Shenandoah National Park

            Even though it is the closest national park to our home, this was our first visit to Shenandoah National Park. We’ve attempted to camp here on two other occasions but had to cancel our reservations due to bad weather. We arrived at the north end of the park in the afternoon and stopped at the Dickey Ridge Visitors Center. After learning a little bit about the park, we headed down to Mathew’s Arm Campground with my parents. The campground was pretty, and we enjoyed listening to the piliated woodpeckers as we played cards. That night, we had a nice steak dinner with rolls, potatoes, and a salad. Not bad for a camping dinner!

            The next morning our family headed to the Old Rag Trailhead. We know a few people who have completed this hike and highly recommended it. The reviews online noted that the hike is a “brutally awesome, very strenuous, 9.4 mile circuit hike, elevation climb of 2,582 feet and features an adventurous rock scramble and a 360-degree view that makes you feel on top of the world.” Who wouldn’t want to hike the Old Rag after reading that? Matt and I knew that we hadn’t trained enough prior to this summer, since in February, we moved into the town of Lewes and took full advantage of the amenities including cookies, ice cream and fancy drinks. After about one mile into the hike, we were tired and we were paying for our cookie walks. Our bodies were chanting, “You’ve walked a mile, where’s the ice cream and cookies?” The kids were way ahead of us, and we kept hiking…plodding. After about 2 hours of uphill hiking, we arrived at the boulder scramble. This part of the hike was full body and seriously challenging. Samantha and I were at a significant disadvantage due to our short stature (or lack thereof) and we weren’t sure Matt would fit through the crevices. The bouldering required strength, problem solving, and for me, the occasional butt boost. Eli was our trailblazer and did a great job leading us. Once we reached the summit, we were exhausted, and the view was completely fogged in! On our way down, the fog cleared and we were able to capture a few pictures of the vistas.

            Back at the campsite, we showered, ate dinner and a sat around the fire with my parents. Matt says he’d like to do the hike again sometime in the fall. I told him I’d think about going back with him, but I will have to lay off the cookie walks.

            Overall, we had a nice stay in Shenandoah and we plan to visit again during a fall season. Having my parents with us made this stop extra special for all of us!

#46nationalparksasafamily