April 26, 2008
November 12, 2007
This was a short hike, under 3 miles. At one end the Interstate with its diesel-belching trucks. Within 5 minutes, the Trail crossed railroad tracks and passed by this brick manufacturing facility with its own rail siding to load the pallets for transport. At the far end of the trip is the 1894 Lindamood School, part of the Settlers Museum. Traveling back through time ...
November 8, 2007
Unable to settle into home life, I'm off to southwestern Virginia for one last fling before winter. Here is Chestnut Knob - after climbing through oak forests for a thousand feet, you emerge into this high meadow where old pastures are kept mown and open. Behind are expansive views of ridge and valley including Big Walker Mountain, a former route of the AT, and Mt. Rogers looming over it way off to the south.
September 27, 2007
Here's my campsite at the Grindstone USFS Campground - here they had a separate road loop for only tents. There was some thunder rumbling so I set up a little roof to sit under during my supper, but it never did rain. I loved the hot water shower at this place - with hot water, my camp chair, and my coffee maker, it was Eden.
September 25, 2007
The perfect bike-hike - the Virginia Creeper Trail is a popular rail-trail following the route of a former logging rail line in the valley of Whitetop Laurel Creek. Each morning, vans carry loads of riders to the high end on the Virginia-North Carolina border, and folks ride 30 or so miles down hill into Damascus, VA, where they can end with pizza or ice cream (or both). Well, the Creeper Trail also parallels the AT so for me it was the ultimate stream-side return trip after a hike over the mountain ridge. I had my trail lunch on the mountain, and chocolate-espresso ice cream in town at the end.
There are several excellent Forest Service campgrounds nearby (with hot showers too!) and it was the harvest moon at night - a great time to be camping!
May 24, 2007
End of a long day of biking (first) and hiking (second) in Sinking Creek Valley and on Sinking Creek Mountain. Sunset at 7:30 pm over Kelley Knob.
April 27, 2007
Here are amelanchiers on Brush Mountain
just south of Roanoke, VA.
To see my album of wildflowers,
try this link:
http://homepage.mac.com/char46r/PhotoAlbum22.html
April 24, 2007
I started north for a visit home, and spent a couple of days hiking sections in the Shenandoah National Park. These guys are some of the major tourist attractions.
I stayed at the Lewis Mountain campground and enjoyed great coffee in the morning made with my Jetboil cooker and Lexan French press coffee pot.
I've hiked over 1200 miles of the Trail now, so ... less than 1000 more to go!
April 20, 2007
Here is the view from the top of McAfee Knob, a popular highest-point-for-miles-around destination. You can see the whole ridge that I walked along (12 miles total) along the right side and the green valley below is where I rode my bike to complete the "hike and bike." It was pretty tiring, but I love the way I can see where I'm going and then after a few hours of walking, I'm actually there.
April 18, 2007
After the big hike I took a rest day and went to visit Thomas Jefferson's country retreat, Poplar Forest. It had a big fire in 1845 after which it was heavily remodeled (in Greek Revival style) so the restoration has been a major undertaking. The interior is in progress, so the tour shows lots of the exposed construction - lots of fun. Like Monticello, there are huge tulip poplar trees each with its own lightning rod.
It has been a somber experience being here so close to Blacksburg during the events surrounding the killings. People are wearing their VT hats, car and mailbox banners, sweatshirts, etc. to show their feelings and support.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Here's a postcard-type view from the Tinker Mountain, a 10-mile ridge walk with views of a reservoir on one side and the toy landscape of farms, railroad tracks, and subdivisions on the other side. The white blazes mark the Appalachian Trail.
Monday, April 16, 2007
The sun came out, shining between big fluffy clouds pushed by high winds. I hoped that most of the trees would have fallen during the night, so by morning it would be safe to hike up on the mountain. At the end the Trail crossed the Great Valley (geological reference) through a cow pasture where a couple of the really big black cows acted like they didn't want me to go by. I waited a while and eventually they moved along off the path, but I was a little scared of them.
Next I crossed the railroad - here's the train I waited for before stepping over the tracks. I also crossed under I-81, but it's not so photogenic.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Artworks which I passed while cruising through Staunton. I wonder, are there more of them?
April 14, 2007
As I headed south to begin my new lifestyle as professional AT hiker, the big Nor'easter was coming our way, causing a few rainy days.
I detoured from the Trail in Staunton, Virginia, to visit the birthplace of Woodrow Wilson.
I learned about his Scotch-Irish Presbyterian minister family. Interesting. I thought of him as an Ivy-leaguer because he was a Princeton prof, but he was the son of an immigrant mom, and I can see his desire for education in the context of the family educated as ministers.
He only lived in Staunton for a couple of years, but still it's a nice complex combining the Greek Revival home with two adjacent buildings for the museum, including his car, a Pierce Arrow dating from when he was President. It was brought back to the factory in Buffalo twice a year to swap the enclosed winter body and the open summer one!
