Shenandoah- Take 1
Our first trip started in Shenandoah's Big Meadows Area and included Me, Angie, Julia (8), Jeremy (4), and Murphy (5). We didn't arrive until Friday night around 10pm. Big Meadows is a very popular campsite- which I guess is good, but it was a bit noisy for my liking and was completely picked clean of firewood. So, we got to enjoy a short fire, hearing the owls call to each other, and a relatively quiet night of rest before we packed up and hit the trail in the am.
The next morning we took our time packing up and had a nice breakfast of freeze dried eggs, oatmeal and coffee/hot cocoa. We got out backcountry permit, picked up some last minute supplies and hit the Lewis Falls trail by about 11am. The weather was delightful- warm and sunny with enough shade in the woods to cut the heat to a minimum. The trail was quite rocky and steep at sections. Julia lead the way at a pretty good clip- we had to have her slow down a bunch so we could keep pace! Jeremy sang songs and jumped from rock to rock, taking a few spills that left a couple of bumps and scrapes, but was usually remedied by a short rest, water and chocolate chips! Me, Angie and Murph had the biggest adjustments to make with the weight of our packs. I had the bulk and also another 40lbs of Jeremy to catch when he slipped. Ang had a sizable pack on too, plus the weight of keeping Murphy from either stopping to snif or going ahead for wildlife. Some of the climbs were a bit difficult for Murphy to get over, but we all managed and felt pretty good.
We got to the 81' water fall at about 2pm and sat for a lunch of trail mix and energy bars. The incline of the ridge thus far left to possible area to camp and we scoured over the map to see if there would even be one possible in the upcoming miles. We decided that we would take the first one available when we found it... or go in one direction of the Appalachian Trail and turn back of none were available.
We climbed from the falls and stopped by the stream to replenish our water. The pump was tricky to use in the shallow water, but the cold water was well worth it! Delish! At almost the end of our climb, the ground flattened a bit and we noticed that it was a pre-made camp site! Hooray! We scoped it out, hung some line to hang our shoes up and took a rest. It was about 4:30pm by the time we set up camp. We decided to stash our stuff and take a hike the rest of the way up the climb to see what was in store for tomorrow, plus get a small section of the AT that we wouldn't see... it was flat in comparison to the rest of our journey.
We had a great time relaxing, making a small fire, having dinner and more hot cocoa back at base camp. The kids played in nature wonderfully and when the sun set, we enjoyed a beautiful view through the trees of the pink skyline lighting up the Blue Ridge Mountains. One everyone was settled in, Angie and I enjoyed the silence with the occasional hooting of owls and rustling of the leaves by woodland creatures.
We woke up the next morning to Jeremy having an accident- which isn't a surprise, but was was surprising is that Murphy was nowhere to be found. He had wiggled out of his collar and took off. We were in shock for a minute or two and just as I said to Ang- "there is no way we are going to find him out there..." he came trolling down the trail back to camp. WHEW! After that we had a nice breakfast in the cold morning air and packed up to get ready to hike out- the trail was still just as rocky as ever, and pretty steep- but, we were rewarded with beautiful views of the country side, and some cool rocks to climb.
In retrospect there are a few pieces of gear that need to be updated/purchased instead of borrowed, but that will come in time. I am still figuring out how to pack my pack and what we need to bring. We had a surplus of food, but better than a deficit. We used water bags, but I prefer having bottles for gathering water. All in all a very nice trip- next one we will go for 2 nights I believe. We covered about 4miles in total- not sure of the elevation yet, but it was challenging enough to tire us all.
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1st Backpacking Adventure
