The thing that sticks out most in mind of things we did this week was our journey through Sky Meadows. I personally had a lot of fun romping through the wetland. I found what our guide was saying really interesting especially about the vernal pool I had no idea what that was until he showed us.
Being out in the meadow made me glad that my dad taught me how to avoid blisters with the double-sock method. I was also glad I had Double socks to keep my feet from getting even more soaked. I had no idea that we had chestnut trees on the east coast, until Ranger Karl told us. John, the NZCBI Landscape Manager, also explained the chestnut blight and how you can spot it and what can be done to help cultivating the chestnut trees: replacing older trees with newer growths.
The History of Shenandoah
Ranger Karl discussed the history of Shenandoah Park. He talked briefly about the park being the only segregated park when it was first created and also the torrid history of removal of the people who lived in what would become the park. While, talking about the history of the park, he mentioned the nature of the meadow. The meadow appeared to have been a route of movement for twenty-eight Indigenous tribes from the northern Iroquois to several tribes from the Siouxan language group.
We went to the dining hall to eat lunch and get warm, the dining hall has amazing fried chicken. As we sat there sopping wet we, collectively, decide to not walk Stoney Man. Mainly due to the thick fog surrounding the Blue Ridges that day, but also due to the exceptional state of wetness we were in. The last thing we learned about was the Osprey reintroduction that went rather well for the Ospreys and for the scientists who worked hard to make sure that the bird of prey was able to repopulate in Shenandoah and the costal plains of Virginia.
