Day 2

Everyone was up and moving at 6:30 AM to start packing and getting ready for the day. Jake and Jimmy were ready to go and we all loaded up in their car and were on the move by 7 AM for our 1 hour 45 minute drive to the trailhead at 4250 Hayters Gap Rd. We stopped for a quick McDonald’s breakfast about halfway there and then were on our way. The drive in was a pleasant drive through some small towns and windy roads. We arrived at the trailhead around 9 AM and were on our way soon after. The parking lot already had 5 or 6 cars in the 10 spot lot so we were happy we had an early start to the day.

The weather was chilly in the morning but it was a beautiful day and we were all geared up. The trail started off nice and easy on a gravel road. Claire enjoyed the easy start and made it most of the first mile all by herself and had a great time. We found a nice play by play of the hike to guide our trip so we always had a good grasp of where we were which helps the day go by (https://www.hikingupward.com/JNF/GreatChannels/images/Map.pdf).

Once we got halfway in the trail started getting steeper and tougher going and we got Claire in the backpack. Claire and Luke both made out really well in the backpacks for the whole trip. Rachel’s pack was not quite aligned right at first, but a quick adjustment got her all set and she felt great the rest of the hike.

The hike had some interesting rock scrambles, and great views on the way up. It was a fairly steep climb for the second half so we all got a great workout in on the trip. It had rained the past day or so and was getting cold at night so we did have some icy spots on the last few spots up to the top. There was also a beautiful rhododendron tunnel near the summit.

We made it to the summit of Middle Knob around 11 AM and continued on into the channels. It was all our firsts into a slot canyon, a rare site on the east coast. We all had a great time exploring the canyons which were well marked as far as we went with chalk arrows.

After we were done exploring we set up camp at a nice rocky spot on the summit for lunch. Jake and Jimmy had MRE’s for lunch, and we snacked on protein bars, goldfish and tuna on tortillas. We were back on the move headed down the mountain around noon. We all enjoyed the fresh air and views for the trek down the mountain.

Claire and Luke did a great job in the backpacks for the entire trip down. Claire was determined to walk once we got to the gravel road, but once she was down from the pack she immediately realized “her legs were tired” and didn’t make it very far on her own.

We all successfully made it back to the car in good spirits around 1:20 PM. Everyone napped on the way back to the Cabin and we had a relaxing evening playing ball around the cabins. We kept dinner simple with some bean soup from Aldi and Kraft mac n cheese cups.

We ended the night with some Jenga and plans for the next day for a fun hike at natural bridge.