Oh, Shennandoah... (part 2)

You can read Part 1 here.

Camping Day 3  

Hike #2, Mom stays in campground, Fire on the Mountain

Since I was unable to hike (or even walk, really) I stayed back in camp and read.  I am quite enjoying ‘Game of Thrones’.  The following adventures are second hand accounts pieced together from photos and descriptions from everybody else.

First of all, the men decided to ignore the other mom (whose trail info came straight from the Ranger) and were certain that their way was going to be a much shorter route to the waterfall and swimming hole at Rose River Falls.  

According to the Ranger (and the map) this hike was approximately 2 miles, but moderate.  I have no way of knowing if the shortcut was shorter or not, but by all accounts (and typical of shortcuts in general), it was a very challenging climb, both down and back up.

I don't think this is the route on the map.

The dog was able to go on this hike.  The first thing he did upon arrival at the swimming hole was to jump in.  The water was cold.  The very next thing he did was to frantically try to scramble out!  All the hikers except one went for a very refreshing swim. Cheerio attempted to save them all.

 

I love you, boy. I'm glad you're safe!

That evening we all showered and then drove for an hour to go to town.  We had previously decided that this would be the day we had dinner ‘out’.  We headed north on Skyline Drive.  Our destination was the town of Luray, VA.  Soon after we started driving, we saw the smoke of wildfires burning on the mountain.  On the way back, you could see the orange glow from the flames. 

Camping Day 4

Luray Caverns, more reading, Stormy Weather

The next day the group decided that due to the extreme temperatures forecast (100+), it would be best to go back into Luray and visit Luray Caverns.  Guess who stayed in camp?  Broken toe and Cheerio.  It was nice and cool in the caverns.  They enjoyed the views and the coolness.

It was HOT back at camp.  The dog was good company, though.  We followed the shade all day long, and I finished book one of ‘Game of Thrones’.  I recommend it.

Up at the Ranger station, they had a little board where they posted the weather forecast, and on the first day while talking to the ranger about hiking I happened to glance at the board, so during dinner, I was not surprised to see some lightning. When I saw the 2^nd flash, the other mom and I decided that we needed to clean up, especially since the next day was departure day and we wanted to do some pre-packing anyway.  Well, it’s a good thing we did, because that storm came up fast! Even though the sky was getting dark because it was late in the day, you could see the dark black clouds. The flashes of lightning got closer and closer together.  Then came the rumble of thunder.  The most frightening sound though, was the sound like a train getting closer. There was a hum that just got louder and more intense as the seconds ticked by.  We all scrambled and managed to get all the food things put away and all the camp chairs packed up.  We put everything we could into the cars. Just. In. Time.

The wind was intense. Think gale/hurricane force winds! (hurricane in a tent) The 3 boys were having a fantastic time.  I was afraid that my tent was going to be ripped to shreds.  When the wind blew out all 4 walls of the tent at the same time I questioned the advisability of having a tall tent you could stand up in. The small, short, ground-hugging tent the boys were in suddenly looked much more appealing.

There were sounds of frantic, screaming people from many nearby campsites.  It wasn’t possible to hear anybody’s words, just screaming. There was a group of 20-somethings in the campsite next to us who were completely unprepared for any sort of inclement weather. Their tents blew away and they spent the night in their cars.

Camping Day 5

Storm aftermath and Homeward Bound

The following morning found everybody safe.  Uncle Paul came around and checked on all the campers.  He told us that the power was out in the camp store and that the South entrance of the park was closed due to downed trees.  He didn’t know about what was going on to the North.  The storm put out the camp fire so there was no heating up water for coffee or tea.  The tents were all wet and needed to dry up. During our tear down and packing up we learned that the resort lodge has their own generator and the restaurant was open. We decided to eat breakfast there. This is another place I recommend.

After we had left the park, we turned on the car radio and learned that 9 people (7/1/12 update: 14) had died in this storm and 3 million people were without power.  We survived it at the top of the mountain in nylon tents.What is it with me, storms and tents?

We decided to AVOID DC on the way home and promptly got mired in a horrific traffic jam in WV.  Thanks to Garmin, I threw caution to the wind, got off I-81, and took a bunch of back roads through some beautiful WV countryside. After we got back on I-81 there was traffic, but it moved at something near the speed limit.

This trip was definitely more fun for some of us than for others. I am happy to be home and showered.  I also can’t wait for my toe to heal so that I can walk properly again. I am looking ahead to our next camping adventure. This one will be more rustic. One of the boys and I don’t want to be able to see other campers or cars.  There is talk of a hike-in camping trip.

Oh, Shenandoah, I’ve Been to See You (and made it out ALIVE!)

My younger boys have never been tent camping.  They have asked multiple times over the years. Greg has been talking about doing ‘things’ with the boys before they are too old. (College is just a couple of years away – yikes!)  We did rustic car camping.  We were mostly electronics free. We had cameras, I had an e-reader, but that was it.  No cell phones. No electronic games. No watches.  Not knowing what time it was proved to be the most challenging part for me.

The first leg of the trip was to North Carolina to visit Grandma, Aunt, Uncles, and cousins.  After we survived DC traffic (a 6 hour trip took 9 hours – grrrr), we had 2 jam-packed days.  First, there was cousin jousting  and chicken dancing.

(The Chicken will not be shown due to a promise made to a teenager, but trust me,  it was hysterical.)  The next day was spent at the rifle range firing big scary weapons.  The final day was spent at a most amazing swim club and was topped off with an after-dinner trip to the local ice cream parlor. Apparently vegan ice cream exists, and is really good.

Camping Day 1

Arrival and Set-Up

The following morning we left for Shenandoah National Park. I had made campsite reservations at Big Meadows Campground, which is at the top of the mountains and the biggest campground in the park.  Big Meadows is a beautiful place.  There are RV sites and tent sites, none of which have electric or water - rustic.  You have to walk for water.  There are showers up across from the Ranger station. One dollar gets you 5 minutes of hot water.  I learned on Thursday that I am in fact able to shower in 5 minutes.

We were greeted by a park volunteer named Paul.  He reminded us of our Uncle Walter, so we spent the rest of the time calling him Uncle Paul.  (He says he’s a grinner – not a picker.)  He gave us a short lesson on how to avoid being eaten by bears.  We were advised to either put food items, or anything that a bear might think of as food (including toothpaste) in the bear box, or leave it in the car.  When we asked Uncle Paul what we should do if a bear wandered into camp, he told us we should get out a camera and take pictures.  He also told us that just 2 weeks before our arrival a bear was happily munching on a fawn in the campsite right next to ours. Great.

Bear food?

We cooked our chicken dinner on the grill, and enjoyed a nice open sky fairly free from light pollution. It was so nice to be able to see stars. (My world travelers informed me that it was nothing like the stars in Kruger Park in South Africa.) We survived the night without any visits from Yogi or Boo-Boo.  

The little field right in front of the boys is where the bear ate the fawn.

On alert for various critters.

Get to work, boys.

No firewood- no fire. No fire - no food.

Camping Day 2

Hike #1, Pepé Le Pew and broken toes, too.

We cooked our breakfast of bacon and eggs over the camp fire. While the boys were getting antsy for adventure, the other mom and I walked up to the Ranger station and got information about various hikes from a very knowledgeable Ranger.  We told him the type of hiking we were interested in. He gave us a map, highlighted the hikes, and told us the difficulty level of each of them.  

Armed with information, we set off on the first hike to Dark Hollow Falls.  This hike is a short 1.5 mile round trip, good for a late-day start. Although the distance is short, it is very steep.  Quite the challenge on the return trip.  The waterfall was definitely worth the hike. 

Is this my favorite activity?

Perhaps not.

Hi, Mom!

You have to take your own picture when you're the one operating the camera.

Andrea and Nandor

The boys.

Nandor

Greg had to walk back to the campsite with Cheerio because we didn’t pay close enough attention to the trail information on the map. After we arrived at the beginning point of the trail, we discovered that dogs were not allowed on this particular section.  

After dinner, there was entertainment.

Don't ask.

There is no explanation.

Alcohol was NOT involved. Truly.

After the entertainment...and the setting of the sun we were all enjoying the campfire and the stars, when Cheerio began barking like a wild, crazy-dog. Intruder alert! He was on a long leash secured to a tree and was straining at the end of it. What if it’s a bear? We had mostly cleaned up after dinner. The camp site was surrounded by bushes and trees, and it was dark. Thomas switched Cheerio to the shorter hand-held leash and was promptly dragged across the campsite, in the direction of the woods. He mightily held on. Everyone charged after them.

During this bit of ‘charging after’ I slammed my toe on the leg of the picnic table. In the short couple of seconds between contact and pain, I managed to see that my toe was now at a right angle to my foot. I quickly snapped it back to the proper direction.  Then the pain hit.  Turns out I broke my toe. As I write this, the right side of my foot is a lovely purple and green color.

The dog was not going nuts over a bear.  It was a skunk.  Good thing for us, he was unable to reach it.  Instead of getting skunked, he scared it away. This skunk spent a good portion of the rest of the evening wandering around in the campsite right next to where we were.

Up next... 

Camping Day 3  

Hike #2, Mom stays in campground, Fire on the Mountain