Shawl Gap/ Sherman Gap hike

Well, Saturday still proved to be a bit humid and warm, but better than it had been. I was able to sleep in a bit more than past hikes and still get to the trail head by 0715. I geared up and was off. The trail starts at Elizabeth Furnace in the George Washington National Forest near Front Royal. The ruins of the old furnace are a nice thing to check out This remains my favorite place to go for hiking, camping and picnicking. Passage Creek flows through this area and offers numerous swimming holes to cool off in.
The trail was wet from the previous night thunder storms and was a tad uncomfortable as the trail started very overgrown. Despite rain, Passage Creek was a bit lower than I had seen it before, a testimate to the lack of rain lately. Once I started climbing Massanutten Mountain the trail was better. I forgot how much of a workout this trail is. Still, it allows for a decent pace with normal rest times. I had seen a bear on this trail last year on my return from Buzzard Rocks, and was hoping for a repeat appearance. Not to happen. The trail has a number of nice switchbacks with stones steps and is really nice to hike on. There are some interesting boulder fields and rock formations on the way up as well. I made the summit and intersection of trails in just over an hour.
From here I headed south along the Massanutten trail riding the top of the Mountain for the next two plus miles. The trail swayed back and forth over the summit as it did on Kerns Mountain last week. There were a couple of views to the east and the Shenandoah Mountains and valley below, and to the east of Meneka Peak and Fort valley below. Unfortunately, full leaf coverage and haze obscured a great many views, which was disappointing. This hike would be wonderful for views in early Spring or late Fall and Winter. At a number of spots along rocky patches on the summit, Poison Ivy has completely engulfed the trail...I hate Poison Ivy. I was too far out to turn back, so I carefully stepped my way through it. Hopefully I remain unscathed. There was one last sharp climb to another peak before descending to the next trail intersection. I could see this next prominence from the trail as something to look forward to. The terrain varied a lot up this peak, from Pine forest to scrub, to nice hardwood. Nice mix. A couple of slight views made it a nice climb.
I reached the intersection for the Sherman Gap Trail. From here, I continued on so as to get out to a prominence on the Mountain with apparent overlooks of "The Point", an area of one of the curves of the south fork of the Shenandoah River. The trail to this point was about a half mile further from the intersection I was at. I was disappointed with this part of the trail as it had three different colored blazes on the tree, plus markers from the "Old Dominion 100" long distance race, and still other markers hung by a stable group for their horse walks. It all added up to looking like garbage to me. Anyway, the hike out to the spot mentioned also entailed a sharp little climb. I was soon offered views back along Massanutten Mountain and looking at the peak I had last climbed and the valley of to the east. The trail followed the ridge top, which was exposed to glaring sun. It was pretty hot. The path was choked with wild blueberries but, unfortunately, they still had about another week or so before they would be ripe. There was enough to keep quite a group of hikers happy. I reached the spot for the overlook, but it entailed some bushwhacking through the scrub. Not too bad. The view was very nice, though obscured from leaf cover. I sat for a while and then headed back.
Reaching the intersection for the Sherman Gap trail again, I headed down Massanutten Mountain and my way back to the car. The trail was steep and rocky, making for an uncomfortable journey down. Rocks were frequently loose, causing a few slips here and there. Eventually, the trail's descent became more gradual as it ran north along the lower mountain side. I stopped along the way for lunch and assess the water situation. My hydration pack was empty , but I still had my 2 outboard bottles. I made some Gatorade and pressed on. I eventually came to the intersection with the Botts Trail and my next route. The trail is marked by a small stone memorial to Mr. Botts who was the founder of the OD 100 and maker of the trail. I was not impressed after all the blazes as I noted earlier. Botts Trail follows along Passage Creek and returns to the picnic area at Elizabeth Furnace. I started passing more hikers on the trail and kids playing in the creek. The trail spills out to a parking lot and back to the car where I was parked. It was nice to be finishing up earlier than I had been the past couple of hikes. I considered a dip in the creek, but I wanted to get home. Not a problem, I know I'll be back again soon.