Aqua blaze!

There is a section of the Appalachian Trail between Waynesboro, VA and Front Royal, VA, that somewhat parallels the Shenandoah River. Many a thru-hiker chooses to do a multi-day canoe/kayak trip down the river as a part of the adventure. Since you end up skipping some AT miles, this is called aqua-blazing. We chose to start aqua from the town of Luray. That's a little more than halfway through the Shenandoah National Park, so first we got to see the park and take ample advantage of the waysides that sell blackberry milkshakes. Then we got picked up by the river outfitter in Luray and took a 3 day vacation from the AT!

We got to carry a lot more food than usual, including a coconut and a pineapple. Basically we just floated down the river for three days, which was pure awesomeness. The highlight was when Rachel and I saw two bald eagles, simultaneously. One was behind me and the other behind Rachel...so we were both pointing, at a loss for words, and trying to get the other one to look. Rachel wins though. Apparently the one behind me swooped down to the river and caught a fish.

Here are some pictures - mostly of Rachel, since they're from my camera.

Playing bumper kayaks on the river. The HMS Coconut, agressively attacking the HMS Pineapple. The captain of the HMS Pineapple does not look too concerned.

The HMS Pineapple, reporting for..duty?

Camping on the river

Scalin' some rapids. That's how we do. Yeah, they're Class 1. So what?