Shenandoah in Summer

I love going to Shenandoah National Park; it's a nice retreat from the city. Sunday I drove out there with Lacey, her roommate Lindsay, and their friend Jen. I go out there every fall to see the foliage (to see last fall's excursion, click here), but I'd never been in the summer. Everything was so lush and green! But there were also a million bugs and no one brought bug spray. (Apparently my Girl Scout days didn't teach me anything.) We went further south than usual to Big Meadows, which is right about in the middle of the park. We hiked a trail called the Rose River loop, about a 4-mile circuit that had a lot of ups and downs. And boy am I sore!

We stopped at an overlook before starting out. This is before we were all sweaty and tired.

A popular spot for photo ops.
A hazy day in the valley.

Pretty!
Starting out on the trail. So green!

The trail went alongside a creek for most of the way.

There were lots of little waterfalls and stuff.

This is probably my favorite picture.

This was towards the end of the day, when we were all sweaty and exhausted.