April 2019 Camping at The Shack - Hike in Photos

The view, a swing, and a crocheted
blanket courtesy of Jenny.

I can't believe that I hadn't been to The Shack since January!  Work has been rough, the headaches have been terrible, and I am so fatigued that I hadn't felt like I could do what needs to be done to get myself up to my spot. Then our spring break (a 5 day weekend) was upon us. Even though I was tempted to sleep away my entire break, I packed up and headed to West Virginia. Those views and time away were exactly what I needed. 

Monsoons and Migraines

Between physically feeling out of it and the torrential rains that came soon after my arrival, I made no progress on doing anything important while I was up there. I did quickly refill the bird feeders, hung a new one, and checked the game cams. Otherwise, I spent most of 3 1/2 days snugged up with the dogs in the sleeping bags and read two books.  Yes, TWO books. Amazing reading pace for me. But back to the interesting part of the trip.

Rather than try write coherently about it, I think I'll just share some photos. I did get up and around enough to take a hike between the rain storms.

Thursday - the sunset before the storms

Friday - the deer moving during a  short break in the rain.
The amount of rain was amazing!

Saturday morning - looking west. The moon is setting, the sun is rising, and
it looks like I have enough time for a walk

Saturday morning - starting the hike. Come on sunshine!
 Looking east and watching for the sun.

Neighbors - They are building a small home.
It is EXTREMELY similar to my dream house.

Birds - They were out en masse; looking for the sunshine. This
guy was kind enough to pose for me.

WHEW!  - I'm out of shape and should turn back.
But I kept walking

OMG - I can't stop walking now. People won't know to look for me here.
There is a herd of deer crossing at the bottom, no imminent rain, and
I'm keeping an eye peeled for bear.

Isn't nature amazing? Everything and everyone has their job
to do. And they do it.

Beautiful.

The beauty of the terrain and the heart-breaking destruction
of the invasive plants.

It was after this shot that I stopped taking photos. It was a gorgeous hike and perfect temps. But wow, I'm out of shape. I began to focus on just getting my old self back to The Shack - or finding a dry spot to take a nap.

I didn't see any bear (thank goodness! I only want to see them via game cam or binoculars). I scared up more deer than I can count, 2 turkey, and saw countless birds. Some of the birds I could identify (cardinals, tree swallows, eastern blue birds, and a pair of wood thrushes) and so many I couldn't (wrens and sparrows). 

I heard an owl call who-cooks-for-you but wasn't able to see it (darn it!). Some of you are aware that my goal is to be able to spot an owl. So far, I can only hear them occasionally.

And of course, as often happens when I walk up there, vultures circled over me. I think they think I might become an easy snack.
After this almost 2 hour hike, I began to think they might be right!

I wish I had gotten some photos of the rain storms. The amount of rain falling at one time was amazing. Much like the amount of rain I've experienced near Baltimore during tropical storms. My roof repairs held well (I'm so proud!). The roof only sprung one leak - right where I expected it to with a large amount of rain.

It was a much needed break away from work. And despite the rain, it was a gorgeous vacation.

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