With the battery situation all good, we had one day remaining to explore Shenandoah. There's only so much scenic driving I can handle - I gotta get out and hike! The weather was nice, a bit chilly but crystal clear blue skies. In the early morning, we went on a short hike called Bearfence Mountain Rock Scramble, maybe 1.5 miles with one of the best views in Shenandoah. (Note: not a hike for those afraid of heights or unsteady on their feet.) What fun...I really love this stuff!
On the way back to the campground, Gary dropped me off at Milam Gap trailhead so I could hike a bit more of the AT - I hiked Milam Gap to Lewis Falls and then home to Big Meadow campground - about 3.5 miles. Saw several deer, and met some nice folks at the falls. Because so much foliage had been stripped from the trees, the trails provided nice views out across the valley and the surrounding hillsides. The AT meanders easily along ridges, but Lewis Falls is steep with switchbacks going down from the south side, and same thing going up the north side - doesn't matter which trail you take, both the north and south approaches are steep. Ran into a family going down with kids and the adults did not appear to be in very good shape - I think they might have a hard time coming back up - they were already tired having gone only 1/4 of the way down.
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| Nice views and some remaining fall color |
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| Lewis Falls - would be much more impressive after a big rain |
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| Hang on to that rail - very slippery! |
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| More nice views on the way back up from the falls |
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| a little snake who posed for a close-up |
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| Saw two young bucks |
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| much more interested in each other than me |
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| oh....I didn't see you there! |
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