Whiteoak Canyon - to the Upper Falls, May 13-15, 2016

Our friends were visiting Luray in their Airstream this past weekend, so we decided to do a hike with them. We always enjoy our time in the woods with them. We've done several hikes with just the couple and a few with their kids as well.

After narrowing down the choices, we decided on Whiteoak Canyon to the upper falls. It's been raining a LOT here in the mid-Atlantic, so we figured if there were ever a time to do a hike that involved waterfalls, now would be the time.

We drove up Skyline Drive in our beloved Shenandoah National Park to the Skyland area. There was still a ton of parking at the trailhead, which was nice.

The first thing we noticed about Whiteoak Canyon was that it was a pretty easy decline. It got steeper as we went, but never anything crazy. The hike back out was tiring though! We decided at around 2.3 miles to turn the party around. Apparently we didn't make it to the "big" falls, but I think we were all happy with what we saw. I'd definitely recommend hiking poles for the way back up if you have them. By the time we hit mile 4.25 or so, I was D O N E. I think if I had my poles, I would've been feeling a bit better.

We crossed Limberlost a couple of times - that's on our list to hike at some point as well.

Look carefully - there are 3 snakes in there

We had a bit of a reward waiting for us after the hike!

Gluten Free Smith Island Cake from Triple Oak Bakery. Delicious!

Seasonal Again - First Hike of the Year

This year, we decided to seasonal at the Luray KOA again. We've got a couple of trips planned, but for the most part, we'll be in Luray. So, you probably won't see too many campground reviews this year... again. When we do go elsewhere, we'll (I'll) do a write up. I'm going to try to be better about blogging our weekend adventures - when they're interesting enough to blog. For instance, when we go hiking, exploring towns, or discover a cool place we'd like the world to know about.

This year, I'd really like to get some hiking in. We didn't do nearly enough of it last year and I was regretting it. In order to track our accomplishments on this goal, I decided to create a spreadsheet. Because you know, everyone has a "to hike" spreadsheet.

Our first hike of the season was on April 17. We decided to head into Shenandoah National Park (SNP) and south on Skyline Drive to the Big Meadows area. Once we parked at Big Meadows Visitor Center, we had a choice to make: Story of the Forest Trail or Big Meadows.

After talking with the park rangers in the center, we decided on Story of the Forest Trail for this visit. It's a 1.8 mile loop, with the last .8 miles being paved. There's one slight incline, but the rest is pretty flat. It's a great "beginner" hike - and great for getting back into the hiking mode! There was only one group of people behind us, which was nice. Apparently this trail can get kind of busy during the months when there are higher numbers of visitors.

The day after our visit to SNP, we learned that a firefighter from our home area was suspected to be lost in the park. There was also a fire that was started in the backcountry about 40 miles further south from the area we were hiking. It was a sad week for the park. The firefighter was found, unfortunately not alive. The fire continues to burn, but is almost contained. It's burned over 10,000 acres in the time it's been burning. The fire was in an area that hasn't been burned in over 20 years, so there was a lot of fuel for it. The one good thing about the fire is that there will be a lot of new growth!

Looking forward to our next hike!

Look very closely & you'll see the deer