Heading Off to the Mountains

This Easter weekend, Justin and I packed up and left town! No, not for good, but to camp at Big Meadows Campground in the Shenandoah National Park. It was our second time at the site, so we were a little familiar with the area and its facilities.

We began our trip Friday afternoon, right after I got off work. On the way to the campgrounds, we took photos of the glorious mountain views and the deer along side of the roads. They were so close you could practically touch them if you reached your hand outside the window. We arrived, pitched our tent, cooked hot dogs and bratwurst, and finished the night with s’mores.

As we slept, thunderstorms blew through the campgrounds. Saturday morning, we awoke in the middle of a cloud. It was incredibly foggy—we couldn’t see more than five feet in front of us. It was a little eerie, but still cool looking. While eating breakfast, we noticed everyone around us was packing up and leaving. We guessed that it was too wet and gloomy for them to stay. I admit, it was tricky getting things started within the moisture, but we didn’t want a few clouds to drive us out!

By the afternoon, the fog cleared and we took a trail to the Dark Hollow Falls. Three miles later, we came across beautiful waters cascading down several levels of rocks. It was a rewarding site and we were thankful we waited out the morning fog.

Sunday, after breakfast, we had to pack up and go. In between mile 59 and 60, on Skyline Drive, we took a detour to the Pocosin Mission trail. At the start of the trail, we came across the Pocosin cabin. A couple miles down, we discovered the ruins of the Pocosin Episcopal Mission (established in 1904). A set of stairs, a chimney, and pieces of a stonewall still stand. Next to the stone building is another building made of lumber and sheets of metal composed the roof. The whole site was interesting and we were impressed that it was still standing.

After lunch, we headed back to our car. This marked the end of our journey. We were a little bummed that we had to say good-bye, but knew we were coming back, so it was just good-bye for now…