I just finished hiking through the Shenandoah Park. The permit for hiking the park had some difficult questions, but I did my best to answer them.

It is often celebrated as one of the most beautiful sections on the trail. There were mixed feelings among the hikers, but it was definitely a beautiful place. The trail intersects with Skyline Drive about a million times, and this is where most of the good views are.

Most of the way through the park was a compromise: deal with tourists and the commercialism of the park in return for extra commodities.

The most difficult part of this stretch was the rain! It’s said that a hiker should expect rain every third day of hiking on the Appalachian Trail. The only time it has really rained on us has been the big parks: the Smokies and now the Shenandoahs. The first day, we barely escaped a downpour, arriving at a shelter just as it began. The next day, I was less fortunate. It began to rain as I hiked alone, and the rain came harder and harder. I had to come to terms with being completely wet, and soothed myself with the mantra: whatever is wet will eventually be dry. However, since rain has been such a rare thing, I was enjoying it, shouting in the puddles and streams. The frequent rain also helped remind me how lucky I have been to have stayed so dry this far.

As we continued hiking, my sleeping spots became stranger. To avoid the rain, I slept on the floor of a laundromat one night. And the following night we celebrated the clear weather:

by camping on a merry-go-round. We made a stop in Luray, which was a friendly town. The outfitters was extremely helpful. When we headed back to the trail, there was only a little bit left of the park, and we decided to get through it in one day. Of course, the skies decided to rain on me one final time as I left. I hitchhiked into Front Royal, soaking wet, and was able to secure a shower and other human comforts.

Morale is high, things are going great, and I am looking forward to the half-way point!