Shenandoah - Beware of Bears

We recently found a little haven not far from our house - The Shenandoah National Forest. Our first trip there was just for a short evening hike. Lizzie was tired and grumpy for most of it, but we had fun anyway. The falls were beautiful and we were amazed by how close we could get to the deer. Oh, and John was also very blessed to come away alive after chasing a skunk to get his picture.














































































































































The second trip was a bit more of an adventure. We decided it was high time for Lizzie to experience the joys of camping. After setting up camp we set out on a little sunset hike on the Appalachian trail, which ran right by our site. About a mile down the trail John turned around so i could snap a picture of him with Lizzie on his shoulders, but when he turned he looked right past me with a look of shock (see second to last picture). All he could get out was, "Uh ems, turn around." About 10 feet away was a black bear (see last picture). He was standing up on his hind legs, just staring at us. We all stood there staring at each other for a good 15 to 20 seconds until John slowly said in a low voice, "ems, just take the picture." So, as crazy as it sounds, I did. It's not the best picture. My camera was on manual settings, and I didn't take the time to adjust to the light. But at least I was dumb enough to take it. The flash must have annoyed him because as soon as I took the picture he walked away. John and I were a little shaken, but Lizzie didn't seem to think any of it was a big deal. =)