Shenandoah National Park

On the 18th I did 21.6 miles and stayed at Blackrock Hut. On the 19th I did 21.4 miles and stayed at Hightop Hut. On the 20th I did 23.9 miles and stayed at Rock Spring Hut. On the 21st I did 23.4 miles and stealth camped close to Range View Cabin. On the 22nd I did 14.6 miles and stayed at the Front Royal Terrapin Hostel.

Now that I have both aqua blazed (cable the Shenandoah River) and hiked the AT in SNP (Shenandoah National Park) I would recommend aqua blazing to anyone who asked. It is not easier and it takes more time to do the miles but I found it far more interesting. SNP was just not that entertaining. The trail was quite easy which made it good for getting miles done but also made it less entertaining. There were a lot of fantastic views but I have seen a plethora of mountain views and they all kind of run together at this point. The best thing about SNP are the animals.

Apparently the animals just don't care about people in the park. This allows people to see and photograph a lot of critters that would normally run away from you. I'll start with a deer. It clearly doesn't care about one bit.

Next up is a rather bold rabbit. It never even moved as I walked by. There have been a ton of rabbits in the trail.

Lastly, I saw a couple black bears in the park and they are the one animal that seems to fear humans still. This little cub heard me and ran uphill. Then as it was hiding behind a tree it just couldn't help but peak out and investigate. Utterly adorable.

All of those photos were taken in the same day. Besides that the AT in SNP is marked by a lot of road crossings, constant traffic noise from Skyline Drive and many day and section hikers. I don't think the animals make up for the easy, busy atmosphere of the trail there. I'm glad to be moving on. I guess I can provide a few of the views. 

This one might tell you why I think the trail in SNP is so easy.

Well my original plans for Harpers Ferry are completely gone. I have to wait a little while longer to go into DC and see Greta. That means I guess I'll be doing at least some of PA. I also might be taking a break in the Outer Banks of NC but that idea has potential planning difficulties. We shall see what happens in the next couple weeks. I either just keep walking or I go experience something new and interesting, either way I'm okay with it.