The chirping birds roused me from sleep very early in the morning. As I opened my eyes, I was greeted by the sight of the sun still below the horizon, preparing to usher in another day.

Unlike the deer in my state, I have a feeling that the deer in Shenandoah National Park have no fear of humans. Early in the morning, this deer approached the shelter in search of food.

Wow, as I reach the Pinnacle, my jaw drops at the series of open cliffs with wonderful views northwest into the valley around Luray, and to the Neighbor Mountain.

I discovered beautiful views stretching into the valleys to the northwest, overlooking the town of Luray and Neighbor Mountain.

What a relief to stumble upon a water spigot on this scorching mid-afternoon. I took a lunch break beneath the large canopy and replenished my water supply with cold water from a nearby spigot, a true luxury on the trail. 

I walked across the ledges of Little Stony Man and enjoyed fine views of Stony Man and Skyland to the north.

This must be a popular destination for day hikers in Shenandoah National Park, as I saw plenty of hikers at this location. Stony Man boasts a rocky, open summit with some of the finest views in the park, offering vistas to the south, west, and north into the Shenandoah Valley and the surrounding mountains.

Well, I reached my intended endpoint for this section hike #6 in the late afternoon. Once again, I stuck out my thumb to hitchhike back to my car parked at Compton Gap. Within 2 minutes, a lovely couple picked me up. During the ride to my car, they were incredibly curious about my hike and asked plenty of questions about food, water, shelter, and, most importantly, bear encounters. I mentioned that I saw my first bear on the trail during this section hike.

After the couple dropped me off at my car, I drove home. On the way, I was already dreaming about my next section hike, which I have scheduled for a month from now.