Early April Shenandoah Thru
Anybody hopping on, either NOBO or SOBO? Hoping to see a few of you out there!
I've hike the AT in the Shenny's in April. Meet lots of great folks out there. Enjoy!! Blackberry milkshake at Elkwallow Wayside are a must :-)
Don't go too early in April - per the Shenandoah National Park website, Elk Wallow opens on April 8.Originally Posted by ultrajoey
Heading out in early April... I'm more interested in the cold weather, not so much the Blackberry milkshake.
Place names
Thanks for referring to Shenandoah National Park by its name. For the record, Shenandoah National Park is within the Blue Ridge Mountains. There are no "Shennies". Shenandoah Mountain (a single long and prominent mountain ridge) does exist and it can be seen, on a clear day, forming the west wall of Shenandoah Valley west of, and parallel to, the Blue Ridge Mountains where the AT, Skyline Drive, and Shenandoah National Park trace the mountain tops.
AO
You are absolutely correct - thanks for pointing this out. I've thought for years that SNP is a misnomer - it should have been named "Blue Ridge National Park."
One thing to add: the AT does ascend Shenandoah Mountain....not in Virginia but in New York. It's east of the Hudson River shortly before RPH Shelter and the Taconic Parkway, hiking NOBO.
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=103012
A particularly beautiful name
Yes, perhaps BRNP could be a more fitting name since the Shenandoah Valley, Shenandoah Mountain, and both principal forks of the Shenandoah River lie entirely outside of the boundaries of SNP. Perhaps the only real geographical connection between the Park and the term Shenandoah is that so many of the families uprooted by its formation were resettled in the Shenandoah Valley.
I do, however, find the name Shenandoah to be melodic and representative of scenic beauty, and I like the idea of referring to the Park and the mountains which host it by their historical place names instead of more modern shortcut nicknames.
AO
I too feel that a bit of the meaning is lost... I frequent the relatively near Monongahela National Forest that is frequently only called 'the mon'. The beauty of the word is lost... I personally don't fault anyone for it, I personally like language & the bits of Native American language that we have held onto..
My daughter used to sing the folk song Shenandoah when she took voice lessons several years ago. The word is indeed melodic and suggestive of beautiful scenery.
Interesting info from Wikipedia:
Etymology
The word Shenandoah is of unknown Native American origin. It has been described as being derived from the Anglicization of Native American terms, resulting in words such as Gerando, Gerundo, Genantua, Shendo and Sherando. The meaning of these words is of some question. Schin-han-dowi, the "River Through the Spruces"; On-an-da-goa, the "River of High Mountains" or "Silver-Water"; and an Iroquois word for "Big Meadow", have all been proposed by Native American etymologists. The most popular, romanticized belief is that the name comes from a Native American expression for "Beautiful Daughter of the Stars".[1]
Another legend relates that the name is derived from the name of the Iroquoian chief Sherando (Sherando was also the name of his people), who fought against the Algonquian Chief Opechancanough, ruler of the Powhatan Confederacy (1618–1644). Opechancanough liked the interior country so much that he sent his son Sheewa-a-nee from the Tidewater with a large party to colonize the valley. Sheewa-a-nee drove Sherando back to his former territory near the Great Lakes. According to this account, descendants of Sheewanee's party became the Shawnee. According to tradition, another branch of Iroquoians, the Senedo, lived in present-day Shenandoah County. They were exterminated by "Southern Indians" (Catawba or Cherokee) before the arrival of white settlers.[2][3]
Another story dates to the American Revolutionary War. Throughout the war, Chief Oskanondonha (also known as Skenando, whose name means "deer") of the Oneida, an Iroquois nation based in New York, persuaded many of the tribe to side with the colonials against the British. Four Iroquois nations became British allies, and caused many fatalities and damage in the frontier settlements west of Albany. Oskanondonha led 250 warriors against the British and Iroquois allies. According to Oneida oral tradition, during the harsh winter of 1777-1778 at Valley Forge, where the colonials suffered, Chief Skenando provided aid to the soldiers. The Oneida delivered bushels of dry corn to the troops to help them survive. Polly Cooper, an Oneida woman, stayed some time with the troops to teach them how to cook the corn properly and care for the sick. General Washington gave her a shawl in thanks, which is displayed at Shako:wi, the museum of the Oneida Nation near Syracuse, New York. Many Oneida believe that after the war, George Washington named the Shenandoah River and valley after his ally.[4][5]
That explains why there's a Shenandoah Mountain in NY.
Back to the original post: I'm heading north from Waynesboro in April, but not until about April 17th, so I'll probably miss you... but if not and you're heading SOBO, maybe we'll cross paths! Really looking forward to hiking through the Shennies (woops!) again.
We will be heading south from Harpers in early April. If you see anyone plaintively playing Shenandoah on a harmonic, well, it isn't us.But we will wave as we pass by.
Not certain yet, but I'm likely hiking north from Rockfish Gap in Early April, so it is very possible we may share a grin! And you won't find me playing a harmonica...
It will b me playing and going S from HF
Hey, as long as you don't play 'Don't Stop Believing', I'll be ok... *ack*
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