Shenandoah Park Part II: Less Bears, More Ass Kicking

Hey there, campers!
I hope everybody had a fantastic holiday partaking in general Memorial Day merriment – Because nothing says thank you to our fallen troops like gorging on BBQ and singeing your eyebrows off while playing with sparklers.

For me, this weekend turned out to be an ass-kicking, back-to-nature getting bonanza! Brian, Jericho and I headed off for the second time to Shenandoah National Park in Virginia early early EARLY on Saturday morning to get a head-start on the day (did I mention early?). We got to the park around 9:30 and were hitting the trail by 11:00am. We would have been hiking sooner, but there’s only one road through the park, and it’s populated by douchebags from various in-bred states who have no problem driving the entire length of Skyline Drive at 25 mph.

Hey assholes, some of us are actually trying to hike INTO the park instead of driving through it and pulling over once in a while so that you can get a picture of your obese wife and ill-raised child standing next to a park deer who’s waiting for a hand-out.
Ergo, pull over you fat, lazy, SOB so that we can get to the trailhead while there’s still enough light to hike down to our campsite. I hope that deer kicks you in the face.

Not surprisingly, we had 5 mullet sightings while in the park.

Shenandoah National Park: Land of the people who are all business in the front and all party in the back.

Road rage aside, it was a great trip. The trail was beautiful, and we had some incredible views. This was Jericho’s first overnight backpacking trip, and he totally ROCKED IT. I think he might actually be the best dog in the world. And he gets mad props for carrying about 10 lbs over what turned out to be a pretty strenuous 2 days. GO JERICHO, GO! This trip also turned out to be surprisingly bear-free, which was great because I didn't have to worry about becoming a snack, but dropped the excitement level down a couple of notches. Am I crazy for wanting to mingle with bears? Perhaps...

The boys

Jericho enjoying the view

View from Bear Church Rock

Me and Jericho on Bear Church Rock, looking squinty

At any rate, we made it to camp by 3:30, which meant that we had been moving at a pretty strenuous pace, and also explains why we were POOPED by the time we stopped. The campsite wasn’t as established as others we’ve stayed at in the park (which is why we initially walked by it and had to backtrack about a mile. SUCK.), but we were close to water and had a flat space to pitch our tent on, so I was happy enough. We made dinner while Jericho had a good swim, and were asleep before dark.

View from our campsite - awww, it's purdy!

Camp (why does Jericho have "save me" eyes?)

The next day was an uphill battle - literally. We climbed THE ENTIRE DAY.
SIX FULL HOURS OF CLIMBING.
Think about it...
It was rough, but sometimes in life, you just need to give yourself a good ass kicking, you know? Plus, the trail was really varied, taking us through different types of woods and fern fields, and even included a fire road that opened up some fantastic views of the surrounding mountains.

Stream crossing

Jericho and I making our way along the trail

We had to hustle for the last 2 miles because it started getting cloudy and looked like it might rain. By the time we got back to the car, all of our energy had been spent. Jericho hopped directly into the back seat and was out like a light. Brian and I shared a Monster on the ride home to keep us awake and out of danger. It kind of backfired, though, because I’ve only had an energy drink once or twice in my life. Apparently, they really charge me up. Poor Brian spent the entire car ride listening to me talk REALLY FAST and REALLY LOUD. It’s a wonder I didn’t get booted out on the side of the road – I really don’t know how he puts up with me!

Weird sky as we were leaving the park

Brian pointing out the weird sky in an authoritative manner (action shot!)

More weird sky - at this point I'm thinking the aliens are coming

We also took a photo of this truck-stop action whilst en-route:
Take from it what you will, but if you have a sick mind like Brian and me, this should make you snicker a little

Truck-stop action

Yeah, we’re immature like that. You LOVE IT!

And now I’m back in the office. It’s sad to say that I’d rather spend my time heaving 40 lbs uphill in the heat for hours on end than sit in my climate-controlled cubicle and type on the computer. But it’s the truth. Sometimes I just get so sick of being mentally tired instead of physically tired. I swear, it sucks the life out of you. Luckily, there’s always weekend backpacking trips. And running. And horseback riding. And kayaking. And other fun-type activities, which is why I’m infinitely grateful that I have my health and the ability to enjoy physical activities.

Which also brings me to my final question:
Why would there be a designated handicapped parking space at the head of a trail that is clearly not wheelchair-accessible?

Discuss...