Sweet Delight

the fabulous Sara and me

Folks, I'm so very behind on many many posts that I want to share with you all!  It's been crazy at the ol' "day job", and also I'm still battling this never-ending cold!  But I'm happy to finally be sharing this post with you all, from a very special day that I shared two Sunday's ago with my beloved friend Sara.

* Title: song title by Mandalélé

We decided to ditch the city and head out to the country for a hike up Old Rag in the Shenandoah Mountains {about 1.5 - 2 hours outside of DC}.  We set out from the city around mid-day, stopped for some provisions {food} and by the time we rolled up to the parking area at the trail head it was nearly 2:30pm.  

On our drive to Old Rag - doesn't this look like a painting? I just love the fence and all the colors.

The park rangers informed us that the hike ahead of us was 9+ miles and would take around 4-5 hours, which would be cutting it very close to getting back down the mountain before dark.  Throwing caution to the wind, we said fuck it and headed up the hill.

The mountain was an amazing wash of color and freshness as the leaves were getting ready to turn for the fall.  It was drizzling on and off throughout the day so we weren't sure what to expect along the trail, especially considering the 1+ mile stretch of trail they call the "granite scramble" which, we were repeatedly told, can be pretty grueling when the trail is wet.  Nonetheless we battled onward and upward.

The first signs of fall.

Spring still holding on to the last of it's days.

The trail was tough in spots but mostly it was just endless views of stunning sky and lush landscapes!  We were so all about "girl power" we had a blast pushing each other along, upward, onward, forward!

This image is actually four images taken in sequence and then layered on top of one another!  LOVE!  This totally captures the majesty of the sky that day.

About a mile before we reached the peak we crossed paths with park ranger Bob Look {haha, yep, that's his real name! :} who gave us tips about traversing marker R30 and gave us these little lights because, as two city-girls, we only had our cell phones to light the trail once it got dark {which wasn't too far off at this point}.

The view from nearly the summit of Old Rag back down the trail.  This is the granite scramble, although this picture doesn't do the trail justice AT ALL!  This is about 3 miles worth of winding, narrow, exciting rock trail in this shot.  Amazing colors!

Big sky behind little Sara {on top of the boulder}

Onward, upward, forward we climbed, right over R30 and to the summit where it actually snowed on us!! It was thrilling, and freezing; but luckily we were prepared for the freezing part.     

More amazingly, powerful sky

Like two girls, we chatted the whole time, about life, love, loss, the future and we arrived back at the car as the sun was just dipping behind the last of the mountains. We headed home through Sperryville, VA and stopped at the Thorton River Grille and this AWESOME all-girl Sperryville band, Mandalélé, was playing.   and they totally rocked. 

From their Facebook page: {which perfectly describes their music and also the kind of day Sara and I had} "Mandalélé is the collaborative creation of three musical maidens and lyrical song poets whose magical weaving of delicate textures convey the listener on journeys that range from deep introspection and reflections on the beauty of nature to joyful expressions of life."  

I wish this picture didn't turn out so crummy. I contemplated not including it but these gals so totally rocked, and they were such an unexpected surprise ending to our fabulous day, that I had to give them props.

RAWR, Sara; I love your awesomeness!