Last of the AT in Shenandoah

I had two little sections of the Appalachian Trail left to hike in Shenandoah National Park - from Blackrock Gap to Riprap Hollow Parking, and from Wildcat Ridge to Turks Gap.  So, on March 5, I organized a hike with the Old Dominion Appalachian Trail Club to hike the eight miles from Blackrock Rap to Turks Gap.  The map below shows the route, starting from the top of the map and hiking to the bottom edge.  There was about 1,000 feet of elevation involved.

Ten of us went on the hike, and it was a merry group.  We had a big enough group to allow multiple cars, and this allowed a car shuttle so we could hike one way.

A little bit of the trail went through pine forest.

Taking a short break...

I always like seeing the woodpecker holes, and I always wonder what family dramas have taken place in the nests over the years.

Here is one of the few views we had of the Shenandoah Valley.

Lunch break at the trail junction with the Wildcat Ridge Trail.

In early March, the park is still in late winter.

On the last couple of miles of the hike, we had a partial view of the Sugar Hollow Reservoir, which was the starting point of my next hike in a few days.  I wished I'd taken a photo but there were trees blocking the way, so I kept hiking, waiting for a better view - which didn't happen.

Other than the fun of hiking with a group again - which may not happen for a while with the COVID-19 virus running all over the place - it was good to be in the mountains and actually hiking up and down, and it was good to check off these last little sections of the AT in the Park!