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Shenandoah National Park Appalachian Trail Section Hike | backpacking, back country camping
This blog isn't photography related, AND it's a year late, but I wanted to document the details of our Shenandoah National Park, Virginia Appalachian Trail Hike last year. We backpacked 130 miles in the park in August 2023. Most of these notes were taking along the trail on my phone. I also noted some of the campsites on my journal in italics only because it was very hard to find information about back country campsites online. I also mention some water sources. Hope this helps future hikers!
My husband Mark and I were 48 and 50 when we did our section hike in Shenandoah! We're avid hikers, but we're not your typical fitness kind of people. Our hiking pace is average to slow, but we get the job done and love back country backpacking! I was more excited about this hike but Mark is a good sport! We hiked the Shenandoah section of the Appalachian trail in 9 days. We gave ourselves 10 days just in case, but we went faster than we anticipated.
We drove from Georgia to Waynesboro, VA and parked our car near a grocery store after checking in with the local police department. We wanted to make sure our car was safe to stay there for 10 days. It didn’t cost anything to park there. We arranged for a shuttle with a really kind lady, Susan, to drive us from Waynesboro to our hotel in Front Royal. The shuttle cost us $175. We were worried all night because it was supposed to rain in the morning. We started a couple of hours later than planned since the rain stopped! She picked us up from the hotel and brought us to the trailhead in Front Royal at 9am!
Day 1
We started at 9am in Front Royal hiking southbound. There was light rain but nothing to keep us from getting started. It was a steady uphill hike for about 4 miles!! Finally at 12 o’clock we reached the SNP border. So far we drank one liter of water each. The terrain had been pretty easy steady uphill, and steady downhill, very reasonable. We took a quick .5 mile rt detour to Indian Springs to refill our water and eat lunch. The spring was very good. We filtered our water with a Sawyer Squeeze and ate lunch. We met a couple there, Hannah and George, from England. They were touring the US and doing Shenandoah as their last trip before returning to the UK.
On the way back from the spring, I stopped to pee with my Tinklebell and saw a Whitetail deer. The Tinklebell is the best thing ever for hiking! I don’t have to take off my pack, and pull my pants down! It’s wonderful for privacy a getting the job done quickly! Mark saw a hawk hiking up to Compton Peak. It was a very difficult climb. The overlook is .2 miles off the trail so we didn’t go. There was plenty of flat ground to camp up there but we decided to keep hiking. We’d seen about eight or nine different people on the trail so far on the first day.
About a quarter mile past Compton overlook there was a large camp spot on the right going southbound.
We walked across Compton spring with plenty of water being piped out.
At the bottom of Compton peak there was another campsite. And a small campsite at the bottom of Mount Marshall. We found a wild apple tree. It tasted sour. We found a campsite at the top of Hog Wallow Peak before Mount Marshall at 5:30p. We needed to relax the rest of the evening. We went a total of 11 miles on day one.
Every night when we got to a camp site we would hang our backpacks on a tree and start unloading. We worked together to pitch the tent and get all the sleeping gear arranged. We would boil water for a dehydrated dinner and Mark usually hung the bear bag before bed. Once we got everything done there really was no time for hanging out, playing games. We were so tired every night, we went to bed as soon as the sun went down and woke up when the sun rose! Occasionally we would sit and enjoy the views, but most of the time we were exhausted!
We had ultralight chairs that are very small, but felt so good to sit on after hiking 10-15 miles! We averaged about 2 mph. Slow and steady for us. Breakfast was usually a pack of oatmeal, cliff bar or some freeze dried food.
Making sure we always had enough water was probably one of the most important things on our hike. We were constantly figuring out how much we needed to bring with us and how far we had to go to the next water source. We needed enough to drink, hydrate our food, and wash up before bed. We had three Sawyer squeeze filters and two large smart water bottles for easy access. We also had two 2 liter platypus bladders each. We tried many different ways to fill our bottles and filter them so we always had clean water to drink at all times. It was something we always had to be patient with since water was the most important thing on our hike.
We ate lots of healthy snacks like granola, nuts and jerky. You could really tell how much your body needed fuel when hiking so many miles. The human body is amazing!!
Day 2
We headed towards gravel Springs area at 8:30am. If you cross over Skyline Drive and go up the trail, there are several camp spots at the bottom of Marshall. We woke up and started the hike at 8:30am with 2 liters of water each to get make us take us to the next watering spot. Mark found my trail name only a couple miles into our hike yesterday. He called me “Walkie-Talkie.” We decided to call him “Broke Back Mark” since he’s always hurting. He didn’t love that name though so we waited for another good one to come up! :D
Halfway through the hike on day one I got a weird clicking my knee. It was very painful and on day two it started to hurt pretty bad when I went up the hills. It was manageable pain but it really hurt from time to time. Also, I slept funny on my side so my TMJ in my jaw really, really hurt! We powered through though. I also had a tiny piece of glass in my foot. It was on the arch so I didn’t feel like every time, but every so often I went over a rock I could feel the glass.
While hiking, I felt something on my neck. It felt like something bit me. I brushed it off and it was a centipede. We found blackberries on the trail. Yummy! We often could see piles of poo that had blackberries mashed in it. We definitely thought it was bear poo. There was a side trail that lead to an overlook at the top of Mount Marshall! There were signs that said no back country camping but at the top of Mount Marshall. I saw one campsite right by the Overlook Trail. Another campsite was just a quarter mile down the trail when you descend Mount Marshall. There was another campsite right at the top of Mount Marshall and a beautiful overlook where we stopped for a snack.
I was using the Far Out app and All Trails app to track where we were. I also used the Appalachian Trail book and some resources from the Shenandoah website for water and huts to sleep at. The trekking poles had saved my ankles and from rolling a thousand times! Day one and two I used about 45% of my phone. I kept it in airplane mode and not using it but there was usually cell service on the peeks, which made it easy to communicate and navigate.
There was a campsite right off the trail at South Mount Marshall right next to a beautiful overlook!
We stopped for lunch at an overlook to rest our feet. We passed Gravel Spring Hut trying to make it to Elk Wallow before they closed so we could get a hamburger! We saw a hornet’s nest hanging right over the trail along the way! Whoever said the Appalachian Trail is easy, they don’t know what they’re talking about! This has been a very challenging Hike! I thought it was a hike up and along the ridge line, but it is up and down dozens of mountains. It’s much more challenging than I expected.
I figured out why my jaw hurt so bad. I thought it was how I was sleeping, but I realized that when I’m hiking long distances and breathing so hard, I have my mouth open the whole time. I think it made my jaw fatigued. I started to pay attention to it and tried to close my mouth as much as possible.
We got to the top of Hog Back Peak and along the ridge line was lots of wild blackberries. We nibbled all along the trail. I don’t know how anybody would see a bear up here because I was always looking down at the ground not to trip on rocks!
There was a very nice campsite for several tents at the bottom of Hog Wallow Trail down going towards Elk Wallow. And another few campsites, about 2.5 miles before you get to Ocalla southbound on the left. About another half a mile to a mile going south another campsite on the right
We stopped at Elkwallow Wayside to charge phones, eat a hamburger, and assess where we were at. We ran into our British friends again! We started with about 2 1/2 L of water each and used every bit of it. We restocked at Elkwallow. We decided to take an extra couple miles to make the next couple days easier. Hoping we could find some campsites on the side of the trail. We passed Jeremy's run.
About 1.7 miles past Elkwallow Way Station there was a campsite on the right at the top of the mountain. Got into camp at 6:30. Took a few mins to stretch and went to sleep about 9p. We had a hard night to sleep because we were so achy!
Two things that we have not needed or not used so far is sunscreen and entertainment. The Appalachian Trail is so shaded I really hadn’t been a need for it except for some of the overlooks. We also brought a deck of cards. But we are so tired when we get to the campsite where there has never been time for playing cards.
Day 3
We left camp about 8:45am toward Sugarloaf Mountain. There was another campsite a quarter mile down on the left with a pretty view. About a 1/2 mile down, there was another campsite on the left.
We took the Thornton Trail down to Skyline Drive to get water from the spring and walked Skyline Drive to meet back up with Appalachian Trail couple miles down. We found Thornton Springs to be dried up. When we got to Neighbor Mountain Trail/yellow trail there was no water to be found either! So we decided to walk the road toward Thornton Gap because we were out of water. We stopped at an overlook for a few minutes to rest our feet and had cell service and checked in with the family.
We made it to the Thornton, Gap entrance, the bottom of Mary’s rock, at 1:00p, ate lunch and then started to climb Mary’s Rock at 2:30p hoping to get to Pinnacle’s Picnic area. We made it to the top of Mary’s rock at 4:30p.
There are camping spot just after you come down off of Mary’s rock on the right. It’s right after the no camping sign. Just a few feet ahead there’s another little tiny camping spot on the right with a view, and another spot on the left. Three sites total.
We stopped at Birdsnest Hut to take a break, stretch, get a snack. We ran into our friends from Britain again. We ran into them earlier at Mary’s rock also. We also met a new guy named Mac. He was a 70 year old Vietnam vet. He was very nice but very talkative.
At the top of Pinnacle Peak there was a campsite on the right before the overlook.
We made it to the Pinnacle Picnic area at 7:15pm and got water from the fountain. Not far after the picnic area we found a beautiful campsite with grassy fields and tents sites on the left. The picnic area had water and bathrooms. It was a very wonderful place to camp.
Day 4
We got up and broke camp at 8 AM. There were a few more campsites down from ours. It was a wonderful place. I brought three outfits and about four pairs of underwear. When we got to a bathroom I washed my “number one” bandanna and my sweat towel. I washed one of my pants at a campsite and let it dry overnight. I used a Tinkel Bell to go to the bathroom for most of the hiking. It’s so liberating! My “number one” bandana hung off the back of my backpack to dry and I would wash it when I found a bathroom or when we get to a campsite. Most of the trail is wooded and there wasn’t a lot of open spaces. There were pretty views once in a while but it’s definitely back country and mostly woods. It’s pleasant, but the ups and downs were difficult though.
Mark and I chatted most of the time, but we also had lots of quite time. He was a much faster hiker than me so there were many times he would walk ahead and wait for me to catch up. We only really had one disagreement when I wanted to relax when we go to a camp and enjoy the sunset, but he was in a hurry to set up before the sun went down. It wasn’t a big deal and considering the amount of time we spent together we got along very well!
The weather forecast said it was supposed to storm that night. We were concerned and hunkered down our tent, covered up our backpacks with a tarp and prepared for the worst. A couple hours later it turned out to be light rain in the forecast and by the time it was supposed to hit there was no rain at all. We were very blessed! So far, the only rain we had was on the first day, which was just a drizzle.
We couldn’t decide if we preferred hiking downhill, flat, with rocks, or uphill. They were equally difficult and challenging! Flat with no rocks and soft ground was always welcome!
They say you get your trail legs after the third day. That’s totally true. We really humped it on our third day. We did 15.7 miles total. We were pretty tired, but not as exhausted as we were on day one and two.
I had a bandanna hanging on my shoulder strap in the front. I came in really handy when I was sweating really bad going up hills up and down. Another day I had bad allergies, so it was great for wiping my nose. And it also is wonderful to swat gnats.
I used about 50% of my phone each day. The third night I charged up with my portable charger. I was able to charge it full with only using half of my portable charger life. I did charge my phone in the bathroom for a little while a couple of waysides.
My knee started feeling better on day four. It still hurt but not like it did all day one. It was pretty bad for a couple of days and we really weren’t sure if we could make it the whole way with my knee, but it finally eased up and back to normal thank goodness! The glass in my foot was the same but it was manageable.
Let’s talk about poop: There is a learning curve when pooping in the woods. Finding a private location off the trail and digging a hole is the first thing. Then making sure you have privacy and pulling your pants down so you don’t make a mess on yourself is a trick. Aiming for the hole was a problem for me and I missed every time! I just had to dig around and cover my mess. And, don’t forget, we take everything with us, so after cleaning up, all of the toilet paper and wipes go in a Ziplock trash bag to take out with us. Luckly, we got the hang of it, and there were some priveys and bathrooms along the way.
We ran into our British friends again past Pinnacle said hi, but they were on their way. We were taking our time that day, and a little bit slow. We saw a big rat snake cross the trail in front of us and a couple of wild turkeys. No other exciting wildlife though. Still no bears!
We went out to the Little Stony Face overlook. It was beautiful and very windy!
There are lots of places to camp on the trail towards Skyland on the Appalachian Trail, but not the blue trail.
We had lunch at Skyland Resort. We got there too late for breakfast and too early for lunch dining hours, so we just ate at Starbucks. It was the best sandwich we ever ate! Not sure if it was really that good, or we were just happy to have real food!
We met a family at Skyland Resort that was so excited to hear about our trip. The dad was so interested and asking so many questions! It was the highlight of our day.
We headed to big Meadows. The spring after Skyland was running, but you can get water Skyland so I don’t know why you would need it unless you don’t stop at Skyland.
We found the perfect trail name for mark. He has longer legs and walks faster so he's always ahead of me on the trail. Since he's always in front, he catches all of the spider webs. I even tried walking in the front one time to help him, but since I'm short, he still got webs in the face! So his trail name was "Spiderman."
There was a tiny campsite about eighth of a mile after the spring that crosses the creek trail unless inside of pretty overlook. Another campsite on the left about half a mile past skyline The second spring after Skyland going south on the Appalachian Trail is wet, but not enough to fill a water bottle.
Cut your toenails! I cut mine before the hike, but it still hurt pretty bad. I was wearing Brooks shoes to hike and realized I should have gotten a better hiking shoe. Hiking boots aren’t really necessary, and really heavy. Lots of hikers were wearing Altras. They have more room in the toe and I think that would have helped my toes feel better especially on the downhills. My big toes on both sides really took it bad. And it has taken an entire year for the bruise on my right toe to grow out.
There’s a small campsite on the left at the bottom coming down the trail from Hawksbill summit going south on the Appalachian Trail. There’s a couple more camping spots on Hawksbill mountain. We left Skyland with about 2 1/2 L of water each.
DAY 4-9 BLOG POST CONTINUES CLICK HERE
Shenandoah National Park Appalachian Trail Section Hike | backpacking, back country Part 2
Appalachian Trail Shenandoah National Park, Virginia Section hike PART 2
Day 4 was a harder day for us. We did a 15 miles on day 3 and felt great but day 4 was so hard. We weren’t sure if it was because we did too much the day before, or didn’t get enough sleep. I ate a Reeses for lunch and after a while I must have a sugar spike because I crashed after we started hiking, I had zero energy. It took about two hours for me to get my energy back! It really goes to show what sugar does to your body!
About a half a mile before Big Meadows there’s a good flowing creek that goes across the trail.
We arrived at the lodge at 5:51. We still had over a liter of water left for each of us. We checked in and when the man handed me our room key I literally started crying! I was so excited to sit in a chair, sleep in a bed and take a shower! There was no air-conditioning in the rooms and the bathtub was tiny, but we were so happy to see that teeny tiny bed.
We made it to the dining hall and ordered way too much food. It was so delicious. We met a very sweet couple, Heather and Kevin, who was so interested and excited about our hike. When they left dinner, they left us some money to pay for our dessert! It was so sweet! We still keep up with them on Facebook!
Walking back to the room was so difficult. My feet hurt so bad I was worried that we wouldn’t make it the next day. I massaged my feet for couple hours. Mark walked all the way to the laundry to clean our clothes. It was a big uphill, downhill climb for him seeing as we’re in so much pain already. The laundry was 24 hours, but the store that had detergent closed at 6 PM. Luckily, he ran into Hannah, our British friend, who had extra laundry detergent and let him have some to do one load. The trail had been really great and the overlooks were beautiful. But, by far my favorite experiences on the trail has been meeting the people. You think solitude is nice and you could survive alone, but when you do it for a while you realize how much you miss and desire human interaction.
Day 5
We left big Meadows lodge and walked down to the wayside and stocked up on food and water for the next few days. We left at around 11 AM headed towards Pocosin cabin and were hoping to restock water at Lewis Mountain campground. We decided to take the road to meet up at the Appalachian Trail rather than backtrack back up to the trail. It was really nice to walk on flat pavement for a while.
We got to Lewis Mountain Camp Store and we met a young French man named Corentin. He was a nuclear engineer in the US for a conference and decided to hike the Appalachian Trail. He was from Paris, and was very excited to hike the Appalachian trail. He said that the forest here in the US is very noisy, because where he hikes in the French alps there’s no trees because it’s so high up at about 12,000 feet elevation. He’s not used to hearing birds and squirrels and trees. He was very kind. It rained pretty heavily while we were at the store so we hung out under the porch for a while as the storm passed. It was nice to rest and chat with Corentin.
I wish we had brought come gaiters to keep our feet dry. It never rained on us bad, but after this rain, all of the grass and foliage got wet, so while walking through it, our pants, shoes and socks got wet. Wearing wool socks helped a ton, but it got sloshy.
There were no campsites from Big Meadows all the way to Pocosin cabin. Not a single one. There was a creek .3 miles before you hit Pocosin cabin. It just rained however so it might be dried up at other times. I contacted the Appalachian trail club to reserve Pocosin cabin and Doyles River cabin months before our hike. They mailed me the keys, and I had to mail the keys back after the hike. It was not expensive and I thought it would be nice to have a place to sleep other than on the ground in a tent. Boy I was wrong!
We made it to the cabin at around 530 or so. The cabin was only just about a few yards off the trail. It’s very cute on the outside, but very, very, very creepy and slightly haunted on the inside! It was the most rustic cabin I’ve ever seen. I expected it to be rustic, but not that rustic! I think the worst part of it was the windows were bolted shut, so there was no light. Even in the day it was super dark, and spooky! We relaxed for the evening, rested up and went to bed in the cabin. There were several bunks, but I would only sleep in the same bed with Mark’s because it was sooo creepy! It was very uncomfortable because the mats were saggy, but the worst part was the heat. There was no circulation, so it was so hot. At 11 PM we woke up and decided to set up our tent outside of the cabin to get some airflow. It was so much better!! It was nice to have a place to put our things on the porch and a picnic table just in case it rained, which I didn’t, but definitely don’t want to sleep inside that cabin ever again!!!
Day 6
We woke up about 6:30am and left camp about 8:15am. We like to take our time in the morning! We found our first primitive campsite on the left about a mile 1/2 after Pocosin cabin going south. And another primitive camping area on the left another quarter mile down the mountain. About a mile before the picnic area there was a campsite on the right.
We made it to South River Picnic Area at 10:15am. It was a pretty pleasant hike. We only drank about half a liter of water each. We had some water, a snack, rested up for the next leg of our hike and left at 11am. There was no water at the South River Picnic Area. They had privies but no water.
We walked down to South River Spring which was about .3 miles off the trail. It was just a tiny trickle but there was a pool we could draw from so we were able to fill up our water with no problem. We left the Spring at 12 o’clock and headed up to Saddleback Mountain.
At the top there are some cleared spots that are potential campsites and a small campsite at the bottom of High Top Mountain between the two road crossings.
We saw a deer in the middle of the trail. It was not afraid of us and we kept getting closer to it, but it wouldn’t run away. It just seemed more curious and interested in eating than anything to do with us. We finally got close enough to it that it walked off the trail, but never really ran away.
Another campsite is at the top of High Top Mountain. Before you get to overlook, it’s on the left and kind of secluded. There’s another nice tent spot right after the overlook at the top. There was a spring after the overlook on the left.
We arrived at High Top Hut around 5 PM made dinner and got water from the spring. We didn’t stay though, we wanted to see if we can find another campsite couple miles down the trail and left at 6 PM.
Pinefield Hut says the water is unreliable so we decided to find water the next day at the Ranger Station. There were no campsites coming down from High Top mountain. We finally made it to the Powell Gap overlook and on the East there was a very nice campsite right across from the overlook. We arrived at 7:45pm! We were SO worried we would not find a campsite before dark!
The overlook campsite above Powell gap was absolutely gorgeous. We watched the sun set and also ate breakfast on the rocks with a beautiful sunrise. We slept great. It was the best night sleep I had all week sleeping on the ground. I’m not sure if I was just tired, or if I was getting use to sleeping on the ground. My phone says that we had gone 16.1 miles.
Day 7
We headed down the mountain at 8:20am towards Doyle’s river cabin. 1.3 miles up the mountain there was another 2 campsite on the left.
At Simmons gap, we stopped to get water at the ranger station. We made it to Pinefield hut by 11:30am and ate lunch here. There was a spring that was just a drip but there was plenty of water in the pool below. We really didn’t know if we could trust this water source. That’s why we got some at the Ranger Station.
When you get to the top of the mountain from the Ivy Creek parking area, there’s one campsite on the left.
About a mile before you get to the Lost Mountain Campground there was a creek that you cross. Just above the creek on the right is the campground. That whole day there was a constant high pitched hummmmm in my left ear! The gnats had been terrible!! We noticed when hiking on some of the mountains that on one side it would be stagnant and lots of gnats, but hiking around the other side of the mountain it would be breezy and more pleasant. Every time there was a nice breeze, I would say that breeze feels good and Mark would say, “I’ll take it!” It became a thing.
We took the blue trail to go to Loft Mountain Wayside. It was .5 miles and it’s a flatter trail. There was a big Spring with a pipe at Ivy Creek hut only .1 miles off the main trail and the spring was pouring!
We got to Loft in Mountain wayside at 3:40 PM. There was a Grill and ice cream! We got hamburgers and delicious fries. The same as when we stopped at the first wayside. We stocked up on snacks and electrolytes. We should have got more of those before. Most of stores were out of them. We really wanted more salty snacks rather than sweet ones.
I charged my phone and portable charger. The cabin was only two miles away but we’re so tired and it felt like forever! Loft Mountain was kicking our butt! We were pretty tired.
There is a campsite near Loft Mountain Campground on the left. About a mile before you get to Doyle‘s trail.
Be careful not to confuse Loft Mountain wayside and Loft Mountain Campground. They are two different places. Decide which one you need. The Wayside has a Grill with hamburgers and things. Not sure what the camp store has. We left the Wayside at 5:30p.
We decided not to stay inside Doyle’s River cabin because it was just as creepy as Pocosin! So, we ended up setting up our tent outside of the cabin. I do not recommend staying at this cabin because of the treacherous hike down to it. Although the spring was really great. I would recommend staying at Loft Mountain Campground. There’s lots of amenities.
Day 8
We left the cabin at 8:40am and stopped at the spring. I used the spring water to wash my hair and it was super refreshing. We had 2 1/2 L each.
There was a campsite on the left before you get to Browns gap .8 miles and another possible campsite right about .5 from Brown’s, and another campsite on the right about part four from browns. A campsite is just passed the Dundo Campground Trail marker and another campsite about a quarter mile past the Dundo campground on the left.
While hiking around 10:45am we ran into two 84 year old men, Junkyard Jim and Shug. They like to keep the trail clean and hand out trail magic. I believe we got a couple of honeybuns. They were so sweet!
There’s a campsite right after the parking lot headed up to Black rock Summit.
We walked over Black rock Summit for a while. It was really nice up there and we ran into a 75 year old woman who was a through hiker. Her trail name was Buttercup. She was a sweet lady and knew a lot of stuff! We were so impressed with her! She said she had a friend going northbound on the trail and she wanted us to relay a message to her if we ran in to her.
We got to Black Rock hut at 1:15p, ate a quick lunch and filtered water for the rest of the day. We filled up all of our waters, 4 1/2 L each because the next water was in 13 miles! We met a mother and daughter who were section hiking. They were very nice. Mark helped the mom with her backpack. Later we ran into Buttercup’s friend and gave her the message!!!
There was a tent site right past the trail marker going from Black Rock Gap towards Wildcat Ridge. Right by the Riprap Trail parking just north of the trail marker and there’s another campsite just south of the trail marker. Another campsite about 2 miles before you get to Wild Cat Ridge Trail on the left going south.
We found a campsite at 6:30pm 1/2 a mile before wildcat Ridge Trail on the left going South. It had several spots for tents, so we tried to figure out which one was the best.
A deer was in the campsite and it hung around with us for about 20 minutes and came and went throughout the evening. It just walked around and didn’t even care that we were there. It was so pleasant. Mark loved it! There was a cool breeze and the sun is setting. I was so glad to rest my feet!
Day 9
We started out hiking at 8:15am and saw an eight pointer buck on the trail.
Found a campsite just after you cross the road from wildcat Ridge on the right. And another campsite on the left on top of the ridge about a mile and a half past the wildcat Ridge Trail. Hiking down from wildcat Ridge, there’s another campsite on the right about 2 miles down from the trail. About 3 1/2 miles before Calf Mountain shelter there’s a campsite on the right. There’s a campsite about 2 miles before the parking area for bucks Elba Mountain parking lot.
I finally got a blister that started on day 8. It’s really a callus but underneath the callus felt like a blister. I put some mole skin on it but it was hurting pretty bad. I took some Advil and the moleskin hoping it would help the last 14 miles! The gnats were so bad. They would fly into my eyeballs!!! I realized if I wear a baseball cap, it helped keep them from getting in my face. Thank goodness because that’s so annoying!
There’s a small stream at a mile and a half before Calf Mountain shelter. There’s no pipe but you could probably pull from the pool. The spring below Calf mountain shelter was just a trickle and there’s really no way to pull water from that tiny pool. You might be able to syringe it out, but there’s just not enough water there. There was another spring about a half a mile from the shelter. Just a trickle.
We got to Calf Mountain shelter at 1:30 and filled up our water in the spring. It was a flowing pipe. We had left Blackrock Hut with 4 1/2 L per person and by the time we gone the 13 miles to Calf Mt. Shelter we almost had none left. That was for a cooking, cleaning, and drinking. We met a lady and her daughter section hiking. Mark helped the mom with her backpack.
Before leaving Calf Mt shelter at 230p I called ahead to get a trail angel to pick us up at Rockfish Gap to take us to our car. She said to text her and she can be there in 15 mins! I also booked a hotel for that night!
We made it to Little Calf Mountain summit. It had beautiful views and a nice pretty meadow. Prettiest part of the trail that day! Oh my gosh! Beagle gap has Porto potty‘s. Why am I so excited, I have no idea! After the climb up from Beagles Gap, there’s a campsite.
There were cell towers at the top of the mountain so I was able to communicate with our trail angel, Susan (different Susan) to let her know we were getting close.
This day really was the hardest. I’m not sure if it’s because of my crushed toes, blister, a really difficult part of the trail, 9 days of hiking, or just knowing we were almost done! I had to stop to take breaks more times one day 9 than any other day. There were a few times I could only go one mile before I would stop for water and a snack. It really was grueling.
We made it to rockfish gap at 7:38pm!! Susan and her husband drove us to our car. Trail angels are locals who volunteer to help hikers. They wouldn’t accept any money. It was so nice! We went to a mexican restaurant for dinner. It was a pretty sketchy place, but the food was delicious! We drove to a hotel nearby to shower and get a good night’s sleep! The next day we drove back into the park to visit some of the overlooks and stop at the camp stores for souvenirs. We never saw any bears, but we thought we may have heard one at one point. We joked that we saw more bears in the camp store than backcountry backpacking for 9 days in the park! The next day my feet and ankles were very swollen from all the water we drank and liquid IV.
It was such a great experience to hike the entire Shenandoah AT. At our age and shape we were very proud of ourselves and will never forget the experience! Again, even with all of the beautiful views and scenery, our favorite thing about the hike was meeting other hikers and people in the park and chatting about all of our stories and experiences.
Whitney and Sam's Stunning Muse Farm Wedding
What a day! Whitney and Sam’s wedding was an absolute blast! When I first met Whitney for our consultation I knew right away that this wedding would be super fun! Their engagement photos are some of my favorites ever!! By the time their big day arrived, I was just as excited as they were.
The weather couldn’t have been more perfect. The sun shined brightly, casting a warm glow over the entire event. The vibrant colors of the decorations popped in the sunlight, creating a beautiful backdrop for the ceremony and reception. Every photo captured the essence of the day—bright, colorful, and full of life.
Whitney and Sam exchanged their vows under a beautiful triangle arch adorned with flowers. The joy and love between them was infectious, and I felt honored to capture those intimate moments.
At the reception, the laughter, the toasts, and the dancing were in the Beautiful barn at Muse Farms, and in the background a backdrop of twinkling lights as the sun set and the evening progressed. Whitney and Sam's first dance was a highlight—pure joy radiated from them, and it was a privilege to capture their happiness.
From candid shots of guests laughing and children playing to the more posed and traditional photos, every picture tells a story. A lot of my favorite photos from the evening are when Whitney and Sam are simply interacting with each other and laughing!
I’m thrilled to share that Whitney, Sam, and I are planning a trip to do more photos at Providence Canyon together. It's going to be an incredible adventure, and I can't wait to capture more memories with these wonderful people. Stay tuned for more stunning photos and behind-the-scenes moments from our upcoming trip!
Whitney and Sam, thank you for letting me be a part of your special day. Your wedding was a beautiful celebration of love and joy, and I’m so grateful to have been there to capture it. Here’s to many more sunny days and colorful memories in your future!
To see more of Whitney and Sam CLICK HERE
