I had the day to myself today so I went back to my favorite haunt - Shenandoah National Park. Today was the start of a holiday weekend here in the U.S. so the park was busier than normal. The first two hikes I had thought to do had no parking available, so I decided to hike Hawksbill Gap trail to the highest point in the park. It's a pretty easy hike, but it's a little over a mile to the peak.
Hawksbill Gap trail by Mark, on Flickr
When I arrived at the top, I was somewhat surprised to find this scene. Apparently a wedding party had decided to do a photo shoot at the top:
Wedding party by Mark, on Flickr
Some of the views were a little obstructed.
Mountain view by Mark, on Flickr
Ok, it was actually kind of crowded considering we were on top of a mountain at ~4,000 feet elevation.
So I decided to move on to another spot. More people on the way down:
Walking into the frame by Mark, on Flickr
I decided to explore further south where I generally don't visit, stopping at some of the overlooks along the way for more boring mountain photos...
More mountains... by Mark, on Flickr
The next hike was the South River Falls trail. We have had a lot of rain recently, so the streams are flowing full.
South River Falls by Mark, on Flickr
I found these fellas on the rocks right after taking the photo above.
Warming up by Mark, on Flickr
Eventually I found my way to the trail that goes to the base of the falls.
Trail to the base of the falls by Mark, on Flickr
And passed numerous scenes like this along the way:
Below the falls by Mark, on Flickr
And finally arrived at the base of the falls.
South River Falls by Mark, on Flickr
After some time attempting to collect a "wall-hanger" and taking photos of couples and families there, I made my way back to the parking lot. It started raining again on the way up, but I know that I didn't get nearly as wet as all the people who were still at the bottom when I left.
Thanks for looking. I enjoyed my day. I hope you do too.