Daekar
10-17-2021, 10:27 AM
We haven't been great about taking our time off this year, so my wife and I spent a few days in southwestern Virginia this week, hiking and eating the local food. We ended up getting a few good pictures out of it, thought I might share some for those who are stuck at work or at home.
The drive through the country to even get where we were going was lovely. Everything was green from the recent rain, and the folks in SWVa had their harvest-time decorations out.
https://snz04pap002files.storage.live.com/y4mzcp1npJGiJHB1TyJpM9AEqLrrlzgcKv9d_XJCkXg8RmwfeR xSHQ_QTBQbrWyO11tpz2LCDAKVOFA5dPjkZJicFY36d53mUZ3s exhlvg5dsdkbcQp86Cs3M6qSxPY0M5TU80pjXIFVZMKHD-kRo_peWIgkykmqVf8Y-VOQi4aC7U7o2RtmkS0eKpSLuc_FsWT?width=1024&height=768&cropmode=none
Our first stop was Cedar Creek Falls, which was an easy hike from the gravel parking lot to a wide set of low waterfalls. The first steps of the hike were across a perfectly safe but very swingy cable bridge.
https://snz04pap002files.storage.live.com/y4mjDJSz8a-4amJU70fc1ZHsfslz18vXSXDG-USqi3yIgKG_GFJrxm_ULIG7PxQLDSdtXcdwKxBEcLzoivoPsmo 9Ihqj1VK9HHudaonJLHLLW7jv7xHP53Gqkb_6rRRWhbHwpVNxs xhB_uVyHHjtZ1g53bRqDzoRHslVa_OhKuTR3_Au3x-87Owvh3w74cFawD6?width=1024&height=768&cropmode=none
The falls are nice if a bit difficult to photograph thanks to their proportions, and they are unusually lateral - they are really a bunch of steps in the rock which have more depth than the camera can show. They make that satisfying waterfall noise, but not so loud that it can be unpleasant like Roaring Run. There was plenty of room on the shore around the falls for folks to sit in packing chairs and chat until it got too dark to stick around.
https://snz04pap002files.storage.live.com/y4mixnnHUfWcw_n42OUihTbgMZcE_3DTFiBXBnkxEsLR5Hl29B 1dXGYhnabiVFbua1KkjC5rS-R33pMivFNrUPm7RdRrGwGzX8cj0okxcQBEeZXB5lUgtDlpy4kY rUmEjOCDCJE_Gk3zh0BPESkGx1lKHfQq5zUVgOW_CLBnpZopA8 B8I-6ic-jGVFUc0GHW5CL?width=1024&height=645&cropmode=none
We started back to the trailhead, and there was a nice large rock (boulder? How big does a rock have to be to also be a boulder?) along the trail which provided a nice background for some stainless steel.https://snz04pap002files.storage.live.com/y4mWnSmaT2w4IaIJWft6I88eXS36Gh3FrCEgb12Yv_XoQ6rznq eKM8MxgEtofLOVFJUpcMnR7EoMdM-iCqW1gwwGHnZqfTkGHnoCg-ljkDK2mODVcUQv_73m2nXOdUH3aVtU1fm1ew9uJgvkqn7VcU6D DfRZUmOsElvSac3RgMQ8MKETSVoKe4IeDG9ybq4XA0M?width= 768&height=1024&cropmode=none
At this point the trail diverged and a harder fork was available to get back to the car so my wife said I should take it if I wanted to. I did, and thus condemned myself to quite a lot of unexpected sweating... they didn't really see fit to put in switchbacks, so it was all straight up! I am also out of shape, which might have something to do with it...
I was rewarded near the top of the ridge with a rustic bench along the trial. The Mod. 60 took a momentary rest again.
https://snz04pap002files.storage.live.com/y4mZaC5NuxTccaesv9dTQXfiTacXhsFNMCiY6tcuTEEGvum_8b kCM9tJQIVQtb0c_hV_tA4LFblkUnorC2AF2RD637h2n0wbcg7W MXlOCrauykfS5jfebhLywfIkAuemW7kyBNyI6YqZRD7DT3XW2B W3P8ZkgxOai7zF3R2Ij5XsC8gEhlw2xrdxtI7er_vGWKj?widt h=768&height=1024&cropmode=none
After what seemed a very long time my harder trail wound back to meet the normal one and we headed out. Just the first day in the woods did a lot to wash away stress from work!
We stayed at a little hotel in St. Paul and then headed to The Channels the next day. We were blessed with great weather again, perfect temperatures and humidity. The leaves here were further along than at Cedar Creek Falls, so we took an embarrassing number of pictures. I will spare you the vast majority of them here! This was on the way in, before we left the gravel road which leads to the real trailhead.
https://snz04pap002files.storage.live.com/y4mJE67E3Qv_50wJFqxvSUPmf_dbq487pgogSK7JH0CWZlu-VzmSmr4c5i0GZ7_qKoFIuPssIx0OvZ1p6jtylPkuNewS76extr xRqeF25rBjIzy3VK0zH5LJmgHhZXLsqwuPjPUFjNhWziRfzu5N H8-IP1uIxn96FFSfWxhd0rVVfEjeew5J9Es9VEbdT2tVzQr?width =576&height=1024&cropmode=none
One of my favorite things about hiking in Appalachia is when you reach the "rhododendron line" where much of the plant life is displaced by mountain laurel thickets. Here's one of the many parts of the trail lined with them.
https://snz04pap002files.storage.live.com/y4mQopRAb1O3d3-dqWnmZLcvZCa4PRJj5GPak7qu7jBoLlq5AVkpwSu01CgYmTKD3 jiSaZCfpOAOy_JI6m4Wyuk04FlqewyRAryOXtqxfwi7lHbXKCL hhkxp_EmG3K4oB7OW0es6B9V_7VHjWnfhBJCpgNb18Nw-usdkaU_vSNEZf4F8CWaqgBK329soTgCKRVc?width=1024&height=576&cropmode=none
The trees got a bit shorter as we got higher, but they got more colorful. Here's a nice shot from higher on the trail.
https://snz04pap002files.storage.live.com/y4mSDjG8I-KJEmby3-nWxb-VvGljRb8KzTn9fV1XqscA-lEtb-iTFRHdEv_GY51xDv3yyo31PW4ETaLTzPjCo46PY8rE5IogGbmQ F3fRc7Cdf4l0R-ZGWkVxPF_rBmxxZxwnokBnXoxO2a0mh0b9dKx-GG56ph0MNV2PKLYlAIytSxVt9TQ6TxMED9MoOaHPWSy?width= 485&height=1024&cropmode=none
At the top of the mountain there the trail diverges. You can go left and through a mountain laurel thicket to reach an overlook, or you can go right and pass under a fire tower from the 1930s to get to The Channels. We went to the overlook first. It was a grid of huge stones which you had to jump or step across to reach the best views.
https://snz04pap002files.storage.live.com/y4m3Wi-1wb3JNR2jnNo3phi7ayNTOWxIHJUfVHFy0VshH81uIlSNGh135 qYB37jGDKPqB4l3LvYQtG_4zI8QpqzOjX-hwbS902lOmoFz_N1b5GzdnE4o1-5IGR8_R4-JDi6BTjcGCHjabckjUbyHj72K7n6FR52dO-bBwWzdU5le8IIqqMDIomESggD7ic4yXaS?width=1024&height=576&cropmode=none
In my opinion it was worth the trouble. Also, it made me feel like a mountain goat. YMMV.
https://snz04pap002files.storage.live.com/y4mZIvUkA5z75lJAUgqgiarzl9bu-wj9WS92dtsR-stNr7qZdkwXqNJM01kQTh-vkkSeIX_ocYatWu-jBRpNuKm8UKEJUUFwPXlXl4OJjZNP6PeNYGS1IiaWWjp_Bgnxc _SuX5B0FzFrpO47g0y8SHrNxFuS365VjJPFSFCzwHbvWmGZDSy MEzCmDxrY7ZZKfgO?width=1024&height=576&cropmode=none
The drive through the country to even get where we were going was lovely. Everything was green from the recent rain, and the folks in SWVa had their harvest-time decorations out.
https://snz04pap002files.storage.live.com/y4mzcp1npJGiJHB1TyJpM9AEqLrrlzgcKv9d_XJCkXg8RmwfeR xSHQ_QTBQbrWyO11tpz2LCDAKVOFA5dPjkZJicFY36d53mUZ3s exhlvg5dsdkbcQp86Cs3M6qSxPY0M5TU80pjXIFVZMKHD-kRo_peWIgkykmqVf8Y-VOQi4aC7U7o2RtmkS0eKpSLuc_FsWT?width=1024&height=768&cropmode=none
Our first stop was Cedar Creek Falls, which was an easy hike from the gravel parking lot to a wide set of low waterfalls. The first steps of the hike were across a perfectly safe but very swingy cable bridge.
https://snz04pap002files.storage.live.com/y4mjDJSz8a-4amJU70fc1ZHsfslz18vXSXDG-USqi3yIgKG_GFJrxm_ULIG7PxQLDSdtXcdwKxBEcLzoivoPsmo 9Ihqj1VK9HHudaonJLHLLW7jv7xHP53Gqkb_6rRRWhbHwpVNxs xhB_uVyHHjtZ1g53bRqDzoRHslVa_OhKuTR3_Au3x-87Owvh3w74cFawD6?width=1024&height=768&cropmode=none
The falls are nice if a bit difficult to photograph thanks to their proportions, and they are unusually lateral - they are really a bunch of steps in the rock which have more depth than the camera can show. They make that satisfying waterfall noise, but not so loud that it can be unpleasant like Roaring Run. There was plenty of room on the shore around the falls for folks to sit in packing chairs and chat until it got too dark to stick around.
https://snz04pap002files.storage.live.com/y4mixnnHUfWcw_n42OUihTbgMZcE_3DTFiBXBnkxEsLR5Hl29B 1dXGYhnabiVFbua1KkjC5rS-R33pMivFNrUPm7RdRrGwGzX8cj0okxcQBEeZXB5lUgtDlpy4kY rUmEjOCDCJE_Gk3zh0BPESkGx1lKHfQq5zUVgOW_CLBnpZopA8 B8I-6ic-jGVFUc0GHW5CL?width=1024&height=645&cropmode=none
We started back to the trailhead, and there was a nice large rock (boulder? How big does a rock have to be to also be a boulder?) along the trail which provided a nice background for some stainless steel.https://snz04pap002files.storage.live.com/y4mWnSmaT2w4IaIJWft6I88eXS36Gh3FrCEgb12Yv_XoQ6rznq eKM8MxgEtofLOVFJUpcMnR7EoMdM-iCqW1gwwGHnZqfTkGHnoCg-ljkDK2mODVcUQv_73m2nXOdUH3aVtU1fm1ew9uJgvkqn7VcU6D DfRZUmOsElvSac3RgMQ8MKETSVoKe4IeDG9ybq4XA0M?width= 768&height=1024&cropmode=none
At this point the trail diverged and a harder fork was available to get back to the car so my wife said I should take it if I wanted to. I did, and thus condemned myself to quite a lot of unexpected sweating... they didn't really see fit to put in switchbacks, so it was all straight up! I am also out of shape, which might have something to do with it...
I was rewarded near the top of the ridge with a rustic bench along the trial. The Mod. 60 took a momentary rest again.
https://snz04pap002files.storage.live.com/y4mZaC5NuxTccaesv9dTQXfiTacXhsFNMCiY6tcuTEEGvum_8b kCM9tJQIVQtb0c_hV_tA4LFblkUnorC2AF2RD637h2n0wbcg7W MXlOCrauykfS5jfebhLywfIkAuemW7kyBNyI6YqZRD7DT3XW2B W3P8ZkgxOai7zF3R2Ij5XsC8gEhlw2xrdxtI7er_vGWKj?widt h=768&height=1024&cropmode=none
After what seemed a very long time my harder trail wound back to meet the normal one and we headed out. Just the first day in the woods did a lot to wash away stress from work!
We stayed at a little hotel in St. Paul and then headed to The Channels the next day. We were blessed with great weather again, perfect temperatures and humidity. The leaves here were further along than at Cedar Creek Falls, so we took an embarrassing number of pictures. I will spare you the vast majority of them here! This was on the way in, before we left the gravel road which leads to the real trailhead.
https://snz04pap002files.storage.live.com/y4mJE67E3Qv_50wJFqxvSUPmf_dbq487pgogSK7JH0CWZlu-VzmSmr4c5i0GZ7_qKoFIuPssIx0OvZ1p6jtylPkuNewS76extr xRqeF25rBjIzy3VK0zH5LJmgHhZXLsqwuPjPUFjNhWziRfzu5N H8-IP1uIxn96FFSfWxhd0rVVfEjeew5J9Es9VEbdT2tVzQr?width =576&height=1024&cropmode=none
One of my favorite things about hiking in Appalachia is when you reach the "rhododendron line" where much of the plant life is displaced by mountain laurel thickets. Here's one of the many parts of the trail lined with them.
https://snz04pap002files.storage.live.com/y4mQopRAb1O3d3-dqWnmZLcvZCa4PRJj5GPak7qu7jBoLlq5AVkpwSu01CgYmTKD3 jiSaZCfpOAOy_JI6m4Wyuk04FlqewyRAryOXtqxfwi7lHbXKCL hhkxp_EmG3K4oB7OW0es6B9V_7VHjWnfhBJCpgNb18Nw-usdkaU_vSNEZf4F8CWaqgBK329soTgCKRVc?width=1024&height=576&cropmode=none
The trees got a bit shorter as we got higher, but they got more colorful. Here's a nice shot from higher on the trail.
https://snz04pap002files.storage.live.com/y4mSDjG8I-KJEmby3-nWxb-VvGljRb8KzTn9fV1XqscA-lEtb-iTFRHdEv_GY51xDv3yyo31PW4ETaLTzPjCo46PY8rE5IogGbmQ F3fRc7Cdf4l0R-ZGWkVxPF_rBmxxZxwnokBnXoxO2a0mh0b9dKx-GG56ph0MNV2PKLYlAIytSxVt9TQ6TxMED9MoOaHPWSy?width= 485&height=1024&cropmode=none
At the top of the mountain there the trail diverges. You can go left and through a mountain laurel thicket to reach an overlook, or you can go right and pass under a fire tower from the 1930s to get to The Channels. We went to the overlook first. It was a grid of huge stones which you had to jump or step across to reach the best views.
https://snz04pap002files.storage.live.com/y4m3Wi-1wb3JNR2jnNo3phi7ayNTOWxIHJUfVHFy0VshH81uIlSNGh135 qYB37jGDKPqB4l3LvYQtG_4zI8QpqzOjX-hwbS902lOmoFz_N1b5GzdnE4o1-5IGR8_R4-JDi6BTjcGCHjabckjUbyHj72K7n6FR52dO-bBwWzdU5le8IIqqMDIomESggD7ic4yXaS?width=1024&height=576&cropmode=none
In my opinion it was worth the trouble. Also, it made me feel like a mountain goat. YMMV.
https://snz04pap002files.storage.live.com/y4mZIvUkA5z75lJAUgqgiarzl9bu-wj9WS92dtsR-stNr7qZdkwXqNJM01kQTh-vkkSeIX_ocYatWu-jBRpNuKm8UKEJUUFwPXlXl4OJjZNP6PeNYGS1IiaWWjp_Bgnxc _SuX5B0FzFrpO47g0y8SHrNxFuS365VjJPFSFCzwHbvWmGZDSy MEzCmDxrY7ZZKfgO?width=1024&height=576&cropmode=none