Family Hits the Shenandoah

A couple of days before Memorial Day,  I finally got the family to come with me to Shenandoah National Park. The five of us (we brought along one of my daughter's friends) arrived around one pm after a surprising amount of traffic on Route  66 out of Fairfax, VA. But we got to the visitor's center raring to go, eager to take a peek at one of the park's several waterfalls.

Or maybe not.

Although I'd read about the park for a long time and talked to a lot of people, I didn't realize how big was Shenandoah. The closest waterfall to the visitor's center near the park's entrance flowed fifty miles away. We didn't have that much time, so after a group vote we chose the 2.4 mile round trip up-hill hike up Compton's Gap.

My daughter's friend wore flat heeled shoes more like ballet slippers than sneakers or hiking boots, so the going was tough. She trooped on without complaint, though as we clambered over rocks the size of softballs and along the narrow trail littered with crawling millipedes and tiny spiders. The air wasn't too warm and the tree cover protected us from the sun and helped to keep us fresh on the climb.

At the right hand turn toward the peak we met up with a couple resting by the side. Their pug dog was with them, too. 

"He started to pant," the man said. "So I just put him in the pack to take a rest."

My daughter and her friend couldn't stop cooing over the little thing, but after a few minutes we took the right along the trail that leads to the best view from Compton's Peak. 

We pulled out the water bottles at the top of the peak with fantastic views at nearly every turn. Although we had to dodge a few pesky bumble bees, we lingered for awhile and everyone admitted that the hike "wasn't bad" and that the view "is incredible!"

The hike down was fast and with the help of pair of socks my ever-prepared wife had handy, my daughter's friend had a much better time navigating the rock strewn trail.

This Memorial day weekend is just a couple of weeks away from National Trails Day, sponsored by the American Hiking Society. My local regional park, Claude Moore, is hosting a series of events June 6, and I'm sure that there's a park near you hosting an event, too.

So get out there. Take a hike!