I'm in a crisis of conscience now. I started out by saying that I would hike all the trails in Shenandoah National Park. The Park claims there are more than 500 miles of trails. I assume this figure has been calculated based on the mileage recorded for all trails listed on the back of the PATC maps. I feel that the Park has actually exaggerated the hiking trail mileage. The problem is that some of these "trails" aren't trails but really roads ... those "well maintained" fire roads, for instance. For some "trails" on the maps, the book states that they aren't meant to be hiking trails (see "Gasline Road" in the Southern section).
I decided on Thursday that I wasn't going to hike the fire roads unless they connected trails because they are either real roads or they are disastrously overgrown roads. If they were trails maintained by the PATC they'd be in good shape. But fire roads aren't maintained by PATC and it shows.
After I got home, Artunus gave me grief because I was not holding true to my original commitment to hike all 500 miles of trails. I also remember way back when the Mt. Marshall Trail used to be a fire road and it was a great trail. So maybe I shouldn't dismiss all the fire roads. Maybe just the road roads that don't connect trails (like the Tanner Ridge Administrative Rd.). Why doesn't SNP help me out by maintaining its fire roads or abandoning them altogether.
OK readers. Here's your chance to weigh in. Please vote for one of the following. Should I a) hike all the trails originally listed (which includes trails plus fire roads of all kinds plus the Gasline Rd.), b) hike all the real "trails" plus only the "fire roads" that connect trails c) hike all the "trails" plus all the "fire roads" except those that are basically roads (except where the "roads" connect trails) or d) hike all the real trails and skip the fire roads? I'm waiting to hear from you.
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