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Adrienne and I got up at 7 to go on a nature walk. It was not as difficult to wake up as is have expected, since we didn't put up the rain fly on our tent last night and the sky was pretty bright by then. We saw a variety of birds and chipmunks on the nature trail, and Adrienne has become such an expert on the local wildlife that she was able to recognize a bird by its call alone!
After the hike, we had breakfast and broke camp, and then headed out on another hike. This was one that someone at the ranger station had recommended as an easy waterfall hike. If we'd tried it yesterday, we'd have been cursing his name. It was not an easy hike. It was manageable today, though, since we're merely tired from our climbing, rather than totally exhausted.
It turned out to be a nice, if steep hike. The waterfall was picturesque, and there were pretty plants along the way. I was sad that we didn't get to see the stream crayfish or Shenandoah salamander, but we stopped at a pool on the way back that had a number of brook trout swimming in it. As we were about to move on, Anaka called out that she'd seen something. Sure enough, in the next pool up the were both tiny crayfish and miniscule salamanders!
After lunch, we set out for Anaka's place. She took a quick route, while Adrienne and I drove the remainder of Skyline Drive out of the park. We kept going to the first Visitor's center on the Blue Ridge Parkway to pick up some stickers and postcards before hopping on the interstate to Richmond.
Anaka took us by her work: Maymont, a former Victorian estate that now hosts a wild animal facility showcasing animals found in this area. We saw, fed, and petted some sika deer, and met a bobcat and various birds of prey.
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