Trip: 53
Nights: 180-182

We camped for 3 nights in the Loft Mountain campground. Loft Mountain is my favorite campground in SNP because it's in the less developed, less visited Southern region of the park. We got in around 5:30 PM on Saturday and after setting up camp enjoyed a chill evening around the campfire in the cool mountain air. It was low 60s during the day and upper 40s at night the entire weekend. That is ideal camping weather.

On Saturday we took the dog and did a scenic drive along Skyline Drive, stopping at just about all the scenic overlooks between Loft Mountain and Big Meadows. At Big Meadows we stopped at the picnic area for lunch. It was a postcard perfect blue sky day in the mountains. After making the drive back to the campground we spent the afternoon lounging at the campsite while reading.

One thing that we have leaned is that Teddy does not enjoy camping. He will not sleep outdoors. So all afternoon he was on his bed beside us while we relaxed, but he just will not sleep outdoors. But the time we go into the camper for the evening he is so tired that he can barely walk. And he can barely walk on a good day due to his age. However, if we try to leave him in the camper he will bark, so he has to be outside with us. Luckily, I think our pet sitter will be available for our final two planned trips of the year.

On Sunday, we took our time getting up and then made omelets for breakfast. After that I packed my backpack and headed out to do a couple of hikes. My first hike started at the Ivy Creek overlook on Skyline Drive. It's 2.8 miles out and back on the Appalachian trail with Ivy Creek being the turnaround point. At about .8 miles there is a stunning west facing overlook. Ivy Creek was a pleasant surprise at the bottom as it was gurgling nicely and my 5 minute break there to the sound of water falling over the rocks was very relaxing. Since the hike in is almost all downhill that means the hike back to the car is all uphill. But it is not too bad.

After lunch at a west facing overlook where I could pick up a cell signal for a quick check on the state of the world I headed for my second hike. But not before I killed a couple of Spotted Lanternfly moths that landed near me. Spotted Lanternfly are stunningly beautiful, and also invasive and very damaging to US forests. You should always eliminate them when you have the opportunity.

The second hike was a 2.1 mile loop with two fabulous overlooks. It starts across Skyline Drive from the Loft Wayside and does a counter clockwise loop. The first .6 miles are uphill but the payoff at the top of worth it. The rocky summit provides an unobstructed 180 view. After that it is a gentle 1.6 mile downhill hike back to Skyline Drive about 100 yards north of where you started.

Both hikes are worth doing but if you have to pick one do the second one. The views from the top are spectacular. Also the wayside sells individual locally brewed beers for $2 a can, so a post hike beer is convenient and cheap.

On Sunday afternoon we went to the Loft Mountain wayside for their famous blackberry ice cream. It lives up to its press. On Sunday night I made one of our favorite camping meals, Cacio e Pepe. I don't make it true to the original recipe though, I use freshly grated parmigiana cheese instead. It's still tasty though. Sunday night we played cribbage, with we winning both games.

The drive home on Monday was uneventful. Teddy was asleep before we got out of the campground and didn't even stir when I stopped for gas. The poor dog, forced to spend the weekend in the mountains, mostly outdoors, with his humans.