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Elise Littler

Me and my boyfriend hiked the reverse trail without realizing it, and it was absolutely exhausting. I don't think it would be as bad to hike the recommended way, however. I actually really enjoyed this trail and liked how the landscape and plant life changed as we traveled - it went from a dead tree forest, to green and mossy, to rocky, to piney. There were not as many views as some of the other trails in the Shenandoah, but it's still a beautiful summit and there are peeks of mountains occasionally. I really liked that the second half of the trail (our first half since we went in reverse) ran alongside a stream for quite a while; we brought a water filter and were able to refill our bottles with very cold, clean water. There were some nice flat areas to camp, and one perfect spot at the edge of the stream right after first crossing it following descent from the summit. All in all, this was super fun until my backpack started weighing me down. Definitely not a beginner trail. Take lots of water and be prepared for your legs to feel like jello!!