hike

No trailcam pics today. Some of my buddies and I went on our annual hike on Massanutten Mt. Below are some pics from the trip.

Most of the following pics are from the top of Lairds Knob.

















Looking to the southwest from Lairds Knob. Unforunately it was pretty hazy today and the distance Allegheny Mts. aren't very clear in the distance.

















View to the South into Massanuttan Resort.

















The next two views are to the East. Those are the Blue Ridge Mts. in the distance.


















View to the Northwest with the Allegheny Mts. in the distance.

































View of Packsaddle Golf Course from Lairds Knob.

















While we were hiking the backside of the mountian about 20 miles north of us caught fire and started burning. That's smoke not clouds raising above the mountain. We are extremely dry and we'll probably be seeing more fires in the coming weeks.


































17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Beautiful views! Looks like you guys had a beautiful day for a hike. Thanks for taking us along.
vickie

heyBJK said...

Beautiful photos, Joe! Wow! The mountain shots are awesome! Cool shots of the smoke, too!

Karen Thomason/Gordon Setter Crossing said...

Nice scenery pics from your walk. Looks like the reds and yellows of fall are setting in back there as well as here in Montana. We too have to concern ourselves with wildfire. Hope this one burns out before it reaches your doorstep.

TexWisGirl said...

The mountain shots were just wonderful! Love the pine tree along the side of one of them! And, of course, I love the Holsteins too!

Anonymous said...

Just chiming in with the others. Always like pictures of areas I have never been too. Those are some pretty pictures of mountains and hill sides. Thanks for sharing.

Gorges Smythe said...

Great photos. Several of my ancestors came from the Shenandoah Valley, but they left after the Uncivil War, since they fought on the "wrong" side (Union).

Liesl said...

Awesome scenery Joe! I am sure you and your mates had a lovely time out there in nature. Our fire season is over! We had our first mother of a storm for the season last night! (smiles)
xoxo

Joe said...

Thanks all :)!!!! It was a great trip and beautiful day. Hoping to check my trailcams this evening and see what we have.

Nancy said...

Oh, how I wish Nebraska had mountains! Such beautiful photographs, Joe. Looks like you were pretty high up in elevation. I'm a bit afraid of heights, so maybe flat Nebraska is where I need to be. :)

Rachel said...

It sure has prettied up around here hasn't it? You can almost see my house in your distant Allegheny shots! :)

Michelle said...

Really nice photos. Sorry to see that fire in the distance. We are also very dry here in KY. Currently under a burn ban.

Joe said...

Nancy - Lairds Knob is one of the highest points on the south end of the Massanutten Range. It's around 3300' above sea level.

Rachel - It sure has. The last 4 or 5 days has really seen the color change. I hadn't thought of it but you're right. The view to the southwest if extended on would probably go right through Deerfield :).

Farmchick - Thanks. We're really dry also. The fire is in a rugged part of the mountain and they say it could be a week to 10 days before they contain it.

Verde Farm said...

Joe, breathtaking photos. You must have been very high up? Wow--it reminds me of Sound of Music :)
Did you get rain today? We did here in WV and I hope you did too.
Amy

Coppertop said...

Beautiful shots, Joe. Thank you for sharing - if not able to travel, seeing the sights through anothers photographs and stories is the next best thing!
Coppertop

Joe said...

Amy - Thanks. Lairds Knob is about as high as you can get on the southern end of the mountain range. Only got a little shower about noon.

Coppertop - Thanks for stopping by. I know what you mean. I've discovered that one of my favorite things about blogging is seeing what other folks are doing.

Justin said...

Joe, I love the pictures. I've seen Lairds Knob for awhile now, and I'd like to get up there.

I'm a student at JMU and can actually see the peak from the library. Could you give me some quick tips to get to the base of the hike? I am familiar with Keezletown and the Mountain Valley Road. Thanks! Oh, are you able to see the city of Harrisonburg from up there?

Joe said...

hagermjm - Lairds Knob is actually on private property. The route we use to get there is also all private property. We get permission each year from several land owners to cross their property. Your best bet is the go to Fridley's Gap and go into the National Forest there. Grubbs Knob is the point above Fridley's Gap. The link below shows the way in from the Page County side but you can park in Fridley's Gap in Rockingham County and go in also. The National Forest comes to about 1/4 mile of the Lairds Knob summit and covers most of the top of the mountain to the north. You can Google Fridley's Gap and Grubbs Knob for more info. And yes you can see all of Harrisonburg from the top of the mountian. Hope this helps.

http://www.hikingupward.com/GWNF/FridleyGap/