I Rode to Skyland!

Hogback Mountain Overlook

This Skyline Drive bike ride will go down as one of the most scenic rides I will ever take.  It was absolutely beautiful outside with 65 degree temperatures, "just" past prime foliage, clear skies and few people.  This was also a ride that was on my to-do list, but then off due to the difficulty, then back on.  It's now "off" my to-do list because I did it.

I could not have ridden so far without the stellar ride support provided by my mom.  She drove the car ahead to each overlook, worked on her Christmas cards, and waited for me.  Then we'd be off for the next overlook.  She was carrying all the supplies in the car to make the trip far easier for me.

We started off about 9:15am on Veteran's Day at the north entrance of Skyline Drive in Front Royal.  The north section can be summed up as a ridiculous 18 mile climb.  My goal was to make the Hogback Mountain overlook at mile 21.  Surprisingly, I set my sights too low because we reached Hogback in about 2 hours.  There was considerable 2nd gear riding averaging 7-8 mph.

Here is the elevation chart:  http://bikewashington.org/routes/skyline/   You can click through the sections to get a feel for the pain.

A couple notes along the climb are that it's very strange to be riding your bike while looking down a mountain and seeing hawks circling.  I've never ridden so high before.  Also, riding gives you the opportunity to really absorb the surroundings.  You get a very intimate look at what's around you, including every chipmunk scurrying at the side of the road, every little stream seeping out of the sidewall rocks, and the sounds of the forest around you.

After Hogback, the next stretch is a 4 mile descent past Matthews Arm Campground and Elkwallow Gap.  My teeth were chattering due to the 40 mph ride down and the sweat turning to icicles on my back.  No worries as I was quickly climbing once again.

There is some relief from the crazy climbing while getting to the Thorton Gap Entrance.  This is where you can get to Skyline Drive from Rt 29/211.  There's a cool little tunnel to ride through which kind'a scared me because I didn't have a light and I was hoping not to be bounced against the inside walls by a passing car or truck.

The next ~11 miles started to take a bit of a physical and mental toll.  This climb goes from 2280' to 3664' feet with very little relief along the way.  At the top is Skyland, named very appropriately.  It's the highest point along Skyline Drive.

It's difficult to actually express what it feels like to be climbing that high after already tackling the earlier part of the ride.  So, I just encourage everyone to go on out and experience it for yourself :-)

Mom and I had a very nice time at Skyland viewing the overlook, drinking coffee made by the Skyland barista, and looking at the sites.  At this point it was about 4pm and we decided this was an excellent place to call it a day.

We drove home and met Michelle and the kids at Outback Steakhouse for a hearty post-ride meal.  Steaks were the meal of choice!  It was a very good day.

Statistics

3 hr 45 min riding time / 5 hr 30 min duration 

11.3 mph average

42.8 miles

42 mph max

Posted in: bike