Oma and Papa are members of their local AT club, which owns a rustic cabin in Shenandoah. We finally found a night that we could make it up there for a visit. The cabin is about 2/3 of a mile off the Parkway, so we had to haul everything in. We had packed more like it was a car camping weekend, so it was A LOT of stuff!
The cabin has no power or running water, but plenty of mice. There is a latrine down the hill, with its own resident mice couple. Other than the little friends, it's a great little retreat. The cabin is well-stocked with supplies and the setting is beautiful.
Rudy in the loft:
Checking out the cabin:
Dizios while James and I went back to the car with the cart to bring in the rest of the gear:
We'd packed ham sandwiches and fruit for lunch. After we got sort of unpacked and organized, we walked to the White Oak Falls trail for a hike.
We've done this hike before. The beginning is quiet and not really all that exciting. No river, streams, or overlooks. Just the company of your fellow family hikers :)
The cascades, however, are great. Especially on a warm day. We all waded in and the kids managed to get pretty well soaked.
We just turned around and backtracked rather than finishing the loop.
We built a fire and started dinner preparations when we got back to camp. We think we heard coyotes around dusk!
Firestarter:
Rudy was exploring around the cabin and found this crazy looking beetle:
Slingshot practice
Around the cabin...
Dish duty. Unhappy little campers.
Popcorn!
Just in case you thought s'mores weren't good enough...how about s'mOREOS. Yes, please!
A bit more exploring:
The woods seemed to be covered in poison-ivy-type plants, so we all scrubbed down before heading inside for the night. Brady seems to be particularly sensitive, so I carried him inside rather than letting him touch his shoes again. Poor kid had a tough run in with stinging nettles, so he needed to catch a break!
Inside for the night. We played games until the kids couldn't stay awake any longer.
These two were going to sleep in the loft. James and I were pretty sure it wouldn't last long. They were good up there for a bit. As soon as they decided to settle down, though, they were quickly ready to be on the same floor as the adults!
Settled in together:
That night was an interesting one, with our inflatable mattress making funny, squeaky sounds with every tiny movement, thunderstorms, and our fuzzy little friends scritch-scritch-scritching on the food containers. After a not-even-a-little-bit-restful night, it was time to start the day.
We ate Atkins style: bacon, eggs, sausage, and ham!
A few more shots of the cabin and "grounds":
Ready to hike back out:
Happy kids after another fun family adventure!
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