NEw YOrk Sketch Book: Shenandoah National Park, Blue Ridge Mountains

We spent 5 days in the Blue Ridge Mountains (of Virginia…cue Laurel & Hardy renditions…), staying at Skyland Lodge in the Shenandoah National Park. What a gorgeous place and so much cooler than sea level!! The mountains were indeed Blue and stacked into the distance, misty and beautiful…

Hiking in the 'back country' (sign posted as such in case you weren't sure), spotting dear, chipmunks and 5 bears!! Unfortunately no racoons….I remembered them from my childhood trips to Sequoia National Park on the west coast…

This cub was spotted with its mother and two others on 20 July, and coming down from Old Rag Mountain on our final day we spotted another female bear and her cub. The cubs do climb trees and frolic about, when they're not chomping on the vegetation. We kept well back as instructed….Apparently if you are camping in the Park, you have to bag up your dirty clothes (and toothpaste) along with food and drink, and hang everything from the trees about 10 feet above your head, to discourage bears from approaching humans. Even the rubbish bins weigh a ton in order to be totally bear proof. I remember bears in Sequoia just rummaging through the bins and picnic tables not to mention hapless campers sleeping on the tables! 

Bear Cub!!!

Pencil sketch from a rocking chair in the viewing lounge, Skyland Lodge