Foggy but Pleasant

My friend Doug suggested taking a hike together this weekend a few days ago, and I thought it was a good idea.  Saturday was his birthday so we picked Sunday.  As fate would have it, Saturday was a picture-perfect bluebird day, and Sunday was rainy and foggy.  I had selected a hike in Shenandoah NP, but the rain looked heavier up that way, so Doug suggested Mount Pleasant.  The rain looked a bit north of there, and it was.  Other than a few drops now and again, the weather was just intensely foggy and humid.  The spectacular views on top of 4,000 foot Mount Pleasant were obscured by fog.  This is a nice, moderate 6.2 mile circuit hike, and was my third time doing it.  I'll be back!  For one thing, I found a great campsite about a half mile from the summit, and maybe a 10 minute (steep) walk from water.

Here is the track, hiked counter-clockwise.  The purple star marks the west summit of Mount Pleasant.  We didn't bother hiking to the east summit, as there was no view in the fog.

I don't have an elevation profile, but I am guessing we had about 1,300 feet of elevation gain and loss, moderate but not extreme.

Here are some photos of our foggy day:

The first mile is level and very mellow!

My friend Doug takes a short break, surrounded by this plant which I didn't try to identify.

This big maple looks ghostly in the fog.

Summit at 4,000 feet!

What a view from the top of Mount Pleasant!

(I couldn't resist - here is the view when it is not foggy!)

This spider web looks bejeweled, doesn't it?

This would be a great campsite for a future trek, as long as one doesn't mind going a ways for water.

This was my fifth hike in this area, and I always seem to find at least one amazing mushroom.

We saw many beautiful wildflowers along the trail.

Yes, it was not the best weather for a hike (highs in the 60's F. in Virginia in July?  Really?) and we almost talked ourselves into staying home, but I am very glad we got out there and got in some trail miles in a beautiful area.