An Overnight at Shenandoah National Park

On Friday, October 11th, and Saturday, October 12th, Georgetown University Outdoor Education guides Lauren and Jessie brought 22 participants to Shenandoah National Park for an overnight camping trip. The campers entered the park around sunset on Friday, just in time to enjoy a beautiful sunset while driving along Skyline Drive to their campsite at Mathew’s Arm.

After arriving at camp and making OE’s famous pesto ramen for dinner, the participants sat around picnic tables. They savored some warm and delicious hot cocoa and smores while playing hilarious games.

On Saturday, the campers packed up camp and set off for their busy day. First up was a ranger-led hike at Stony Man, a quick 1.6 mile hike complete with interesting stories about the ecology and history of the park along with a spectacular view of Shenandoah at the top. Many pictures were taken and memories made!

After arriving back at the car, the participants drove 15 minutes to their next destination and enjoyed a delicious lunch of tortillas, summer sausage, cheese, and hummus before heading out for another short hike to Dark Hollow Falls. Some of the hikers decided to dip their toes into the falls!

The campers closed out their woodsy getaway with some apple cider donuts at The Apple House before heading back to DC.

Most of the participants had camped before and said that they were looking forward to the trip because it was an opportunity to take a break from hectic campus life and slow down for a few days. All of the participants thoroughly enjoyed the trip. One participant who is studying abroad at the DC Georgetown campus from GU Qatar for the Fall semester had an especially impactful time, highlighting how the trip helped them to feel more at home and comfortable at the DC campus than they have all semester. Overall, the trip was the perfect weekend getaway, and it fostered both new friendships and strengthened existing ones.