Day 76

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The trail in Shenandoah NP is very nicely maintained. Even though I haven’t loved all the climbs, it’s been smooth sailing all the way. Today, rain threatened all day but never materialized. For me, another day of relief from the heat, and I’m feeling noticeably better. We climbed a bunch, fully in the clouds and dense forest, but just before lunch we got out of the fog on Stony Man Cliff. Turns out we were in a fog bank and the cliff was just out far enough to give us a lovely view down into the valley below.

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Above the cliffs, we climbed some more but also started seeing hordes of day hikers. Always a sign of a nearby trailhead, we soon reached Skyland Wayside for burgers, coffee, and blackberry ice cream pie. We savoured our coffee on a nice cushy couch and people watched for a bit before throwing on our wet hiking clothes for more humid hiking!

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View from Big Meadows Lodge

The afternoon was quick though, we chatted away and got to our destination by 5. Big Meadows Lodge and Campground has laundry, showers and a restaurant, so we spent the evening taking advantage of it all. We even tried some Virginia wine with dinner (how civilized!).  Clean and full, back to the campground for a dubious quality sleep near the busy entrance.

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