Club 30

So -- I joined the Club 30 this year. :-( I had been dreading this birthday for several months and for those who know me, this is very unusual. I love my birthday but for some reason this year, I was almost hoping to just skip over the day.

Knowing this, my wonderful husband made sure to fill the day with beautiful memories! We get our birthdays off at my work so Dave took us on a 6 mile hike through the Shenandoah National Park! He had been told by numerous sources that the White Oak Canyon hike was one of the prettiest in all of Virginia. It was beyond pretty -- it was stunning! The fall colors were at their peak and all 6 miles overwhelmed the senses. We haven't done a hike like this since we left Arizona and it was wonderful to escape the city and just be surrounded by nature!

We also used this day to play with our brand new camera!! While I was in AZ the weekend before, Dave had taken advantage of my absence to hike the trail just to make sure it would be enjoyable. Our trip up and back down White Oak Canyon took twice as long as his solo trip but that was because we were stopping almost every 50 yards to take a picture! :-)

It is sometimes difficult to appreciate a place for itself and not compare it to something more familiar. We found ourselves constantly comparing White Oak Canyon to the Oak Creek Canyon in AZ or the Canyon Creek area in AZ. But White Oak is in a class of its own!!!

Half way up the canyon (we started at the bottom) are the Lower Falls. There are a total of 6 waterfalls along this hike but the Lower Falls were probably my favorite.

The Lower Falls!!!

Totally looks like Oak Creek Canyon!! :-)

We consider ourselves lucky that we were even able to go on the hike. The weekend of my birthday, Virginia was at the southern edge of a Nor'easter that dumped snow in the Northeast and rain in Virginia. It was a brisk and damp 42 degrees during the hike but mercifully, it did not rain. However, the fog and mist gave everything a "Brigadoon" effect -- which was really unique!!! We were lucky enough to catch a brief glimpse of the Upper Falls, which at 82 feet is the highest falls in Virginia.

Ahh -- the Brigadoon footbridge! If I cross, will Brigadoon forever fade into the mists?!! :-)

Our lunch spot was just above the Upper Falls -- and was the place where we would turn around and head back down the canyon. Being an Eagle Scout -- and a disciple of the "7 P's" -- Dave thought of everything and brought a fantastic lunch of dried cranberries, almonds, string cheese, and chocolate chip cookies!
The Fall color was breathtaking! Eat your heart out, mom!!! :-) [Yay for our new camera!!!]










This area (in the picture below) was at the end of the hike and I totally expected to see Mr. Tumnus emerge from behind a tree! Doesn't it look like the woods of Narnia?!!!

Ahhh -- happy hikers!!! Thank you Dave for this "walk in the woods"! [And no, we didn't see any bears hungry for Snickers bars!!] I will always remember my 30th birthday being filled with such love and beauty!!! Thank you Dave!!!!