Hi Everyone,
We drove from Carlile, Pa to Shenandoah National Park on Wednesday, April 21st.
Shenandoah National Park and its main feature, Skyline Drive, was mainly built between 1932 and 1942 by about 10,000 CCC workers (Civilian Conservation Corps). A statue at the park headquarters tells of the CCC "boys" and their mission to build the infrastructure of America.
Here is the statue of "Iron Mike" in honor of the CCC "Boys"
That day we explored the first 45 miles of the 105-mile Skyline Drive which winds its way near the top of the mountain range through the park delivering spectacular views of the Shenandoah Valley from numerous overlooks. It was a chilly but nice day and the Redbud trees were in full blow along the highway.
We found a hole in the side of a mountain, that at first, I thought looked like a big dog house. Upon closer inspection, I saw that it went all the way through the mountain, like a tunnel that was made by humans.
A few miles down the road I took Mom and Dad for a hike up the Hawksbill Mountain Trail.
We ate lunch in the parking lot after returning from the top of the mountain and drove a few more miles to another hiking trail. The Blackrock mountain trail took us up to a section of the famous Appalachian Trail, so we hiked about half a mile on that too.
We left around dinner time and spent the night in a hotel in Woodstock, Virginia.
The next day, Thursday, April 22nd, we drove back to the park and hiked to the South River Falls, about 3 miles, with a vertical rise of over 910 feet.
There were many pretty wildflowers along the trail for me to smell and my human parents to enjoy.
The waterfall was about 50 - 60 feet high, but the day was cold and windy.
We drove the rest of the length of the park on Skyline Drive, then left the park so Dad and Mom could go explore a local winery a few miles beyond the end of the park. The Hilltop Berry Farm and Winery had several very tasty fruit wines, Dad and Mom and enjoyed sampling some. We spent the next two nights in Waynesboro, Virginia.
On Friday, April 23rd, we drove back to the national park and hiked the Rose River Loop Trail, down a mountain, followed a bubbling stream called the Rose River, and passed many small and large waterfalls.
The trail was rather steep and rocky in many places.
Rose River Falls
From there, we went on to the Dark Hollow Trail and hiked that for a couple more miles.
There we found numerous small waterfalls, flumes, and rapids.
A very nice lady, who said I was very cute, offered to take a picture of us with the Dark Hollow Waterfall in the background.
After hiking over 4 miles we were tired and went to our new hotel in Harrisonburg, Virginia. to get some rest.
Tomorrow we are heading to West Virginia and plan to explore the newest national park at New River Gorge😃.
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