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By Rebekah Stone
Rappahannock News Staff Writer
Yes, it’s hot out there.
But temperatures in the nearby Shenandoah National Park are an average of 10-12 degrees cooler than they are here. And with refreshing mountain breezes and gurgling streams, the sticky heat is kept at bay.
Besides, the heat isn’t much of an excuse for not getting out on the trail, anyway. People travel from all over the eastern seaboard to tackle hikes like the legendary Old Rag Mountain and the falls of White Oak Canyon.
Both within an hour’s drive, they’re at the fingertips of Fauquier residents.
Ragged out
Considered the most spectacular day hike in the midAtlantic region, and perhaps the entire East Coast, getting up Old Rag Mountain is no easy Sunday stroll.
For starters; the round-trip walking distance is eight miles - much of it, of course, uphill. The trail, marked by blue blazes, winds up the side of the mountain through peaceful forests and beside enormous boulders - just to give hikers a taste of what’s to come.
The entire peak of Old Rag is comprised of huge rocks, jutting skyward. But this time, hikers don’t get to simply pass by the boulders. To reach the peak, almost a mile of rock scrambling is necessary.
No climbing equipment or experience is needed, but climbers must thread their way through a maze of granite
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