Day 18 - Friday, March 5, 2021

The forecast is for another sunny day with temperatures going up to 41°. Early morning temperatures will be in the upper 20’s. 

We arrive at the trailhead to begin our hike and the wind is blustery cold, gusting to about 15 mph.  The local temperature is 17°. We neglected to take into consideration the difference in temperatures from the trail location and our base camp (hotel) 🥴. 

We are resuming hiking from Skyline 15.9, North Marshall Mountain View (960.4 NoBo) to Beahms Gap Overlook (947.4 NoBo) still on the Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park for a total of 13.0 miles. We began hiking at 9:30 am; it’s going to be a cold start. 


We expected to see some spectacular  views today, we weren’t disappointed:




Views from the trail overlooking Shenandoah National Park.


Trail conditions are improving every day. The trail should be clear of ice within the upcoming week - barring an unexpected spring storm. 



We have seen an abundance of deer sign every day. Jim made the comment that the track that we have been following in the trail looked fresh... I come over a slight rise and it’s standing right in the middle of the trail. How’s that for a fresh track? It merely walks off the trail into the woods as if we weren’t even there. I swear they have a six sense that hunting season is over and they are safe...




The AT crossing Skyline Drive at Gravel Springs Gap. 




Crossing Skyline Drive at Rattlesnake Point Overlook.



Unfortunately, there are not a lot of views of the Shenandoah National Park Valley from a hiking advantage, but the ones there are,  are spectacular.  Skyline Drive has many scenic overlooks to enjoy. 




What’s that saying, a picture is worth a thousand words...

We finish hiking at 3:50 PM. The high for the day was only 34°. We look forward to continuing our adventure through the National Park.

Till next time... Happy Hiking 🥾 

😋

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