"What an exhilarating scramble this was! At least it was for me, a relative novice when it comes to rock scrambling. The conditions were optimal for taking on something like this on a late-December day. Very little wind and minimal ice. Otherwise I would have settled for taking the relatively benign AT both ways instead of just on the way back. 360-degree views await those who choose the more challenging route. The 180-degree viewpoint that can easily be accessed by the standard route was fairly underwhelming by SNP standards, and the actual highpoint was even more obstructed by trees. After my awesome experiences on Tibbet Knob and Bearfence Mountain today, I must say that I'm starting to prefer scrambling to regular uphill hiking -- as long as the rocks are stable and not dangerously loose! " — theascent • Dec 22, 2019

"Stony Man is the second-highest peak in Shenandoah National Park and the northernmost 4,000-footer in the Blue Ridge mountain range. Thanks Wikipedia for helping me write my intro! I opted for the shorter, easier route from the Skyland area because I was pressed for time and wanted to get my $30 money's worth (that's how much it costs to get into the national park these days). I figured, if I could squeeze in three hikes before sunset, I could somewhat live with the $10/hike price tag. After all, I often spend that much or more on lunchtime meals during the workweek! The hike itself was unmemorable besides this being my first real hiking experience on the famous Appalachian Trail. I had previously walked a short distance on the AT (a few hundred feet on Mount Greylock's summit) earlier this year, but I won't count that. " — theascent • Dec 22, 2019

"This was my fourth summit today and my sixth in the last 48 hours. That's in addition to four miles of non-peakbagging trails that I completed in Pennsylvania the day before. Exhaustion was starting to set in at this point, resulting in me taking longer breaks than I normally would have on the 700-foot incline of Shenandoah National Park's highpoint. There was plenty of room to spread out in the expansive summit area. That was a blessing because it was crowded with people, some of whom spent a good part of the afternoon hogging the small viewing platform that was not much bigger than an elevator lift! " — theascent • Dec 22, 2019

"Excellent hike and scramble! My buddy and I arrived at the lower lot around 7:30 AM and completed the loop before noon. The trail was already busy by the time we started, but that said, there weren’t too many hold ups. Old Rag’s extensive scrambling sections and multiple false summits made this climb much more enjoyable (and challenging) than I was expecting. After reaching the true summit (which satisfyingly is a boulder with beautiful, 360-degree views) a round of photos and celebratory Yuenglings ensued, capping off this memorable climb. Oh, and shout out to the dude who lugged a 20 or so pound bolder up the mountain!" — tylerdelia • Nov 9, 2019

"Short but enjoyable scramble from the Bearfence trailhead parking lot. The true summit is wooded and not much by the way of views. There are however excellent views to be had along the main scrambling section. This was my second scramble of the day following a full climb of Old Rag. Tackling both of these popular Shenandoah peaks in one day made for a nice variety of climbing experiences. Old Rag features long sections of rounded out granite that one can hop about on in many areas, whereas Bearfence has jagged ridges of greenstone that require a bit more of a crawl. All in all, this was a great climb to end a day with." — tylerdelia • Nov 9, 2019