Sometimes we heed the call of nature, and off we go into the wild. We have the wonderful Appalachian Trail along the panoramic Skyline Drive inside the beautiful Shenandoah National Park, which itself is situated in the stunning Blue Ridge Mountains that are part of the prehistoric Appalachian Mountain Chain (confusing?) just outside our doorsteps. Well, not quite, we do have to take an hour long drive there. But hey, Paradise is supposed to be a lifetime away. So, I suppose it´s quite near. Trekking aficionados consider the Appalachian Trail one of the nicest hikes in the world. It´s definetely one of the most challenging if you decide to walk the whole 2,200 miles (3.500 Km). It attracts hikers from all over the world, people fly here to just do parts of it. So, yes, I suppose we´re not only close by, but also very lucky to be so close by. The Skyline Drive runs along the ridge of the mountains and is intended for the automobile aficionados and the not so fit. It is also a convenient way of getting from one nice spot to the other without having to do all the walking, which is also good for people with not so much time. We do both. We drive to a particular place, park the car and start walking. Even though it is one of my life goals to hike the Trail all the way (ahem!), so far, we only have done small stretches of it.
Here you can see why they call them Blue Ridge Mountains
Shenandoah National Park is considered to be the nicest part of the trail and of the whole Appalachian Chain. Many know the area by heart from the song „Take Me Home, Country Roads“. Here the Shenandoah Valley can be seen.
The Appalachian Mountains run for 1,500 miles (2.400 Km) from northern Alabama into Quebec in Canada. Aged approximately 400 million years they are older than the Alps or the Himalayas, and one of earth´s oldest mountain ranges. The Blue Ridge Mountains are a part of this mountain system, running from Georgia into Pennsylvania, it´s main body lying in North Carolina and Virginia. The highest point at 6,684 ft. (2.037 m) is North Carolina´s Mount Mitchell, which is also the highest point east of the Mississippi.
So why does the Trail run for 2,200 miles when the Range itself is only 1,500 miles in length? The Range is measured as the crow (or rather, the bald eagle) flies, whereas the Trail goes up and down, around bends, zigzags and loops it´s way all the way from Springer Mountain, Georgia, to Mount Katahdin, Maine. Try it some day. At least part of it.
Black bears can be seen frequently. Here a cub scrambles onto a tree after seeing us and other gapers. The biggest population supposedly lives in the Shenandoah National Park
This is one of the stations with infrastructure along Skyline Drive
More pics of the Blue Ridge Mountains here: http://ontheroad.zenfolio.com/blueridge?customize=2
January
February
March
(5)
April (5)
(15)
May (15)
(6)
June (6)
(1)
July (1)
(4)
August (4)
(10)
September (10)
(12)
October (12)
(14)
November (14)
(12)
December (12)
|
(22)
January (22)
(14)
February (14)
(21)
March (21)
(11)
April (11)
(13)
May (13)
(14)
June (14)
(1)
July (1)
(2)
August (2)
(7)
September (7)
(15)
October (15)
(17)
November (17)
(18)
December (18)
|
(5)
January (5)
(14)
February (14)
(5)
March (5)
April
(5)
May (5)
(21)
June (21)
(13)
July (13)
(6)
August (6)
(11)
September (11)
(9)
October (9)
(10)
November (10)
December
|
January
February
March
April
May
(10)
June (10)
(15)
July (15)
(16)
August (16)
(4)
September (4)
(2)
October (2)
(8)
November (8)
(5)
December (5)
|
(6)
January (6)
February
(2)
March (2)
(7)
April (7)
(4)
May (4)
(5)
June (5)
(7)
July (7)
(2)
August (2)
September
October
(9)
November (9)
December
|
(1)
January (1)
(1)
February (1)
(7)
March (7)
(8)
April (8)
(3)
May (3)
June
July
August
September
(1)
October (1)
(14)
November (14)
(8)
December (8)
|
(8)
January (8)
(5)
February (5)
(9)
March (9)
(4)
April (4)
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
|
(4)
January (4)
(3)
February (3)
March
(1)
April (1)
(1)
May (1)
(2)
June (2)
July
(1)
August (1)
(2)
September (2)
October
November
(2)
December (2)
|
(5)
January (5)
February
(2)
March (2)
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
|
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
|
(3)
January (3)
(2)
February (2)
(1)
March (1)
(1)
April (1)
May
June
July
(3)
August (3)
September
October
November
December
|
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
|
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
|