Hawksbill Summit extended loop- Day Hike 8.0 miles

Shenandoah’s highest peak. The viewing platform on top of Hawksbill offers a magnificent 360-degree panoramic view of the Shenandoah Valley, the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the Virginia Piedmont.

Will start and end from Fisher's Gap via AT, loop around Hawksbill in the middle.

Maybe peak leaf colors?

Pace will be closer to 1.5-2.5 mph as necessary.
No meeting at the trailhead.

I will match the group’s pace to that of the slowest hiker.
8 miles @ 2.0 mph = 4.0 hours of hike time.

Typically we combine these hikes with OPTIONAL visits to local wineries for tastings and bon vivanterie.
tentative plan: https://www.patchbrewingco.com/

HIKE DETAILS

Meeting at carpool location at 8 AM.
No meeting at the trailhead.
Coordination does not work.

Difficulty: Moderately Strenuous BRING YOUR HIKING POLES

Hike Distance: 8.0 miles

Elevation Change: +2000 / -2000

Hike Pace: Moderate 1.5 - 2.5 mph

Terrain: mountainous with a steep climb to the peak

More info:
Trail Map: https://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/upload/Hawksbill_RoadTrail.pdf

Recommended hiking gear: (Broken in hiking shoes/boots; backpack with water, snacks, rain gear, sunscreen, insect repellent, basic first aid kit)

Organizer will Provide: very basic first aid and send out additional hike details and carpool location the day before via email. (Check your notification settings)

Dogs Allowed: yes

Bring a snack or lunch for the trail - we will stop and eat/rest in a nice spot. It is typical to contribute $$ to driver to defray the cost of gas prices.

Cancellation: If weather becomes an issue, please check your email or contact the "Adventure Specialist" for this event.

Max Group Size: 20

GENERAL DETAILS

RSVPS close Saturday Oct 24th (day before) the event. This provides time for organizer to organize, settle things, and notify all of group plans. Organizer will send a DM Saturday with the carpool location (west end of Richmond VA). Please check your Meetup Site settings so that you get emails from event organizers.

If you cannot sign up it most likely means that event is full, or you + number of guests exceeds max amount, or RSVPs are closed.

Send me a direct email from Meetup if you have any questions (my profile page has that option):

https://www.meetup.com/central-virginia-trailblazers/members/27493742/

Steve