Trip leader Ben reports: “We woke up to a slight drizzle, but that didn’t stop the campers from making a delicious breakfast with coffee and pancakes.

“Five new support hikers (all UNC physical therapy students) arrived overnight! Everyone met at the lodge at 10 a.m., embarking on the first hike of the day. We started the ascent up to Hawksbill Overlook, the highest point in the park, and were surrounded by the beautiful fall leaves. We made it to the top with our head in the clouds! We went back to the lodge at lunch to dry off, where we enjoyed potluck leftovers and played many rounds of Catch Phrase. Kindra was the MVP of the game.

“Our second hike was less hilly, but still had a lovely walk through trees. The rain started picking up just when we got back to the lodge. We are all sitting around chatting, excited for a warm meal.”

According to Islands.com: “Hawksbill Mountain is the highest point within Virginia’s extraordinary Shenandoah National Park. Located just an hour from Washington, D.C.’s Dulles International Airport, Shenandoah as a whole is one of the main crown jewels of the entire Blue Ridge province, with a breathtaking expanse of forested mountain summits and immense valleys stretching over a hundred miles down the Virginia countryside. The hike up Hawksbill Mountain is among the most immersive in Shenandoah, offering a full experience of the complex and vibrant ecosystem that calls the park its home. And once you get to the Hawksbill Summit, you’ll be rewarded with awe-inspiring, 360-degree views of some of the most magnificent landscapes on the East Coast!”