With scheduling looking the way it is right now, it appears the next outing will be another camping trip with the boys. School finishes for both of them on Tuesday, so I'm looking to get them out on Wednesday and Thursday. I want to try a new campground, and am looking at "Gooney Creek Campground" in Front Royal. I have passed this campground a few times in my trips up the valley to hiking destinations. It features numerous creek side sites and has a small camp store and play area. I really want to try and experience different camping areas this year to come up with some favorites to return to. I hope some of my critiques of places will help people consider getting out and try camping as well.
With rising costs of gas and vacation activities, the camping industry appears to be experiencing a resurgence. It is a wonderful way to experience nature and to discover that particular part of the country you live in. Wonderful to see.
I hope to head out to look at expanding our camping gear on Sunday. It is father's Day after all!!
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WELCOME
Thanks for stopping by. This blog is way for me to journal my hiking experiences, our family camping adventures and other musings. The purpose of this blog is to share these experiences with others, so that they may find an interest in getting out to explore the great outdoors more, and to be able to measure my own growth in the hobby of hiking and camping which has become such a fun pastime for me.
About Me
Blog Archive
2007 MILES HIKED
- 213.4 MILES
TRAILS AND MILES HIKED
- 11/3/07 Tibbet Knob, Stony Creek/Mill Mountain backpack, Woodstock, Virginia- 15.4 miles
- 10/27/07 Sky Meadows Sate Park, Paris, Virginia- 4.5 miles
- 10/7/07 Monocacy National Battlefield, Frederick, Maryland- 4 miles
- 10/06/07 Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail- Ashburn, Virginia - 4.6 miles
- 9/24/07 Trayfoot Mountain-Paines Run Loop, Shenandoah National Park, Waynesboro, Virginia-10.9 miles
- 9/23/07 Patterson Ridge-Big Run Loop, Shenandoah National Park, Waynesboro, Virginia-12.5 miles
- 9/13/07 Falls Ridge-North Mountain loop + side trails, George Washington National Forest,Colombia Furnace, Virginia-14 miles
- 9/1/07 Maryland Heights, Harpers Ferry National Park, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia- 5.5 miles
- 8/30/07 G. Richard Thompson Wildlife Refuge, Paris, Virginia-9.5 miles
- 8/20/07 Snead Farm Trail, Shenandoah National Park, Front Royal, Virginia-2 miles
- 7/21/07 Knob Mountain/Jeremys Run Trails, Shenandoah National Park, Front Royal, Virginia-12.2 miles
- 7/2/07 Beecher Ridge trail to Overall Run/Tuscorora Trail, Shenandoah National Park, Bentonville, Virginia-8.7 miles
- 6/9/07 Massanutten Trail (Shawl GapTrail)/ Sherman Gap Trail loop-Massanutten Mountain, GWNF, Front Ryal, Virginia-9.4 miles
- 6/2/07 Massanutten Trail-Kerns Mountain-Jawbone Gap-Gap Creek Trail-Scothorn Gap Trail-Strickler Knob- Waterfall Mountain, GWNF, Luray, Virginia-14.7 miles
- 5/26/07 Massanutten South Trail/Fridley Gap loop, GWNF, Shenandoah, Virginia-10.5 miles
- 5/12-5/13/07-backpack, Allegheny Mountain Trail-Seneca Creek Trail, Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia-12.7 miles
- 4/29/07 White Oak Canyon/Cedar Run loop with extension on AT to Betty's Rock, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia-11.1 miles
- 4/21/07 Raven Rocks, Appalachian Trail, Bluemont, Virginia-5.5 miles
- 4/9/07 Duncan Knob loop, GWNF, Fort Valley, Virginia-7.6 miles
- 4/1/07 Keys Gap to Blackburn Trail Center out and back, Appalachian trail, West Virginia-12 miles
- 3/25/07 Three Top Mountain, Fort Valley, Virginia-9.6 miles
- 3/24/07 Conway Robinson State Forest, Gainesville, Virginia- 4.5 miles
- 2/24/07 Balls Bluff Park-2.5 miles
- 2/17/07 Bull Run Mountain Conservancy-4 miles
- 2/15/07 Riverbend Park/ Great Falls National Park -6.5 miles
Favorite Sites
GEAR
- Komperdell Heritage Trekking Poles
- MSR Hubba tent
- Katadyn Varios Water purification system
- Jetboil stove
FAVORITE QUOTES
- " I am not a young man, I'm an old boy".- Matthew, my son, age 4
- "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover". --Mark Twain
STATES HIKED
- WEST VIRGINIA-- Monongahela National Forest 5/12-5/13/07--12.7 miles
- VIRGINIA-- George Washington National Forest - 5/26/07--10 miles -- 6/2/07 -14.7 miles
2 comments:
Hi Kris,
I haven't been to Shenandoah Park in quite some time. We went by car up Skyline Drive back when the girls were 15 and 13 and Chris was 6 yrs old (about 19 yrs ago). I remember being shocked by the number of dead trees and also by the lack of a view from our lodging due to the smog that hung over the valley to the west of the mountains. We were told that 65% of the time the valley was not visable due to the smog levels. I was wondering if there has been any improvement in air quality in recent years.
Say hi to Mari, Mason and Matt for me.
Gerry
Hey Gerry! The views continue to be quite obscure during the heat of summer. I read somewhere that the haze, due to smog/pollution, rivals that of Los Angeles and among the worst air qualities in the U.S. Sad to say. I am finding that I want to try for trails with water crossings or non-technical rock climbing during the warmer months and go for the sweeping views when cooler temps offers clear skies. The dead trees toward summit areas continue. The exact reason, I believe, is a combination of reasons. Disease, acid rain, pollution, fire, have all played a role.
The
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