I had NO idea what to expect and I love, love, love Shenandoah National Park!
I arrived in the later hours of the night so I missed the beautiful scenery on my way in but when I woke up the next day, I was surrounded by such a beautiful place.
I’m not even sure where to start…
One of the highlights for me is the abundance of trails to hike… There are many points in Shenandoah that the Appalachian Trail crosses so I have seen hikers who have been been “on” the trail for months and there was something special about walking a few portions of the trail myself!
I joined an AMC hiking group on Saturday and was guided for over 8 hours by a super knowledgable guide that took us into 2 different cascading waterfalls with so many spectacular views along the way.
I was able to spend the entire day with a small group of people who were committed to social distancing and wearing masks {yes… while hiking!} and all bonded so quickly. {we’ve exchanged contact info and plan to connect again if our paths cross}
We even came across 2 ladies {in the woods} who had set up hammocks and were hula-hooping, dancing, and playing music… {like who does this?!? …in the middle of a Nation Forest!} I LOVED seeing them and we stayed to watch for quite a while. I also took a video and a few pics. 😊
I think I could have left Shenandoah after the hike and felt super satisfied but Shenandoah actually had more surprises for me… The next morning when I woke up, I decided to take my scooter for a ride thru the scenic highway {at sunrise} and I saw a double rainbow!!
I saw the first rainbow 🌈 …{did I mention it was AT sunrise?!?} I have never seen a sunrise rainbow before and then immediately I saw the 2nd one… 2 rainbows!!! 🌈 🌈
Here are a few pics from this place… I’m, sure there will be more surprises before I leave.
If you can… Get out to explore the beautiful nature around you and look for ways to keep it protected. {I almost forgot to mention that we did trail clean up while we hiked 😊 … It wasn’t really a formal thing… we just picked up trash if we saw it}