With great pride, I watched as my son presented my daughter with her short white coat—the symbolic start of medical school. We were at Cramton Auditorium at Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, D.C. Now all she has to do is study 24 hours a day for four years, and she can be a doctor too. Then she'll be looking at four years of 70-hour residency workweeks and a few hundred thousand dollars in debt. It's a long road, but prosperity and a fulfilling job are the prize. I always wanted my kids to be productive adults—doctors or teachers. I am so proud of them both.
Since I was already in Washington, I decided to see the Shenandoah Mountains. For years I've read how beautiful they are. Appalachian Trail hikers sometimes call it the most memorable section of the trail. Skyline Drive is renowned as one of the most scenic drives anywhere.
I stayed the week at Bryce Mountain ski resort (yes, a ski resort in Virginia!). Driving around this corner of northern Virginia, I was surprised at the strength of the Southern accents, the vast cornfields, the frequency of Civil War monuments, and the Deep South feel of the place. I had imagined northern Virginia would feel like the Washington suburbs. I was wrong.
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| Chuck the Woodchuck |
One day after work, I did a hike in the George Washington National Forest. The Orkney Springs Trail was a three-hour out-and-back hike up into the hills, possibly crossing into West Virginia. I didn't see a soul. I was hoping to see some wildlife, but instead, I only saw a lot of bugs. Still, I enjoyed walking through the woods in an area I'd never experienced before. Another day, I visited Lake Laura, which turned out to be a small reservoir with a trail around it. A short swim in the clean mountain water was refreshing. And on a third day, I rented a kayak on the Shenandoah River near the confluence of the North and South Forks. It was cool exploring this beautiful place by water.
Of course, the highlight of the trip was visiting Shenandoah National Park. Skyline Drive is amazing. It's one lane each way with frequent pullouts appearing on each side of the road, sometimes looking east, sometimes west—equally spectacular. The road runs for 105 miles, of which I covered the northern 60. There are dozens of hikes for all abilities leaving from trailheads all along Skyline Drive. There's no private development in the park, but there are several camp stores, a few campgrounds, cabins, and a couple of restaurants. I stopped at Skyland and Big Meadows. There must be a million deer in the area, and they all come out to graze on the side of the road at dusk. Go slow if driving at night—I even saw a family of raccoons crossing.
My long hike was the White Oak Canyon Trail. It's a hike down along a cascading river with dozens of waterfalls, places to jump in, and perfect views. Hiking downward for the first half always messes me up—I think it's so easy, and then I'm spent halfway back up. I thought I'd do just the first section, but the waterfalls kept coming and I didn't want to turn back. It must be one of the best waterfall hikes anywhere.
On Friday, I collected my daughter from the train in Culpeper, and we enjoyed a superb dinner in a quaint downtown area. In the morning, we returned to the park to hike the Hightop Mountain Trail to the peak. It's a beautiful hike through the Virginia forest. It didn't feel overly steep, and the summit gave us a great view westward. We were pleasantly surprised that our route wasn't overly crowded. At one point, a deer passed within twelve feet of us. And at the summit, we were treated to a pair of eagles being chased off by a murder of angry crows.
On Saturday, we climbed the Hawksbill Loop Trail to the summit, which is the highest point in the park (4,050 feet). There was a group at the summit around the viewing platform, but it wasn't too bad, and the clouds resisted the urge to block our view entirely. We were hoping for a 360-degree panoramic view, but we were limited to perhaps 270. Not bad! Unfortunately, an older woman had a medical issue—shortness of breath. I hope it was nothing more than that. It was amazing how quickly the park medical crew responded.
Detailed Information
Skyline Drive
White Oak Canyon Trail
Hawksbill Loop Trail
Hightop Mountain Trail
Apartment at Bryce Mountain
Orkney Springs Trail
Shenandoah River Kayaking
Recommendations: Things I'll do next time.
From what I saw, the optimal area to stay when visiting Shenandoah would be Luray. It's a little bit more developed. There's more to do and it's close to the Thornton Gap entrance and the Central Distict area of the park, where some of the best hikes are located.
Old Rag is the best known hike. Got to get in shape for that one!
Tubing on the Shenandoah. Looks like a blast.
More hikes, waterfalls, mountain peaks.
Got to complete the southern 40 miles of Skyline Drive -- Think of all the overlooks!
Itinerary:
Thu Aug 13 .. Fly from Boston to Washington
Fri Aug 14 .. Work remote from Washington .. Ceremony .. dinner to celebrate
Sat Aug 15 .. Great Falls .. furnish apartment .. dinner/drinks
Sun Aug 16 .. Breakfast .. stock up .. drive to Bryce resort
Mon Aug 17 .. Work remote from Bryce .. pool
Tue Aug 18 ..Work remote from Bryce .. hiking .. GW Orkney Springs trail
Wed Aug 19 .. Work remote from Bryce .. Lake Laura
Thu Aug 20 .. Shenandoah NP hiking .. White Oak Canyon waterfall trail
Fri Aug 21 .. Shendoaoah River kayaking .. pick up daughter in Culpepper .. dinner
Sat Aug 22 .. Shenandoah NP hiking .. Hightop Summit? Mary' Rock?
Sun Aug 23 .. Shenandoah NP hiking .. Hawksbill Loop .. drive to DC .. dinner
Mon Aug 24 .. Work remote from Washington .. Fly Washington to Boston
