Car Camping 6/29-7/1/2019
6/29-7/2/2019 Our trip to Shenandoah National Park wasn’t very long, but we came back with many stories. The trip down to Shenandoah was scenic, featuring George Washington & Jefferson National Forest. We drove past several caves along the way. Then, we hit Skyline Drive, which is the famous road going through Shenandoah National Park. On a side note, Shenandoah has a sad history for the families that lived there (as I’m sure many national parks do). Skyline Drive was slow going with many switchbacks, but had amazing views.
We were car camping at Big Meadows Campground from 6/29-7/1. There were signs everywhere about the wildlife, especially black bears. Deer frolicked through the campground with their fawns. We set up camp and checked out the campground. Again, huge signs all over the bathrooms about black bears. You had to be really cautious about leaving food out and making sure to lock your cars.
Kealy and I left Dori with his parents and set out to do a small hike. I didn’t realize how big Shenandoah actually was; it’s one big strip and it takes awhile to get anywhere because of the switchbacks and wildlife. So, we chose Dark Hollow Falls Trail near the campground. We started our hike and all of a sudden it down poured. We were like, well, we’re already wet so why not keep going. The rain and humidity made the rocks so slick. I fell next to the creek, bashing my knee against a rock. Kealy excitedly spotted trout in the creek. Water was rushing everywhere around us. Dark Hollow Falls were stunning – our cameras didn’t capture the layers and layers of water. Rain scares most people away, so we nearly had the place to ourselves.
We headed back to the campsite for the night. All I can remember is not really sleeping. A massive thunderstorm swept through the campground. I hoped that no branches would come crashing down on the tent. I was relieved that it was morning, calm and partly sunny. We all went on a hike together near Big Meadows Lodge – I believe it was Lewis Spring Falls Trail. The further we got into the day, the more sticky and humid it was. We all stopped, chugged water, and sweat through our shirts. The trail featured jagged cliffs, more waterfalls, and mountain views. There were hidden waterfalls that we could hear, but struggled to see.
For lunch, we got an outdoor table at Big Meadows Lodge so Dori could be with us. There was a gorgeous view from the lodge. The lodge had games, large rocking chairs, and a cozy fireplace. Our food wasn’t super memorable, but the lodge had a dog menu! So, we ordered a trout bowl for Dori. I’m sure this was memorable for her.
We finished exploring around the lodge and headed back to the campground. Kealy and I wanted to do an epic hike, Hawksbill Summit, the highest peak in the park. I can’t remember if dogs weren’t allowed or if we just didn’t want to take Dori, but we didn’t. The start of the hike felt surreal, we were in a green tunnel surrounded by little wildflowers. It was like a fairytale. We were also on the AT for the part of the hike. More toward the top, we came to a clearing and were essentially hiking on the side of a mountain. The trail itself became more like a rock pile. We took some photos as it was our first real views along the way. The trail led to a blind corner back into the forest.
A black bear. Well, this is the moment we’ve been preparing for. I felt surprisingly calm. We slipped out our bear spray, made noise, held our trekking poles up, and tried to persuade the bear to move. It just sat there, working on eating a bush as if to say, “I was here first.” After awhile, we realized it wasn’t going anywhere. We hiked back down the trail, made noise, and looked over our shoulders every now and again. Honestly, it didn’t want anything to do with us. Unfortunately that meant no summit. But, it was an experience we’ll always remember.
We got back to the campsite and told our bear story around the campfire. We actually didn’t get any photos of the bear as we were a little preoccupied. After we had dinner, we walked over to the camp showers. Apparently, you needed a pile of quarters to get about 5 minutes of shower time. This was entertainment in itself. No thunderstorms that night, but I’m sure I thought about bears as I was drifting off to sleep.
Backpacking – 7/1-7/2/2019
The next morning, we packed up our stuff preparing to backpack for a night. I feel the need to preface this part of the trip a little. I have no idea what I was thinking. We hadn’t hiked in Virginia before, weren’t familiar with elevation gain, didn’t know that this was highly concentrated black bear country, and didn’t really have a plan. Kealy and I walked over to the ranger station to decide on a plan and get permits. I always have this need to be extreme – hike big miles in a day, see epic views, etc. Kealy and the ranger convinced me otherwise, so we chose Rose River Loop.
I was a little disappointed we weren’t doing a two night backpacking trip. But, Kealy’s birthday was the next day and he wanted to have cake at his parents and spend time in the pool. We started our hike with way too many things attached to the outside of our packs and crazy heavy packs. My shoulders hurt and we adjusted the straps several times.
The hike featured a river with cascading waterfalls the whole way. From what I remember, the way to our campsite was downhill. We realized we made it to the campsite, but we were not alone. A group of what looked like a bunch of frat boys were there too. Yay. I panicked a little bit as we were searching for a spot to set up our tent. There was hardly any nice, even ground left. Eventually, we cleared out a spot, kicking rocks and other debris out of the way. We wandered across the trail to Rose River Falls – a 67′ waterfall we had the luxury of sleeping by. I decided I wanted to enjoy all our meals by the waterfall. It was so peaceful.
The peacefulness came and went when the frat boys blasted their music, washed their dishes in the river, and splashed around in the river. I’m sure our faces showed our level of disgust for them. I try not to judge people that are learning to be more outdoorsy, but these guys just simply didn’t care about leave no trace. I felt that they didn’t belong in the park at all.
As the day went on, we changed into our bathing suits and swam under the waterfall. The water was chilly, but it felt nice in the humid Virginia weather. We ate dinner by the waterfall and Kealy hung the bear bag high above the trail. The frat guys watched as Kealy was hanging the bag. I’m guessing they didn’t plan to be bear safe.
When you’re backpacking in a national park, there are lots of rules and regulations – for good reason. Don’t litter or vandalize things, respect the wildlife, and in the Shenandoah backcountry, you can’t have a fire. I’m not sure if you can’t have fires all the time or if it was because it was Summer and there was a fire ban. Anyway, we heard the frat boys cutting down a small tree and of course they had a fire. Kealy sent a message over to his dad about the fire with our location via the Garmin inReach. He basically said do with it what you will.
We waited, unsure what would happen. We got ready for bed, I read for a bit, and we turned out the light. I thought of bears.
We heard, “PARK RANGER!” Kealy and I looked at each other. Kealy unzipped the tent door and peeked at the commotion. There wasn’t just one ranger. It was a whole crew!! They lined the frat boys up, ID’d them, and had them start cleaning up their mess, the fire, everything. Kealy and I smiled excitedly at each other. You can’t just do whatever you want in a national park and get away with it.
A park ranger approached our tent and asked, “Are you part of their group?” Kealy responded, “Hell no! And they were cutting down trees earlier.” The park ranger said, “Thank you sir, you just made my day.”
The frat boys were cleaning up for what seemed like hours. Then, silence and complete darkness. Were they able to stay the night? We didn’t know. I worried about our safety a little bit. Did they know we reported? We were the only other ones at the campsite that weren’t part of their group. Thankfully, they hiked out with the rangers that night.
Our sense of peace returned that morning when we had breakfast by the waterfall. Day hikers walked by the site and looked up at us, lowering the bear bag. We hung around on the hammock for a bit before we started to pack up. A butterfly joined us that morning for a long time. It fluttered on our hiking boots. We looked around, double checking that we didn’t leave anything behind.
Just as we started to hike back, a group approached the campsite. It was a volunteer cleanup crew. We knew this was connected to last night. This was a big deal. Kealy said something about appreciating their efforts.
The hike back to the truck was grueling. It was all uphill, the rocks slick with humidity. Sweat dripped down our faces and backs. We stopped at the river several times to splash our faces with cool water. Kealy dunked his hat in the water and put it back on his head with a sigh of relief. We weren’t used to hiking in the mountains. When we forked away from the river, more into the forest, the sun beat down on us. We finally made it to the truck!
Shenandoah National Park has no service. But, a voicemail came through on Kealy’s phone. It was a park ranger calling to follow up about last night. Kealy had a brief phone call with him. Apparently, the park rangers thought his dad was reporting a wildfire. Charges were brought on the frat boys and I’m guessing they aren’t welcome back. Years later, this is still our craziest National Park story.
