Category: Backpacking & Hiking

Or, as I like to think of it, the weekend I thought I was going to die. That's probably a hyperbole, I really didn't come remotely close to dying. The hubby and I have been hiking every weekend, doing in a day up to 7 or 8 miles. So we thought this two day trip … Continue reading Appalachian Trail: War Spur Section

Last month we took a trip up to find Virginia's Oldest Tree, the Keffer Oak. We wanted to finally do anything on the AT, and we had my Mom with us (60s), so it was just going to be a quick jaunt to the tree and back. It's only a few miles, but keep in … Continue reading Appalachian Trail: Virginia’s Oldest Tree Keffer

This place is pretty up there on my favorite Preserve we have visited. It is fairly remote, so make sure you use the restroom before you get there. Remember to bring rain gear as there are no shelters and there are no benches for those who need to rest. There are also no dogs allowed. … Continue reading Bottom Creek Gorge Preserve

We decided to try out this park after having seen the lake from Read Mountain. The Preserve cost $7 dollars to get in, so keep that in mind. Some trails are harder than others Using the Map, we started on The Trough, which is labeled very difficult. I admit, there was some huffing and puffing … Continue reading Carvins Cove Preserve

We did this trail system in February, where there was still some snow on the ground. The access to the park did have some mountain climb, so I would beware of trying to get here after a heavy snow fall in the winter without them clearing the road. The park is fairly remote, with not … Continue reading Fairy Stone State Park: Little Mountain Falls Trail

We did this trail system in January, several times one including a bit of snow, which was lovely. It is on top of Read Mountain, so the trail can be quiet rocky at times. We have done this trip twice, once with my mom (age 68) and accidently went 6 miles, as the loops on … Continue reading Read Mountain Preserve

We don't always just go to parks, often you will find in historical sites enough of trails to make it a "hike" and not just a place to look at where dead people sat on a stool. We traveled to Booker T. Washington National Historic Site this past week and had such a good time. … Continue reading Booker T. Washington National Historic Site

This week's post is in regards to Smith Mountain Lake State Park and trying to finish up the portion of Striper Trail that is quite frankly, out of the way of the rest of the trail. We started with one of our favorites of Walton Creek Trail, had a break at the parking lot, and … Continue reading Walton Creek / Striper Loop Trails

When we moved up to North Carolina in the early 2000s, we spent a lot of time seeking out local tourism and finding the state parks. One such park was Raven Rock State Park. They have a great detailed page of the individual trails here, and the map. We never did the horse trails, but … Continue reading Raven Rock State Park

We actually camped at Smith Mountain Lake for this trip, and after a chilly low 50s morning with higher winds, we got up at 5:30am and started the hike. While it was dark, we sneaked out of the camp to try not to wake up anyone. It had a feel of some sort of end-times … Continue reading Buck Run Trail