I know I’ve written before about how Andy and I are slowly trying to get our adventurous son, Lysander the cat, to not only go on hikes with us but to want to go on hikes with us. He’s been on trails at the High Bridge, Blue Ridge Tunnel, and Powhatan State Park, but I have larger dreams. Let me paint the beautiful image in my mind: Andy and I pull our large backpacks from the closet, preparing to hike a long trail where we have to camp overnight along the way. Ly runs up and screams … and screams … and screams to join us because he knows what adventure those packs mean, and he’s ready. He steps into his harness the moment we ask if he wants to go on a hike.
I need to pause here to tell you this dream is not so far-fetched — Lysander already runs to the door and screams … and screams … and screams to go outside on walks. In fact, one of his favorite buttons (yep, buttons to communicate — more in posts later) is ‘walk.’ Further, Ly already steps into his harness if we dangle it in front of him because he understands his walk request is about to come true. In my mind, I only need to bridge the knowledge-gap between ‘walk’ and ‘hike,’ and in order to do that Ly needs to hike more.
This takes me to our next hike: Woodstock Tower in Virginia where Andy and I slid a harness around our sweet son before setting off.
Ly battled a bit of car sickness on the way up as this was the first time he had dealt with the many twists and turns of mountains; but being a victim to motion sickness since I was born, I felt it would benefit him to have a bit of fresh air. The good news is Ly loves sticking his little head out the window on slow car rides so this move both distracted and cured him.
Soon, we reached our destination: Woodstock Tower on Massanutten Mountain. To get to the tower, there is an easy trail, which was ideal because Ly could further gain confidence and understanding of hikes. Here’s more about this George Washington National Forest hike:
- Two miles
- 510-foot elevation gain
- Level Two out of Five difficulty
Our hike began on the white-blazed Wagon Road/Nature Trail where Lysander was happy to escape the car and slip into George Washington National Forest.
It was the last day of May, and the air was warm with a cool breeze — a perfect day for a hike.
For the most part, Ly stayed on the trail, though there were times where he would dart off path and into the high plants only to get a face full of dirt, pollen, or spiderwebs, which we’d wipe off before encouraging him to walk between us again.
We took our walk slowly, letting Ly set the pace. Since it was a short trail, the adventure was more about the journey than the destination so the three of us were not in a rush.
Ly seemed to enjoy the tranquility of the hike too because it meant pausing to receive treats to reward great trail-walking behavior …
That calmness was about to change though. The Wagon Road/Nature Trail is one of few in the Woodstock Gap area which is closed to motorized vehicles. However, it does cross over the yellow-blazed Peters Mill Run Trail, which is open to all-terrain vehicles … and of course people zoomed up on ATVs the moment we arrived.
At first, Ly was understandably scared and even in Andy’s arms, he tried to escape. Thus far, forests proved remoteness so he had not expected to find zooming vehicles here. The saving grace though was that the ATV drivers were both kind and curious — They immediately stopped to ask if it was better for them to pass quickly or turn off their ATVs. Not wanting to rush past in a seeming fear, we thanked them and said it would be better if they continued.
“A cat hiking though?!” one said as he popped the vehicle back into gear. “In all the times we’ve been out, we’ve never seen that!” Then he and his friends disappeared down their Peters Mill Run Trail.
Meanwhile, Andy had set our son back on the ground and crouched beside Ly so that Lysander could feel protected and encouraged — This is what we also do when cars pass in the city on street walks. As we listened to the fading ATV roars, Ly slowly gained his courage again, though he did stop more often to assess the area.
Past the earlier disturbance, we did not pass anyone else, which greatly pleased Ly as he moved to take in new smells and watch birds …
Then it was my turn to travel with Ly as we got closer to our destination. By now, he was getting a bit tired so our walk transition back-and-forth between ‘carry’ and ‘hike’ …
A few switchbacks later and we made our way onto the pink-blazed Tower Trail, which lead us to Woodstock Tower …
This tower sits at top Massanutten Mountain, which is one of the highest peaks in the Massanutten Range.
It was constructed in 1935 by the Civilian Conservation Corporation, which was a government-program intended to get America out of the Great Depression by enlisting young men to improve public forests, lands, and parks.
I just happened to blog about earlier in our Great Channels hike. Here’s a quick recap: The 18 to 25-year-old men employed often did not have high school degrees. Further, because it was during the Great Depression, jobs were even harder to find. Therefore, the men were grateful for the opportunity to work. Another plus is that the CCC or Three Cs, as the program was commonly called, came with huge benefits: All men were paid $30 a month (which is equivalent to around $550 a month today — not bad considering their situations); and all men were given three meals a day, beds to sleep in at night, and academic opportunities, and leadership advancement positions with raises.
During the Three Cs run, many fire towers were built — some of which are and are not in operation today.
This Woodstock Tower, though, is one that can still be walked up, and it showcases views of the Massanutten range.
Aiming to see the view, the three of us (or, well, two of us as Ly was carried) climbed the tower. On a clear day, such as this one, the view to the west shows the meandering North Fork Shenandoah River, along with the historic town of Woodstock across the water. (Woodstock attracts history buffs due to its Revolutionary War and Civil War ties, but the town has more history too, such as having the oldest courthouse still in use west of the Blue Ridge Mountains). Looking past Woodstock, George Washington National Forest can also be seen.
To the east, the view is of Woodstock Gap and Shenandoah County, along with the Shenandoah National Park.
There used to be a 360-degree view; however, many large trees have now obstructed visibility to the north and south — which, truth be told, is fine with me.
We did not stay inside the tower long as Lysander was keen to return to the ground. Once his paws touched soil again, he took to leading us back down the trail the way we had come — This, an action he is always glad to do as he knows the return path and feels more comfortable.
With about half a mile left, our little love was completely exhausted so we carried him to the car the rest of the way. Once inside, Ly immediately stretched out on a blanket in the passenger footwell before he slipped into a deep sleep the entire drive home …
