Date(s)
04/13-17/2026
Notes
Skyline Drive, Big Meadows Campground, LOORAY Caverns and the Shenandoah Valley.
Spent four days bopping around the Shenandoah Valley, primarily to test out various equipment. I practiced setting up my tent, and the privacy shelter. My trusty old Whisperlite gas stove which I have had since college bit the dust the first night. The mummy sleeping bag that I brought with me seems to have shrunk because I no longer fit in it. And the sleeping pad wasn’t quite thick enough for a good sleep.
So a trip to Walmart was in the works and I ended up with a two-burner propane stove that served my needs wonderfully. As did the larger regular sleeping bag and an additional 4 inches of foam padding.
I also got out and off the traveled roads and experienced my first bout of “Where the hell am I?” whilst trying to find an offroad trail called Peters Mill Run. Once I did find it, it was exactly what I was looking for. A Level 3 (scale of 1-10 with 10 being a death ride) run that got me a little taste of how Betty would handle offroading. And she did great!
Skyline Drive itself is absolutely stunning! The twisty turny road provides vistas that just go on and on and on. To be honest, it was scary trying to keep my eyes on the road when I kept looking out over the Shenandoah Valley from a couple of thousand feet up.
As I was leaving the park on my last day, I asked the park ranger how many people had died on Skyline Drive because the scenery was so compelling. She informed me that someone had just died the day before! She then clarified it and said he was an overweight weekend warrior who had tried to hike a very strenuous trail.
And with that as my parting conversation, it was off to Charleston, SC to see Owen.
Photos
