Recorded below the old fire tower at Millers Head on a route in Shenandoah National Park that I am calling the SNP Turducken Loop. Just like the Louisiana Cajun dish, the route combines three of Shenandoah's classic hikes. White Oak/Cedar Run, Millers Head, and Hawksbill. You get miles of waterfalls, the best scenic overlook, and the highest summit in the park. As a side dish you even get a little fire road walk, and a nice stretch of the Appalachian Trail. It was a long hike, and this 20 minute break/meditation was a nice rest in the sun to reset before the final ascent up to the summit of Hawksbill.

Millers Head has one of the most spectacular overlooks, it being an old fire tower. It looks down over the town of Ida, just south of Luray. In the recording you can hear cars and trucks echoing up from town in addition to planes and there were cows, but they did not pick up well in the recording. A woodpecker was hammering away to the right of me during the recording as well as several Juncos flitting about.

The park was closed for most of the morning so there were none of the common sounds of cars on the drive. On the hike up to the summit from Sugar Hollow I startled a bald eagle that was drinking at a steam and got to see it fly off. I took this field recording just below the summit of Turk Mountain in the boulder field where the sun provided some warmth on a cold day. After sitting for about 5 minutes the Juncos and Chickadees started flying in around me some getting quite close to the recorder where you can hear their wings.

After a long and steep climb on a hot day, there's nothing better than sitting by a cool creek and cooling off your feet. Join me for a break as I relax and cool down on day five of our backpacking trip along the High Sierra Trail.