I spent yesterday morning hiking in Shenandoah National Park. It was a chilly day and we spent most of it hiking in the fog. We did a 7.8 mile loop called “Doyle River Falls and Jones Run” at mile 81 on Skyline Drive. We opted to do the steep trails last, so we ended up doing the loop backwards vs what was recommended in the guide. This meant we did our first few miles on the Appalachian Trail in the fog and mist. It was cool to see the forest in this state. We had the trail practically to ourselves. We saw one solo backpacker on the way in, and a couple people at Lower Doyle. Finally, our our way out, we came across two folks loaded down with a serious amount of gear. Not sure where they were going, but it looked like they’d be gone for a while
There were a few very nice waterfalls, with lots of water running over them. I even saw a couple places with some potential for ice climbs (if it ever got cold enough). In fact, looking at the “Southern Fried Ice” guidebook, both falls are listed! Here’s to hoping for cold weather!
The rest of the pictures from the hike are online: Doyle River Falls Hiking on Flickr
