Our D.C. Diary: Shenandoah National Park/Appalachian Trail


Hiking the Appalachian Trail...

We headed out into the rural Virginia countryside for some R&R and were looking for trails to give us a break from the loud and exciting city life we have had the last three weeks. What we experienced will be a weekend we will never forget. When I imagined Virginia, I imagined cities and old historical battlefields...what I saw was Appalachia at its finest. Small rural towns with obvious signs of economic downturn, no new construction, poverty, a few big estates scattered in the hills, confederate flags on homes were all part of the view I took in as we traveled through. It really gave me a lot of ideas to reflect on about my life, my opportunities and those of others. I brought my kids to the east coast to expose them to diversity and a different way of life...and I have already learned so much myself. It seems cliche to say, I was here to teach them and then learned the lesson, but it is so true. My stereotypes of people in rural Appalachia are built from TV and movies, and as much as I see myself as an open-minded accepting public school teacher, I was challenged this weekend. My kids were completely oblivious when the man with one tooth who ran our hotel spoke with us, and I was in total awe. At times, I couldn't even understand what people were saying to me with their thick accents. My initial reaction was to be wary of the people I was encountering, but every time I interacted with anyone, I was so pleasantly surprised that "Southern Hospitality" is a real and powerful thing. Everyone was so kind, generous and welcoming, and there of course defeated my ignorant view of this part of our country. I began to feel safe and comfortable where I had initially been nervous.

We rented a some fancy wheels (see pic below! Not what I thought I'd be rollin' through a National Park in!) and spent Saturday hiking in the beautiful Shenandoah National Park on the Appalachian trail. Natalie and experienced a true east coast downpour as we dashed 5 seconds from the car to the bathroom and got completely and utterly soaked...which led to about 15 minutes of total laughter. We were however able to reach the top of the trail and lookout just before it rained...and what a site it was: rolling green hills as far as you could see. It felt great to us all to get our city wiggles out and just relax for a bit with some beloved trail time. I think we will have to go back for sure.

Happy kids glad they reached the top before the lightening and rain storm.

Amazing views off the Blue Ridge Mts.

On Sunday, we decided to drive the city-mobile to the Shenandoah River State Park, which was equally beautiful. We took a mellow hike meandering the river, looking for weird bugs and plants that we've never seen before. We saw a few mt. bikers and llamas with packs and we decided that we'd like to come back and rent a cabin at this park to enjoy some more time here.

When we headed back to DC, Natalie referred to our apartment as "home" for the first time and it felt good to come in a relax after a busy weekend. It certainly was a weekend to remember.