Over the past few years, I’ve been making a point to check out Appalachian Trail (AT) shelters deemed amazing. I’m not quite sure how I landed on that, but it’s been a fun way to organize trips, especially when I’m able to couple it with stretches of the AT that I haven’t done or that connect areas I’ve hiked frequently. The Jim and Molly Denton shelter was supposed to be quite nice, so that’s been on my list for a while. Throw in a well-timed trillium bloom in the G. Richard Thompson Wildlife Management Area (WMA) and now there’s the makings of a trip.
My original plan was to start at one of the hiking areas in the Thompson WMA and then head up to the AT, ideally timing it so we could see the blooming wildflowers–about 15/16ish miles for the weekend, with roughly 11 on the first day and then five on the second day. That should give us time to set up the shuttle and have a nice walk.
There was a hitch, however, that I learned when I called to check on overnight parking. Yes, you can leave your car overnight but only if you are camping within the WMA’s boundaries. We would not be. Time for Plan B which was to move the starting point to Sky Meadows. That bumped up the mileage to 14ish miles for the first day. A bit longer than advertised, but still a good LM outing.
Shuttles are always logistically complicated with cars and people and making sure people don’t forget the keys. (Not speaking from experience.) We proved to be masters of the shuttle set-up with some of the most efficient parking and getting things situated at the endpoint (the AT trailhead parking on 522). From there, we zipped over to Sky Meadows, getting there ahead of schedule.
It’s so nice when a plan comes together.
Check-in at the visitors center took a little longer than expected, but we registered the cars we were leaving overnight and then made our way to the overnight parking lot at Sky Meadows. The lot is gated so there’s a code, changed weekly, that you need to use to enter the lot. Attempt 1 fails. Maybe we entered it wrong? Attempts 2 and 3 fail. Maybe we need to wiggle the handle more? Subsequent attempts fail.
Fortunately, the overnight lot is by the entrance station, so I run over for help. We get another code. Still not working. Code #3 is the charm. Finally, we are in!
With all of that, we started hiking much later than I intended but spirits were high as we navigated our way through Sky Meadows, enjoying its lovely Piedmont views, and then finally meeting up with the AT. We had a nice lunch break at the intersection. From there, it was AT all the way to the Denton shelter.
First, a general note that this is an especially nice section of the trail. From Sky Meadows to Thompson WMA, there’s a long, steady descent and then a steady climb to the ridge. Not too many trilliums in this first stretch, but the area was lush and green. It’s a nice walk, particularly at this time of year.
As I started my descent to the Manassas Gap shelter, I realized that the day was slipping away faster than I intended—and that mileage was trending a little higher than I originally estimated when I redid the route. I was estimating that we’d probably wind up being a little over 15 miles for the day, which was my original mileage for the entire trip. Also, I realized that starting an LM trip at midday with 15 miles to cover might not be the best introduction to DC UL. (Or maybe it was?)
Either way, I was guessing that we’d arrive at the Denton shelter later than I intended. Fortunately, everyone was gathered at the Manassas Gap Shelter, so I ran over options quickly—we could keep the original plan or cut it early and camp at the Manassas Gap Shelter.
“We still have plenty of light,” said one.
“It’s too early to stop. We can keep going,” said another.
Me: “The DC UL force is strong with this group.”
And so, we carried on with the plan. We were rewarded with more trilliums and multiflora rose—and rain. It started to rain lightly as we walked along, then a bit heavier. I contemplated wearing my rain jacket but my watch said the rain would stop in four minutes. (Narrator: it did not.)
In a stroke of cinematic timing, the sun came out as we all neared the shelter. Huzzah—we did not need to set up camp in the rain. Tessa declared the shelter to be paradise when she arrived, and we quickly took over the picnic area to enjoy dinner and conversation.
As for the shelter, it is a nice one. A few thruhikers were happily lodged there, but the campsites were open. We did not avail ourselves of the shower. If you’re ever there—and I realize this is an odd comment—the story of Jim and Molly Denton is posted in the outhouse. It’s worth a read to see how much this couple contributed to the trails that we know, love, and enjoy today—it’s a life well lived.
Spirits remained high as we all crossed our fingers that we’d get to see the northern lights and plans were made to set alarms. We did get a light show, although not the one we expected–from about 10:30 to midnight, rain pummeled our tents and lighting lit up the sky. Thunder was uncomfortably close at times.
Everyone stayed dry. Sunday morning, we compared notes on our sleep and then hit the trail again by 8:03 a.m. This was an easy walk out, and another nice stretch–particularly for the first two miles out of the shelter. We were all to the cars around 10:15 a.m.
Our route to reverse the shuttle took us past the Apple House so, obviously, we needed to stop and enjoy a hearty meal. We only needed two tries this time to open the gate at Sky Meadows. From there, it was time to head home.
All in all, this was a nice route and very well-timed to enjoy the wildflowers along the trail. Even though it did cost us some time, it was nice hiking through Sky Meadows so I’d still consider it as a starting point and just plan on the additional time for check-in. I had contemplated starting at Ashby Gap so that’s another option to consider–roughly the same mileage.
Mileage-wise, we did land just over 15 miles for the first day and about five for the second – so my advertised 15/16 mile trip wound up being in the 20/21 mile range. As I noted to the group, one of DC UL’s original mottos was “our margin of error is larger than your average day hike.” Consider me old school.
Congratulations to new members Alyssa, Tessa, Sarah, and Albina! We look forward to seeing you on the trails with DC UL again soon!
Featured Image Credit: Trisha
DC UL Backpacking 
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