Liz’s Birthday 2023, Day 4: Hiking Rose River Falls and Dark Hollow Falls in Shenandoah, Dinner at Watch and Warrant, and an Unexpected Illness

We got up pretty early, to try to get some breakfast and travel to Shenandoah National Park. We had plans to hike Rose River Falls, and I had some concerns about getting there before the (small) parking lot got full.

I called the park a few times, prior to arriving, and was told that we could park alongside the main road or alongisde other cars if need be. But we couldn’t block the main road, and we couldn’t block other cars from leaving.

I think the park gets incredibly busy later in Spring, and on the weekends… so the fact that we were going in on a Tuesday morning was in our favor. Still, the parking lot we were going to was about 45 minutes away… so we had some distance to travel, before arriving.

For reference, this is the route from Luray to the Fishers Gap parking lot, where you park to pick up the Rose River Falls circuit/trail.

Also worth noting: there’s an entrance pass that’s required, to get into the park.

We got up at 7:40 AM, and packed up all our water/food/snacks. And were able to get out the door around 8AM. A bit down the road, we went to Gathering Grounds for some breakfast sandwiches and coffee.

The cafe is incredibly charming, and a lovely spot. It was surprisingly calm for a Tuesday morning (but we’d come here several times this week… and the mornings got busier and busier).

We got on the road around 8:30 AM, and slowly made our way to the Thornton Gap entrance.

We got to the parking lot around 9:30 AM. Just one other car, so my fears about things being overcrowded were unfounded. The temps were a big range: 40s – 60s, so we weren’t sure exactly what to expect. We had on layers, and got ready for our first hike.

For reference: we went on the Rose River Falls circuit. It may help to look at this PDF, to see the trails.

We crossed Skyline Drive to get to the start of the trail.

We went down the Rose River Fire Road briefly, and then turned onto the Skyland Big Meadows Horse Trail for a stretch.

Of note, the trails all had various “blazes” – colored markings on trees, to help show which path you were on. There are just three color codes: Blue (Hiking trail), White (Appalachian Trail), and Yellow (Open to horses).

An odd path we encountered. I was tempted to explore it, but this was some random offshoot that I couldn’t find on the map.

A very odd (and slightly disturbing) structure we encountered. Liz mentioned reading somewhere that there was an iron mine nearby.

I found this more than a little creepy. All I could think of was the stone table and Aslan, from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

We found this nice spot midway into the hike, and settled in for some snacks/sandwiches. The flat rocks made for a nice place to rest, and we got some much needed energy.

Selfie of two remote workers, out and about in the world.

Given our lifestyle of inactivity… I had us at a 40% chance of needing some kind of wilderness rescue. I imagined myself cramped up, deep in the woods, unable to move due to exhaustion and dehydration from continuous weeping.

We really are not active people, so us deciding to “go hiking” is actually more dangerous than it sounds.

Stay on the path…

We found ourselves at a crossroads, a bridge at the base of Dark Hollow Falls. To continue the Rose River Falls circuit, we needed to pick up the Rose River Fire Road to get back to the car.

But we had an option to go another .25 miles… up the Dark Hollow Falls trail, to see the waterfall. After a slight discussion, we decided we had enough energy and opted to push up the trail. And I’m incredibly glad we did.

Worth noting: the Dark Hollow Falls trail at this point was incredibly steep. We were tired, and this was a lot of elevation to take on in a short amount of time. But very worth it.

Halfway up, we encountered this small pool. Reminded me briefly of our hike in Costa Rica, some years ago.

Looking back down at the bridge.

A very large boulder, which looked like it could start tumbling at any minute.

Taking a break.

The Dark Hollow Falls. Though there were a few other folks here also enjoying the view… Liz nad I were able to scramble up some rocks, and found ourselves a nice little nook alongside the waterfall.

We were close enough to enjoy things directly, but also enough out of the way that we didn’t feel like we were blocking others from photos, or from enjoying the view of the falls. It was as ideal spot.

More sandwiches, more snacks.

Spotted along our way up the Rose River Fire Road. I’m not sure who might be buried in the “Cave Cemetery,” but I didn’t feel like finding out.

The walk back was a slight incline, but nothing as bad as what we encountered prior to this. Still, Liz and I were both dragging at this point.

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at an overlook to take in the views.

We heard that the locals like to come to the park in the evenings, to watch the sun set. It never quite timed out for us, but I can see the draw.

Amazing views.

Back at the hotel, we showered and mostly just lazed around on the couch. I think the time for the Rose River Loop Hike was listed at around 4.5 hours, but Liz and I got through things in about 3.5 hours. And this includes several breaks for food, as well as the extra time to do Dark Hollow Falls.

We watched a bit of Star Trek on the TV, and took some turns napping. We got started early, and had a lot of the afternoon to just rest and recuperate.

For dinner, we walked down the street to Watch and Warrant. The interior was incredibly well designed, and Liz noted all the Art Deco touches – from the floor tiles, to the lamps on each table.

Creme Brulee for dessert.

Another nice touch – the supports for the leg rests, along the main bar on the first floor.

A very nice space – sad that we didn’t come here earlier, to catch a drink before dinner.

A quiet walk back to the hotel, from the restaurant. A funny thing – this was a decent uphill walk back, which reminded us of our earlier hike. Our legs were tired, but we did make it back (eventually).

An unfortunate end to the evening: around 11:30 PM, Liz started feeling nauseous. And then things got a bit worse. She was in and out of the bathroom a lot, and was on the verge of throwing up several times.

She ended up sleeping on the couch, just so she could be closer to the bathroom “just in case.” I was in bed for a while, but didn’t want to go to bed for fear she would be getting sick… and wanted to be awake to help.

Around 1:30 AM, Liz came into the bedroom. She said she was feeling slightly better, but was cold. So she got into bed, and we both went to sleep.

A long day, leading into a somewhat long night. We weren’t sure what it could have been that made her sick, and our only guess was the crabcakes she had as an appetizer. I had a few bites, and felt ever so slightly “off,” but Liz was really affected.

Related:
Liz’s Birthday 2023, Day 1: Red Arrow Antiques
Liz’s Birthday 2023, Day 2: More Antiques, and a Return to Chicago
Liz’s Birthday 2023, Day 3: Travel to Luray