Since I was already in Washington, I decided to see the Shenandoah mountains. For years I've read how beautiful they were. Appalachian Trail hikers sometimes call it the most memorable section of trail. Skyline Drive is renown 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 corn fields, the propensity of civil war monuments and the deep south feel of the place. I had imagined northern Virginia to feel like Washington suburbs. I was wrong.
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| Chuck the Woodchuck |
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 Mariana's 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 Mariana in Culpepper .. dinner
Sat Aug 22 .. Shenandoah NP hiking w/ Mariana .. Hightop Summit? Mary' Rock?
Sun Aug 23 .. Shenandoah NP hiking w/ Mariana .. Hawksbill Loop .. drive to DC .. dinner w/ Francisco
Mon Aug 24 .. Work remote from Washington .. Fly Washington to Boston
One day after work I did a hike in the George Washington National Forest. Orkney Springs Trail was a 3 hour out-and-back up into the hills, possibly crossing into West Virginia. I didn't see a soul and I was hoping to see some wildlife, but instead I only saw a lot of bugs. Still, I enjoyed walking through the woods in this 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 by 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 viewing areas appearing on each side of the road, sometimes looking east, sometimes west; equally spectacular. The road runs for 100 miles, of which I covered the northern 60. There are dozens of hikes, for all abilities leaving from trailheads all over Skyline Drive. There's no private development in the park, but there several camp stores, a few campgrounds, cabins, and a couple of restaurants. I stopped at Skyland and Great 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; you may run over a raccoon.
My long hike was the White Oak Canyon trail. It's a hike down along a cascading river. Dozens of waterfalls. Places to jump in. Perfect views. Hiking downward the first half messes me up. I think it's so easy and then I'm spent half-way back up. I thought I'd do just the first half, but the waterfalls just kept coming and I didn't want to turn back. It must be one of the best waterfall hikes anywhere.
On Friday I collected Mariana in Culpepper 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 of Hightop Mountain. It's a beautiful hike through the Virginia forest. It didn't feel overly steep and the views from the summit gave us a great view westward. We were pleasantly surprised our route wasn't overly crowded. At one point a deer passed within twelve feet of us.
On Saturday we climbed the Hawksbill Loop trail to the summit of Hawksbill Mountain, the highest point in the park. There was a group at the summit around the viewing platform, but not too bad. And the clouds resisted the urge to block our view entirely. We were hoping for a 360-degree panoramic view, but were limited to perhaps 270. Not bad! Unfortunately, an older woman had a medical issue, shortness of breath. I hope 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!
