On this lovely, clear fall day, we had 17 hikers for the trip which passed Skyland on the way to Stony Man, Little Stony Man and expansive views west to the Shenandoah Valley. Dennis and Mary Burgart joined us for the first time and were able to hike with veteran hikers John Shannon, Ken Moss, and Marian Styles. We began by heading toward Skyland, past the horse stables, where Tricia Neuman, a riding teacher at Little Keswick School, inspected the facilities, and chatted with members of the staff. We proceeded upwards, toward our lunch destination at the top of Stony Man. There were a few other people out enjoying the sunny day as we ascended to the second highest summit in the Park.
Lunch at the top was impressive- vast views of the Valley to the west and lots of sun. We shared spiced pumpkin bread and John’s famous chocolate raspberry cake. Crystal Lantz, Tim Breedlove, Dianne Anderson, and Patrick Wright talked to fellow hikers Dennis Templeton, Dan Funkhouser, Dan Ralston, Don Davis, and Eric Christensen. 
After lunch we descended to the rock climbing cliffs at Little Stony Man and could see ropes and little people, who had descended safely to the bottom. As we proceeded north, we were treated to relatively unobstructed views of the Valley on a clear fall day. We wandered around the picnic area at the Pinnacles and finished our hike in time to run a shuttle at the end, as it cooled off with the sun ducking behind the mountains. It was one of those days that makes one realize how lucky we are to live in central
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