Oh Shenandoah.

Sundays are for hiking.

My first weekend here I bought a one year pass to Shenandoah National Park hoping to hike a different trail every weekend while I'm here. So far I'm 3 for 3. While some people might prefer to relax on their one day off, I prefer to exhaust myself further by going for 4-5 hour hikes! The first trail I chose was recommended to me by several friends and it was just as amazing as they had promised. The 8.8-mile circuit I hiked included part of the Whiteoak Canyon Trail, the Whiteoak Fire Road, and the Cedar Run Trail past dozens of waterfalls and a natural rock slide. 

the lower falls at Whiteoak Canyon

Last weekend I attempted to hike up Hazeltop Mountain and down around the Rapidan Camp area, but I made a wrong turn right at the outset and just hiked the Appalachian Trail from Milam Gap up past Fishers Gap and back. Unfortunately there were a lot of people on that part of the trail, but it was an otherwise beautiful hike. 

lots of dead hemlock, pretty eerie. 

This weekend I hiked the trail I had intended to hike last weekend along the Mills Prong and Laurel Prong Trails up Hazeltop Mountain and then back down along the AT. The trail was shorter than I expected, only 7.4 miles, and it only took about 3 hours which was kind of a bummer. The best part was that there were so few people on the trail that I really felt like I was out in the wilderness. 

headed North on the AT