Please Note: This is a carpooling class. A JMU Waiver of Risk form must be signed by all participants in advance of the first session. This is an all “out of doors” hiking class Participants must be able to hike 2-3.5 miles on Mountain Forest Trails unaided and be able to keep pace with the group to multiple sites. Additional materials will be provided to registered participants. Bring a bag lunch to all three sessions. SESSION 1 led by Nate Miller on Saturday, May 10: The nature hike is 1.4 miles and will take approximately 2 hours to complete. We will view spring buds, bugs, birds and geology. We will then arrive at Big Meadows for a comfort break and lunch. You can pack a lunch or dine on your own at the Wayside Restaurant. After lunch, conditions permitting, we will see the Mafic Fens Wetlands Forest Nature Trail or the High Elevation Meadow Wetlands (1.8 miles approx.) If time permits you can experience the Big Meadows Museum and gift shop. Departure back to Elkton. SESSION 2 AND 3 hikes will focus on the history of Shenandoah National Park and visit sites within the park. Rambles will be .75 – 3 miles. SESSION 2 on Friday, May 16: We will start with a brief orientation and slide presentation. Where we will eat lunch and then depart for the park for our History and Ecology hike. SESSION 3 on Friday, May 23: Arrive at the Elkton Community Center and depart for the park for a continuation of our History and Ecology hikes. Nate Miller is from Rockingham County. He graduated from Eastern Mennonite High School. He is a lifelong gardener and naturalist. He also graduated from Bridgewater College where he majored in Art and Environmental Science. Later he left the Valley to obtain a master’s in landscape architecture from Clemson University. Currently, he works at Messer Landscape in Staunton and teaches horticulture at Piedmont Virginia Community College where he is the first professor of cannabis in Virginia. He is also the owner of Simply Sustainable Landscapes through which he sells his book on sustainable land- scaping. He teaches classes at LLI related to horticulture, nature and agriculture. Jim Lawson is a past presenter for LLI focusing on his mountain heritage, the Shenandoah National Park, where he volunteers, and the Blue Ridge and Mountain cultures. Jim is a retired statistician from USDA and is a Master Naturalist. Sandy Conrad is a retired ASID Interior Designer with a bachelor’s degree in design and has an avid interest in all things historical. She has led and co-led over 50 courses, events, and Noontime Knowledge programs since joining LLI 28 years ago.