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Demetrios Varoumas

Hawksbill Mountain Summit
Fall time has arrived here at Shenandoah National Park, and hiking the Hawksbill trail was a pretty amazing experience. Starting at the lower Hawksbill Trail parking lot off of mile marker 45.5 on Skyline Drive, it’s a good hike up with a 690 foot elevation climb to the summit. While trying my best not to sweat and worrying about hypothermia trekking up the mountain, I failed miserably, but I was then quickly rewarded with the sun ready to set arriving at the summit. The temperature must have dropped at least 15-20 degrees since arriving, but the views here are unreal. There were a few other crowds silently but gasping out loud, “Oh my God” It was pretty wildly beautiful. The clouds allowing the sun to peak out, while the hues of pink behind me were gorgeous. After the sunset and many shots later, I made the way back down to the upper Hawksbill Trail and walked on skyline drive to get back to the car. About 3.5-4 total miles. This was the first time doing this hike on my 4th visit to this park, and I highly recommend this hike to y’all, and it’s super easy.