Date: 2023-04-03
From: Gravel Spring Gap, Skyline Dr mile 17.7

To: Elkwallow Wayside
Miles today: 5.9

Maybe I should tell you about the Shenandoah National Park, for those of my friends and family who aren't familiar with it. It's a long, narrow park located in northern Virginia. It's 105 miles long, north to south, and only maybe five miles wide at its widest. It runs along the spine of a line of mountains, staying at a pretty high altitude the whole way. The main feature of the park is the Skyline Drive, a two lane road that curves along with slight uphill and downhill slopes, and overlooks on each side all along the way. To the west is the beautiful Shenandoah river valley spread out below, with more mountains in the distance, on the other side of the valley. To the east is another valley, just as beautiful, dotted with farms and fields, small towns and homes, and more mountains beyond. If this valley has a name, I'm sorry I don't know it. There are no commercial businesses, gas stations, etc, in the park, it's completely natural and unspoiled. The AT runs the whole length of the park, roughly parallel to the Skyline Drive, and actually crosses it multiple times. Most of the time on the AT, you can't see or hear the road, but sometimes you can. The speed limit on the Skyline Drive is 35 mph (or less) and most cars are compliant. There are too many hazards to go faster: curves, deer (lots!), bicycles, hikers, and everyone driving slowly from overlook to overlook to see the gorgeous views. There are a few campgrounds along the way, a couple of camp stores, restaurants, and lodges, all tastefully blending into the scenery. Not all of them are open for the season yet. The AT is like the AT outside of the park, marked with white blazes, sprinkled with shelters (which are called huts instead of shelters, but they're the same.). The park also has its own set of trails to scenic spots and sometimes they cross or are even the same as the AT for short stretches. So seeing dayhikers, families, kids, is common, especially close to parking areas, and on the weekends. But the long stretches of AT between highlights is secluded and sparsely populated, just like everywhere else. It's a truly beautiful place to be, and I love seeing all the families, the kids running and jumping and climbing, not attached to screens. We're set up at Big Meadows campground in the park. We have a big six person tent with cots and mattresses, so we're pretty comfortable. We have a picnic table and a cooler, we're right across from a bath house. Showers are coin operated, $2.50 for five minutes! And there's a laundry room. St Mike makes electricity every day with his little solar panel and uses it to keep everything charged up, not that I ever have phone service. Verizon used to be the best on the trail, now I think it's the worst. He's able to keep his e-bike charged up, on which he rides around the park while I'm hiking. His favorite thing is to zoom down the six mile all-downhill stretch to the park's northern entrance and let me drive down to pick him up. No pedalling required!Funny story about the tent: this is the first time we've used it. We love it because it's very roomy, big enough to walk around in, and especially because it's so tall!  No need to stoop. When we set it up in our yard at home and saw the height I casually said that the height was great, but could be a problem in windy weather. Well, that seemed like a far-off possibility at home, but last night we were in it. We went to bed pretty early and the wind picked up and sounded like a tornado, the way the tent was flapping and blowing. It was scary. Mike went out to secure the stakes, risking his life I thought, and came back in to report that people were still sitting around their campfires, kids were playing, etc.  On to today's hike! Yes, I did walk today. The weather was perfect for hiking, cool and sunny, and the trail was so beautiful. The trees are not leafed out at all up this high, so I'm in full sun on the trail. I'll have to get some sunblock. Down in the valley there are some leaves, but not as much as at home. The redbuds and forsythia are just coming into full bloom down below, but up here it looks like winter. My eyes are starved for some green so the occasional stands of mountain laurel are a welcome sight. No rhododendrons to be seen either.  I had no trouble with my nearly six mile walk today, except that it's hard. I ended at Elkwallow Wayside for the day, which is a camp store and grill, but it hasn't opened for the season yet. There were five or six cars in the parking lot though, probably belonging to hikers. A high-maintenance type woman stopped, got out of her car, and walked briskly toward the building. I was sitting there waiting for St. Mike, so I called to her that the store was closed. She was highly annoyed. "But there's cars here!" she snapped. " Why would cars be here if it's closed? ". "Probably hikers." I replied, quite calmly. "Hikers! What are they doing here?!" ( Read that in a voice dripping with disdain.)"Hiking?" I ventured.She practically growled in anger and resentment, jumped back into her car, and sped off.  Hikers!!