[wysija_form id=”1″]
A slightly spur-of-the-moment decision to spend Saturday of Memorial Day weekend out in the Shenandoah did not disappoint. There was a large change of rain, so we went out there anyway, hoping for the best. While it was more than a little humid, the rain held off, and the temperature was perfect.
We left around 11 AM on Saturday. Under normal circumstances, I would recommend getting out there earlier because it can get quite hot in the afternoon. Fortunately, things cooperated, and we were still able to get a good hike in and enjoy the wine afterword (mentioned in my Wednesday post this week).
Hiking to White Oak Canyon costs $25 per car, so pile in. The hike itself is not strenuous at all.. There’s a slight incline, but nothing like its neighbor, Old Rag (that mountain will kill you if you’re not careful!). My ideal situation for White Oak Canyon is to get there early-ish, hike to the amazing waterfalls, eat lunch at the falls, hike back, clean up, and hit up the wineries in the afternoon. We checked out DuCard, but I’d also like to see Wisteria some day.. Looks cute!
A few points of advice for following my little hiking/wine schedule:
- Bring a change of clothes and a pair of flip flops: No matter how hard you try, you will get disgusting on the hike. I slipped in mud, and had to slide down dirty rocks.
- Pack a lunch, but put it in a cooler: It’s a long drive to White Oak Canyon, and the last place on the planet I would want to get food poisoning is whilst hiking.
- Bring a huge thing of baby wipes: Really. You won’t be sorry. Once you’re back to your car after the hike, scrub down with the baby wipes and change your clothes.
- Bring two empty grocery bags: One for your dirty clothes, and one for your dirty baby wipes. You’re welcome.
- Drink plenty of H2O, but pace yourself: Unless, of course, you’re totally cool with communing with nature. Restroom options are limited… And by limited, I mean trees and the ground.
- Pack some wine snacks for the vineyard: I’ll do a whole post on my favorite “wine snacks,” which is a food genre I don’t think actually exists, but I love anyway. Ideas are: pub cheese and crackers, dark chocolate, spinach dip, red pepper salsa, olive tapenade. Another thing I like to bring is a few big bottles of sparkling water.
Anyway, check out White Oak Canyon soon! It’s a perfect hike for a family since it’s not difficult. Cheers to the weekend!!!
