To truly enjoy the beauty of nature, you have to submerge yourself in it. Outdoors, your senses become heightened - sight , sound, and smell all become more acute. A walk in the woods, a stroll along the beach, time spent putzing in a garden all offer up their own wonders.
One of our favorite activities is hiking and camping, and one of our favorite destinations for these activities is Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. The land here is graced by the presence of the oldest mountain chain in North America - the Appalachians, the portion here called the Blue Ridge Mountains for their distinctive blue appearance.
Being out in the mountains is awe inspiring - simply breath taking! There are many ways to experience the park, but we most enjoy slow treks along the myriad of lesser traveled mountain trails, taking our time as we hike to fully take in and observe our surroundings.
Each hiking experience offers it's own new discoveries and visual delights. We've come across reclusive salamanders and newts, box turtles, deer, and a whole array of wildflowers...some easily recognized, like black-eyed susans and wild columbines, some we'd need to pull out a field guide to identify. The trails are alive with bird song, again, some we know and some we're hard pressed to make out. We stop to observe lichen and mushrooms and tiny insects that alight on them. The amount of activity going on along what initially seems like a quiet path off the beaten trail is amazing!
Setting up camp under the stars is the perfect end to a day of mountain hiking. To wake with the gentle rays of the sun after a good night's sleep is pure bliss. With another day of exploring and enjoying the essence of the wilderness calling, life is at its best!
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