Posts Tagged With: hiker
April Showers Bring May Flowers (Wordless Wednesday)
Categories: By Me, Photos
Tags: april showers, flowers, hiker, hikers, hiking, hungry mother state park, molly's knob, mountains, photos, picture, pictures, purple, shoeless wanderer, shoeless wanderings, Virginia, wordless wednesdays
2 Comments
Campfire (Wordless Wednesday)
Categories: By Me, Photos
Tags: hiker, hikers, hiking, hungry mother state park, molly's knob, mountains, photos, picture, pictures, shoeless wanderer, shoeless wanderings, Virginia, wordless wednesdays
Leave a comment
Molly’s Knob (Wordless Wednesday)
Categories: By Me, Photos
Tags: hiker, hikers, hiking, hungry mother state park, molly's knob, mountains, photos, picture, pictures, shoeless wanderer, shoeless wanderings, Virginia, wordless wednesdays
2 Comments
Trail Quest (Virginia State Parks)
Virginia is lucky to have a total of 34 State Parks. Each is gorgeous and unique in it’s very own way. The State Parks sponsor a program called Trail Quest. When you visit 1, 5, 10, 20 and then all the state parks you get a special pin. So I’m going to tackle the challenge of visiting all the 34 state parks and then blogging about them here. I’ve actually already visited quite a few of them, but several I’d like to revisit because I didn’t really get
First Landing State park
to wander around them as much as I would have liked. Others…well, I’ve had my fill on…even if they are amazing places…maybe some time away and we’ll go visit in a year or so. They beauty of Virginia is that when you get sick of one place, you’re never too far from another place. I use to live near First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach and was there at least once a week and sometimes more, it was a great quick escape from life. But…after a while, I need a change of scenery, now that I live in the mountains I’m near several state parks…some I’ve visited some I haven’t. So…fasten your seltbelts, my friends, cause it’s road trip time!
2012…34 State Parks…can it be done?
Claytor Lake State Park
113-Mile Club
RATC Member Patch: Pic of 113-miler patch to come once complete
I don’t care how in love a couple is, every couple needs alone time. Time away from the hustle and bustle of life and time to re-fall in love. So this first Challenge is going to be about re-falling in love as a couple and re-falling in love with hiking. Sadly this past semester me nor my husband really got to take time to hike the trails and well my husband says I’m…well….a bitch when I’ve been off the trail too long. So the challenge we are tackling first is the Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club‘s (RATC) 113-Mile Club Patch. The goal is to hike the entire 120 miles that the RATC maintains. Shouldn’t be too hard and we get a cool patch when we’re done. (And yes I realize it’s a 113 mile club but the trail section has expanded to 120 since the original challenge was set.)
So the plan is every Saturday to go do a hike together until we’ve reached the 113 miles-And hopefully spend sunday blogging about it. Some of it we’ve already done, but it’s a great section, so totally worth re-doing! And actually, the RATC makes it really easy because they’ve already broken it down into 13 sections complete with trail maps, trail head directions etc. Don’t know if we’ll stick to the actually 13 section break down, but it’s a great starting point.
Merry Christmas!
P.S. To everyone who sent us Christmas cards, THANK YOU! They were greatly appreciated and very much enjoyed…sadly the year kinda escaped me so, I didn’t send any out. I’ll get ya next year!
Categories: From Others, Photos
Tags: apologies, christmas, christmas cards, hiker, hiking, humor, Merry Christmas, photos, santa, shoeless wanderer, shoeless wanderings
Leave a comment
Wandering Shoeless In the Snow (Wordless Wednesdays)
This is a photo my good friend, Sage took of me about 2 years ago. (Is that right?) We were heading to Devil’s Marbleyard outside of Lexington to do a backpacking trip. It was suppose to start snowing late Saturday afternoon. So Friday, on the way to the tent I just stayed in my flip flops…well, sadly the weather man was highly mistaken…it started snowing Friday night. Saturday we woke up to very cold, wet, heavy snow…and yes, my toe nails are purple…very ironic considering my feet were turning purple before I made it to my boots. (Yes, I do hike in boots…on occasion…like when it snows…sometimes.)
Categories: From Others, Hikes, Photos
Tags: backpacking, challenge, devil's marbleyard, flip flop, hiker, hiking, humor, lexington, photos, picture, pictures, shoeless wanderer, shoeless wanderings, shoelesswanderer, snow, tent, Virginia, winter, wordless wednesdays
Leave a comment
Old House (Wordless Wednesdays)
Old toll keepers home from when route 17 (Between VA & NC) had first opened and was still a toll road.
Categories: By Me, Photos
Tags: hiker, hiking, photos, pictures, shoeless wanderer, shoeless wanderings, Virginia, virginia beach, wordless wednesdays
2 Comments
Styles (or Stiles) Falls
Welcome to Waterfall Wednesday! I had the advantage to go hike a waterfall today that I’ve never done, which is kinda hard to believe considering I grew about 30 minutes away from it. It’s called Styles or Stiles falls. Spelling depends on which guides or websites you happen to look at. It’s located on the property of Camp Alta Mons which means there are certain times of year that you can’t go because camp is in session. However, their website is really good at keeping that up to date (normally is is closed to the public from 6 pm Sunday through 4:30pm Friday during the summer). Camp Alta Mons is a Methodist ran and owned camp but very pretty & well maintained…well at least the camp is.
The first 3/4 mile or so is from the parking lot to the actual trailhead. You can’t drive right up to the trailhead you have to park at the Camp Post and you’re suppose to sign in to the clipboard that hangs on the post wall. I didn’t see it until after I was driving away so I didn’t…whoops. Anyway…you start at the gravel parking lot you parked in and then you “hike” to the trailhead. It’s on gravel and as long as you follow the signs you’ll be fine. If you want to be extra safe download the camp “map” from their website. The only hard part to navigate is actually getting to the trailhead. Once there the path is super clear.
The day I was there the butterflies were out in full force…as was the sun. Fortunately the path is pretty well shaded after you get to the trailhead. It really is an amazingly quick hike especially to such a gorgeous waterfall. There are about 3 water crossings so if you’re going be ready to get your feet wet. On one part of the trail is a “guard rail”…if you can call it that. PLEASE do not put weight on it…your butt will be flying down into the creek below and it will not be a fun trip. It consist of plastic piping and is held together by garden hoses, electric wiring and…of course…duct tape. I’m really seriously considering putting a fund together to help build a new banister there. It’s definatly needed. It’s a slipperly little slop that I’m sure many people (mainly non-hikers) have trouble with.
Below are the photos from the hike (including the much needed to be repaired banister). I’d tell you more, but…well, really it’s a very short hike so not a lot to tell. Oh it’s a 45 foot waterfall and your trip should be right about 3.5 miles from the car…oh and please people…stop littering!!
-
- What’d I tell ya? there were a LOT of butterflies.
Categories: Hikes, Virginia
Tags: butterflies, camp alta mons, good charity work needed, hiker, hiking, shoeless wanderer, shoeless wanderings, stiles falls, styles falls, teva, Virginia, waterfalls
Leave a comment
