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 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.
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