Snead Farm Loop in SNP - 4/28/12

Despite the threat of rain, Jenny, Hannah, Alex and I headed to Shenandoah National Park (SNP) for a hiking adventure.  After eating lunch at Dickey Ridge Visitor Center and looking over the options, we decided on Snead Farm Loop.  Having never been on this trail, we were excited to see what it had in store.

When we started out, it was cloudy and quite cold.  In fact, we ended up eating in the car instead of outside enjoying the view.  Fortunately, I had 4(!) pairs of gloves and 2 hats in the car.  So, we bundled up and set out.  Not too far into the hike it began to warm up (or, more accurately, we began to warm up) as we walked mostly uphill to the trail's name sake.  The old barn whispered of days gone by when this was an operating farm.

Snead Farm Barn

After the uphill hike to the barn, we turned left and began hiking along a ridge with occasional peaks into the valley below.  I was surprised by what a lovely hike this is - I can't believe I've never been on this trail.  I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a shortish hike (about 3 miles), especially with kids.  There were lots of wildflowers to enjoy along the way, a relatively rock-free path, and a beautiful view from the top.  We will definitely eat our lunch from this vista next time.

Three beautiful hikers!

As we began our decent back down the trail to finish the loop, a small, dark, gray cloud appeared and seemed to follow us.  Suddenly it began to pour down - HAIL!  Tiny little white pieces of ice showered down as we quickly pulled out jackets, gloves and hats and bundled back up.  By the time we got ourselves re-fortified, the hail had stopped and the sun was back out.  Such a funny, unexpected storm in the midst of an otherwise lovely day in the SNP.

What a great time with 3 of my favorite hikers.  Thanks for GETTING OUT THERE with me!!  Where to next?