Appalachian Trail (day 42) - Bald Face Mountain to Byrd's Nest Shelter #3 / mile 941

Very nice day, I had way too many treats but money spend on food is never a bad idea while hiking.

I've visited not one but two Wayside restaurants located conveniently along the trail. They were like a carrot on a stick that kept me moving forward from one point to the other.

Shenandoah National Park continued and today I was going through some of it's main highlights: Little Stony Man Cliffs, Stony Man Mountain and The Pinnacle, all offering an outstanding panoramic views. Trail was busy with day hikers trying to catch those fine views as well while the weather allowed. And it mostly did, it only got a bit cloudy and windy in the late afternoon.
As for the restaurants, I've visited Big Meadows Lodge for lunch and Skyland Resort for an afternoon snack, I've paid over 40$ in total for a burger, bag of Doritos, Starbucks latte (yes they had a Starbucks!) and a muffin. Very premium prices indeed and no hiker discounts in sight but it was worth it, both places were located near the trail as well.
At one point during the day I've hiked next to an Appalachian Trail wedding, yes someone was getting married on one of the viewpoints along the trail, what a brilliant idea and cool alternative to an old, tatty church!
In the afternoon I've soaked in the views of Little Stony Man Cliffs and The Pinnacle best I could as it was really windy while I was there. Unfortunately no one else was around to take my picture so I just did few selfies and moved on. The chosen campsite for tonight was Byrd's Nest Shelter #3, it had a bear box, bear hangs and a privy. I've decided to stay in the tent as the shelter itself was quite exposed to the wind.

All in all, a fine penultimate day in the Shenandoah!

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