23 September 2020 Little Devil's Stairs

 It still takes getting used to social distancing.  This attractive Karmann Ghia was parked in our parking area at Skyland.  In normal times, I would have said hello and complimented the owner of this beautiful classic.  With COVID-19 and limited mask usage, I enjoyed the car and ignored the social interaction.

Today's plan was Little Devil's Stairs.  It has been some years since we made this hike.  From memory it was strangely a tougher hike than Big Devil's Stairs.  One the walk to the trailhead we were happy to spot a couple butterflies on the way.

Sometimes a look backward shows more of the terrain just completed.

Our nature side was able to make a few nice sightings along the journey.

A mourning cloak and a walking stick are not everyday spottings for us.

At the base of the hike we made a stop at one of the historical cemeteries within the park.

We spent the drive back enjoying overlooks.  This was the best of the day.

Skyland was a strange place in a pandemic.  The rooms were mostly occupied yet there were few people outside.  Mask wearing was about fifty percent.  In normal days we would make multiple evening walks to the lodge area.  With the pandemic we stayed apart from everyone.

By the time sunset was nearing clouds had rolled in wiping out hope of a last sunset together.  We still made a last walk together to Miller's Head.

22 September 2020 Bearfence Mountain Hike

 We started our day with an overlook visit and a short trail walk.

A common theme for the week was National Park Service employees and contractors not wearing masks.  We walked around the long way to avoid them and visit an old trail.

The parking area at Bearfence. It's a Subaru thing.  Ours fit right in.

Butterfly season was winding down but we spotted a few on a short walk on the Appalacian Trail while making our way to the trail head for Bearfence.

The approach shows why it is called Bearfence.

The approach is a tight rock scramble.

The scramble continues across the jagged peak.  The views are wonderful.

It's like a ride at an amusement park.  It's going.  It's going.  Suddenly it's over and mostly flat trail is back.

In a marked contrast from my visit last year and the illness, we finished this trail with time to make another hike.  We don't make many out-and-back hikes here, but the one by the parking area made sense for a second journey.  There were some steep areas, but mostly it was a gradual drop down to the edge of the park.

We were happy to see the last blooms of blue lobelia, but what truly caught our eyes were the sheer numbers of orchids along the way.  They were past their blooms, but many showed the remains of spikes.  This was the greatest density of wilflowers we have seen in Shenandoah.  If we make they hoped spring trip, this hike will be a must do.

We still weren't done at this point.  I remember prior visits and successful birding at Beaver Meadows so we made a stop there before a sunset watch.

We walked out with no success and were ready to head back when a couple stopped and began discussing birding with us.  We were socially distanced and masked so for the second time on the trip we were happy to stop for a few moments of conversation with others.  They had noticed a hawk in the distance and pointed us to where they had seen it.  I was looking out with the camera zoom and there was a red-shouldered hawk diving for a field meal.

Our sunset was quiet and wonderful.

21 September 2020 Hull School to Thornton River

 We were out for our first day of Shenandoah hiking.  We usually stop to visit a few overlooks in each direction when were out for the day.  Our trip to the trailhead included a stop with a surprise.  We knew a small plane had gone down in the National Park.  We didn't expect to see part of the retrieval process while at the overlook.

I was a little concerned about how the day would go.  It was almost a year since I struggled with a serious illness while in this park.  I had done well in Florida hiking, but the memories of the last visit to Shenendoah were something I wanted to leave behind.  Today's hike was certainly not difficult by Shenandoah standards, but it was a test.  We had a great time and were set for the rest of the week.  the Shenandoah trail markers are a pleasant, familiar site of this place of happy adventures.

It has been a long time since we has passed this old wreck on the side of an old mountain road.  I wasn't sure it would still be here with the way so many people these days seem bent on removing items for souvenirs.  I took many images hoping to identify the car.  So far, it has remained a mystery.

Overlooks get crowded at sunset.  This one doesn't give a clear view of the horizon, but anywhere in Shenendoah can be a perfect sunset with the right person.