Wil Kohlbrenner Loop (17.5 miles) & the MMT 100 Mile Ultramarathon

Our third annual Wil Kohlbrenner Memorial Loop coinciding with the 100 mile Massanutten Mountain Trail ultramarathon (http://www.vhtrc.org/mmt/). Don't worry, we'll be doing 17.5 miles, not 100 miles! This hike will be somewhat strenuous with ascents and descents of a few different ridge lines. This hike will include one of the steepest sections of trail I've encountered--Waterfall Mountain, which is 800 feet or so up in .6 miles--and includes some great vistas along the rocky Massanutten ridgeline.

Massanutten Mountain Trail 100 Mile ultramarathon (http://www.vhtrc.org/mmt/): we'll end up camping at around their mile 65 of the course, and we'll undoubtedly see people by Saturday night... It's pretty cool, and we can shout and cheer them on as we sit around the fire with our flasks... Our route should not overlap with the runners on Saturday, and hopefully only minimally on Sunday. I think it would be cool to bring along some packs of GU or something that we could hand out... But be forewarned, they run all night long, and have headlamps on and chat with another as they pass by, so bring some ear plugs if you are sensitive to that while trying to sleep.

We will be doing it almost as described at http://www.midatlanti... (http://www.midatlantichikes.com/id190.html); however, we'll take the Massanutten Connector Trail off of 211 over to Waterfall Mountain, and continue the loop as planned. We will get to the steepest portion of the loop early on the first day, and should have good opportunities to resupply water just before the end of the day. We will bear south on the Massanutten Trail and loop clockwise over Waterfall Mountain, and Kerns Mountain. Then we'll take Jaw Bone Gap and Gap Creek Trail, before continuing up and over Duncan Knob to rejoin the orange blazed Massanutten Trail,and back out Scothorn Gap to the car, and continue down the valley to the Massanutten Connector Trail back out to the cars.

We will either camp up on the ridgeline just below Duncan Knob, or up and over the other side down by a stream. It will be roughly 12 miles or so on the first day, depending on the camp site situation, finishing up the last 5ish on Sunday for an early return back to DC.

There should be some great views, and good trails! We'll have a nice fire Saturday night, and some celebratory drinks (bring a flask, wine in a box, etc). And we'll probably get off to a leisurely start on Sunday morning, giving everyone plenty of time to eat breakfast, drink some coffee, and pack up their gear. We'll probably cross paths with the runners again as they enter their last 10 miles or so.

Check out the map: http://mrhyker.tripod... (http://mrhyker.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/gwnf-jawbonegap-w.jpg)

Hiking Upward also shows most of the main loop:http://www.hikingupwa... (http://www.hikingupward.com/GWNF/KernsMountain/) to help you get a better idea.

The trailhead is only a two hour drive from DC: http://maps.google.com (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=7040+Haycock+Rd,+Falls+Church,+VA+22043+(west+falls+church+metro+station)&daddr=38.89662,-78.23286+to:US-211+W&geocode=Fd6QUQIdfDFm-ylVavWB1rS3iTHV-Pg_2pCeXA%3BFeyDUQId5EJW-ylrU-oyJMa1iTHN6_t-tOURTw%3BFUieTQIdwtBQ-w&hl=en&mra=dme&mrsp=2&sz=15&via=1&sll=38.637657,-78.585935&sspn=0.019811,0.025449&ie=UTF8&ll=38.633969,-78.585935&spn=0.027187,0.025449&t=p&z=15) and we'll probably stop somewhere in Front Royal for lunch on the way back on Sunday.

There is also a chance of rain/thunderstorms at this time of year, so you should be prepared for that as well. I will send out additional details and weather updates as the weekend approaches... If you have any questions about the trail or gear, please don't hesitate to ask!