Signal Knob 12.5-mile hike

 

I joined some friends for a birthday hike to Signal Knob plus 2 miles to Meneka Peak and back, so total 12.5 miles with 2800 feet elevation gain. It was pleasant to hike in this spring like weather, although the Ricky trails were tiring and my legs felt lazy after skipping hiking for last weekend.

At the lunch spot, we ran into a huge hiking group (~ 50 hikers) bused from Washington DC. There were also a few mountain bikers. I have never seen this place so crowded.

We had some drinks after the hike at the parking lot, to celebrate two hiker’s’ birthday.

I was planning to run 7.5 miles after the hike，to meet my 20 hike/run mile weekend goal. However, I was too hungry to finish and only ran 4.67 miles. I made up the difference on windy Monday.

play: MURDER on the ORIENT EXPRESS

 

After being trapped by snow in the house for a few days, I went to Reston Community Center this afternoon to usher for the play: MURDER on the ORIENT EXPRESS. I heard the title many times, but first time saw the whole story. While the novel is fictional, the Venice-Simplon Orient Express train, a private venture by Belmond using original CIWL carriages from the 1920s and 1930s, continues to run to and from various destinations in Europe, including the original route from Paris to Istanbul. maybe i will ride it one day: https://www.belmond.com/.../venice-simplon-orient-express/

I did not exercise much this weekend but some indoor extra slow jogging 超慢跑 and yoga. BTW, I replaced a shower head in my house.

Play: “How To Be a Korean Woman"

 

I went in DC to usher at Theater J for the last show of “How To Be a Korean Woman,” which was about one adoptee’s reunion with her birth family. I didn’t have good experience with one-person play, yet this one flowed well and touching.

It was tricky traveling on METRO this weekend, since several metro stations on Silver Line are closed for maintenance. I ended up walking/jogging from DuPont Circle to Theater J, then to a private house to pick up my new hiking poles, then Fort Totten, about 5 miles in cold/30 f and windy day. As such, I completed my 20 hike/jog miles weekend goal. BTW, I saw farmer's market at DuPont Circle, and my brand new Black Diamond Z hiking poles were made in Taiwan!

most scary icy hike

I hiked with three friends this Saturday up via White oak canyon then submitted Hawksbill Mountain for 14.5 miles with 3500 feet elevation gain. It was too windy to have lunch at Hawksbill. Due to the heavy rain the day before, all the waterfalls were raging more powerfully than I have ever seen in the Shenandoah National Park. There was one stream crossing that I finally got to use booties that I carried 3 years in my backpack. We changed plan to take the White oak canyon trail down to avoid two bigger stream crossings on the cedar Run trail.

The Appalachian Trail on the backside of Hawksbill Mountain was totally frozen like an ice strip. This was the hardest one mile in my lifetime to pass. Without spikes, I was squatting low or sliding on my bottom most of the time to get via that icy one mile. You bet that I will bring my spikes to each hike this winter.

As usual, we stopped by a winery after hike.