On our 2nd day at Shenandoah National Park, (Shenandoah Day 1 here) B and I woke up early to see the sunrise on the Appalachian Trail. These deer scared me! They walked right up on me and I didn’t have my contacts in:

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We don’t use a generator or solar power so we didn’t have enough power to run the coffee maker so I boiled the water on the propane stove and poured it into the maker. For some reason the coffee was SO much better this way !

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The kiddos woke up just in time to see the deer wandering around and then it was breakfast time. Look at AB’s pajamas. So fancy for camping haha:

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Our first trail hike on this day started right from the campground – I love that! We chose the Lewis Falls Trail:

And loved this first look out:

AB with her famous George Washington pose:

Here’s another pic on the Appalachian Trail (and a crazy tree next to B!):

Lewis Falls:

Video cuz I love listening to the sound:

It was a long hike and much harder than expected! We got back to Woody, had lunch, and plopped down for a rest (hammock nap for B):

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Our 2nd hike of the day was Dark Hollow Falls, right next to Big Meadows.

*** National Park tip: Make sure to get trail maps and talk to the rangers to find the best hikes for your family! Don’t just rely on the NPS maps they give you at the gate (which are great for park info and getting around the park).***

We could have walked right from our campground again but we chose to drive to a closer parking lot to cut down a few miles.

Have you ever seen a white caterpillar?

RR was so cute working on his Junior Ranger work by the waterfall. He seemed so peaceful observing and recording. This Jr Ranger book was one of our faves!

I love also the way he challenges us to be more adventurous and always steps up to help his sisters through challenging parts:

Video:

RR and I were feeling strong and energetic so we went all the way to the bottom of those falls while B and the girls explored each little pond more (and saw very colorful fish!). RR and I did speed-tourism and went as fast as we could – stopping to catch our breath for a few minutes at each “landing”. I love hiking so much !

And then after dinner we had another hammock rest:

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And we finished off this FULL day at what ended up being one of my favorite hikes ever ever ever ! Bearfence Mountain! Here’s the view from the road:

On this hike there was some scrambling, which the kids love – ever since Joshua Tree! The blue paint is the trail markers. I know the pictures aren’t great but I was scrambling too:

We got to see the Appalachian Trail again:

And then ended up at this most beautiful 360 view !!!

I will always remember this hike and sunset . I was so giddy! It was so BEAUTIFUL!

Video trying to capture the 360 view:

Omgoodness that was such a great day! We hiked 10 miles surrounded by Gods handiwork and then He went above and beyond to gift us such a gorgeous sunset – so perfect ! If this was truly our last trip in Woody – this was such a sweet final summit of our adventures. I’m so thankful!