Sometimes it’s nice to leave the truck behind and just hit the trail on your own two feet.
On a cloudy and foggy June morning, Maria, Coco, and I decided to head out to Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park for a day of hiking. Normally we would have taken the truck out to George Washington National Forest but we were looking for something a little closer and were itching to break out our hiking boots.
The fog and storm clouds were rolling in fast
When we finally arrived at the Dickey Ridge Visitor Center we could see the storm clouds rolling in so we decided to go on a shorter hike in an attempt to beat the rain.
The area was also being invaded by the local Volkswagen Beetle club
We settled on the Snead Farm Loop which includes the Snead Farm Trail and Dickey Ridge Trail for a total of 3.2 miles of fun.
Getting our bearings and heading out on the trail
It started to rain a little, and the fog progressively got heavier through the hike. About a third of the way through the hike we found the old Snead Farm, all that remains is the original stone foundation.
Being the genius that I am, I left the dog bowl back in the Jeep. So like any good Overlander I improvised a solution right on the spot.
Big leafs make great temporary dog bowls
The fog started to get pretty thick, and the rain was making the rocky terrain pretty slick.
We finally made it back to the Jeep relatively dry with enough fog left for a few cool shots (I couldn’t just leave you hanging with shots of a bunch of VW’s).
Sometimes it’s just nice to hit the tail on foot for a few hours. I know the dog enjoys it more, and you can’t beat that mountain fresh air.
Alex – the photo of you and Coco hiking in the fog is terrific – good job Maria!