Elkwallow Picnic Area 950.6

We tore down our tent early so nobody of the officials would see it because according to the park rules you have to set up the tent further away from a road. Then we had our first breakfast at the Visitor Center. After we were done a guy came by and asked if we are thru hiking and gave us his leftover French fries from a day ago :D There's not much difference to a homeless sometimes. We were still hungry after the fries so we went to the Wayside restaurant and got us a footlong sandwich.
Well fed we put in some miles together with Jon, the Spaniard, to the hotel area Skyland in the middle of the Shenandoah National Park. In the afternoon we've encountered a deer right next to the trail that wasn't afraid at all. And just a few miles later we finally saw a mother bear with two cubs!! They didn't seem to notice us, so we could watch them for a bit. As we made a noise one cub ran to its mother, the other one climbed up a tree. Mama bear was watching us cautiously so we went on.
During the night hike we saw another bear crossing the street in front of us. We wanted to make it to a camp store for the night so we could wash our clothes but unfortunately we were at the only one in the whole park that doesn't have laundry :(

Despite that, the Shenandoahs have been like a luxury vacation. We didn't need to filter water since we've entered the park, there is a restaurant every 20 miles, restrooms and chargers. Additionally a vivid wild life, flatter trails and beautiful views.Read more