>>5775013>>5775013The most common large critter in Shenandoah valley... is a bear.
Given our farm is about an hour's walk away from Thronton/Luray and near Route 340 it's likely we're somewhere near Springfield - which also begs the question on how we even managed to see somewhere three miles away given the terrain.
Seriously, the quickest way to DC is through Route 211 which goes through the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the road shouldn't be completely impassable on foot even after 40 years of neglect - however, we don't have much room to maneuver if we go along 211, and if there's any ambush we'd be as good as dead. Shenandoah City/Winchester at least provide protected caravans to help us get to DC without having to worry about ambush en route.
Geographic visibility from Shenandoah Valley all the way to New River Valley is very poor thanks to the hilly terrain and dense vegetation, so as long as we can stay in the woods and keep somewhere between half a mile to a full mile away from the major highways we might as well be invisible to any bandit camp without a watchtower 80 feet tall. So no need to hug the river too closely - we'd probably spend 15-20 hours trekking in the woods even if we use shortcuts between major bends of the river (follow along the river but whenever the river meanders to the west we go 30 degrees northeast, which results in a route 25-28 miles long compared to the 340's 22miles, but the 22 is on a clear path while the 28 is in the woods) when compared to the ten hours of travel along 340. Going alongside the river as it meanders would be at least 40 miles long, and would probably take three full days just getting to our first stop.
