Trail: Valley Rim Trail = 8.5 miles
*Connects with AT
Time: 3-4 hours?
Elevation: 1,200 ft
Date: 5/8/11
Adventure
The plan for Saturday night was to go to bed early because I knew that the Pinnacle would be one of the biggest hikes of the summer and I had intended to be well rested for it. Naturally I went to a BBQ the day before and found myself out dancing until 2am, whoops!
View from Pulpit Rock
I was up Sunday morning, (Mother's Day!) at 7:30am, ouch! I made three PB&J sandwiches for Andrew, Ruggles and I. I packed up granola bars/snacks and checked online for the park address. I picked up Andrew and had Ruggles meet me at a friend's because I was house sitting that weekend in Ardmore. I had to let the dog out and feed the animals before taking off for the day. Before hitting the trail I had heard stories of bears and copperheads at the Pinnacle. Honestly, I was prepared for anything and happy to be in good company, just in case. After some brief confusion in the woods we located the white blaze, the valley rim trail, and began our steep ascent up to Pulpit Rock. The first mile or two of the hike is a killer! It's straight up and over the rocks. I was easily straggling behind everyone, fighting to get enough air in my lungs to get to the top. I can't remember if I pulled out my inhaler or not, but my guess is I did and it would have been a smart move. After reaching the top at Pulpit rock we took in one of the most incredible views. I sat hanging over the edge on one of the rocks staring down at hawk soaring below us, Ruggles had pointed the bird out.
After continuing on to the Pinnacle there was very minimal elevation, if any left. From pulpit rock it was mostly level, some parts were rocky so there was still some climbing left to do. We hiked around the rim, conversing and nerding-out the whole time. When we got to the Pinnacle we sat down and each unloaded our packs to see what kind of goodies everyone had brought. Andrew had woken up early that morning and cooked a couple of whole steaks. He brought utensils and condiments and so in addition to the PB&J, I scarffed down a steak sandwich with mustard, it was delicious! There was also granola bars, trail mix, apples, avocados, and crackers to munch on, but I just went for sandwiches. I finished my lunch first and lay down on one of the rocks at the edge. I closed my eyes for maybe five minutes. If I had laid there any longer I would have fallen asleep for sure. We packed up our bags and debated strolling down the AT or back tracking the rim trail (to clarify it was 4.25 one way, 8.5 round trip). Ultimately, we chose the path back to the car.
We retraced our steps and found ourselves back at the car in a jiffy. We stopped at the bottom of the Valley Rim trail to play in a stream and cool off. This was the first hike this year that I wore my bandana and it was totally worth it. I was sweating like crazy from this trip. We left the park only to realize that Andrew had left his shades at the stream, so he went back to get them. On the ride home we got stuck in traffic going south on 476 for over an hour. I had just passed the Lansdale exit, which means there was no other exit for more than ten miles until the tolls. All I could think about was shutting off the engine and taking a nap, the gridlock was excruciating, but we survived. To end the day Ruggles and I celebrated with a burrito from Chipotle!
I could not ask for a better day, the sun was shining and I was on cloud nine! I hope to top this trail, but I promise it will be tough.
Wow those rocks look even more serious than the riverbed we climbed through! I'm glad I left that one up to the experts. Sounds like the view (and food) was worth it ;)
Wow those rocks look even more serious than the riverbed we climbed through! I'm glad I left that one up to the experts. Sounds like the view (and food) was worth it ;)
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