Past Photos, Another Visit

We'll be heading up to one of our favorite outdoor adventure areas very soon. Southwest Virginia is packed to sky with great places to see and wonderful activities in which to take part. The highest peaks in the state are there, and the concentration of waterfalls and tributaries are hard to count. We'll ride the Virginia Creeper Trail and camp in a National Forest campground. I hope to bag a few peaks and see some new waterfalls. Plus, if the weather cooperates, we'll go kayaking on the New River.

All of the following photographs were taken in previous trips, and give you just a glimpse of the beauty of that part of Virginia.

Southwest Virginia

Another of my favorite spots is the area in southwest Virginia. Carole and I used to go there periodically because it's close to where her land is located at the North Carolina/Tennessee border. The mountains there are relatively high so there's a great diversity in forest type. Plus, there are many streams and lots of waterfalls.

The place is also where a lot of cool towns have been built. One of the nicest is Damascus, Virginia, often referred to as "the friendliest town on the Appalachian Trail". It deserves the title, in my experience.

There is so much to do and see in this compact vicinity that even though Carole and I have been visiting it extensively for years, we feel that we've barely scratched the surface.

Backbone Rock, just across the Tennessee line near Damascus. Often called the world's shortest tunnel.

Just below the summit of Whitetop Mountain, the second highest peak in Virginia.

Typical scenery in southwest Virginia.

Wetlands at Beartree Recreation Area.

Waterfall along one of the highways near Damascus.

As I was crouched on a rock to take the waterfall photo, I looked down to see this fellow slithering under me.

A Social Gathering

Birthday Weekend, 2006.

I'm not a terribly social person. In fact, I have to admit that I don't generally like people. The result of a lifetime of experience regarding cheats, thieves, backstabbing assholes, etc.

However, I do have a few friends. Since I don't care for most of my blood relations, my few friends are very important to me. It's a special time when we can gather together and enjoy the company of one another and to have fun.

One such time was the last weekend of June, 2006, which corresponded with my birthday. Carole and I headed for Beartree Recreation Area inside the greater Mount Rogers Recreation Area in southwestern Virginia. This corner of Virginia is among the most beautiful places I've ever been. There's so much to see and do in this compact geography that you could literally spend years there and never repeat yourself. Mile-high mountains to climb. Amazing trails to hike. Swimming holes to enjoy. Waterfalls to discover. Forests to explore. There are even towns that are not only lots of fun to see, but populated with friendly people.

I was lucky enough to spend my 49th birthday in this place, and among friends.

Soon after arriving, we set up camp, just beating the setting sun, on June 28th, my birthday.

Next morning we find rhododendron in full bloom here and there around the campground and lake.

A field of wildflowers where we'd driven to get cell phone service.

This friendly hound introduced himself while I was crouching down trying to take closeup photos of flower blossoms. Absorbed in framing a shot, I was not prepared for a hairy face and warm breath on my neck. He scared the crap out of me. But what a sweet puppy dog. A fellow parked and admiring the overlook told us that the dog had been abandoned there. He'd seen it for three days and was coming up to bring it some food. We were, of course, in no position to take the big puppy home with us.

Scene near the overlook where we met the abandoned puppy-dog.

Later that day, Carole and I took the canoe out on Beartree Lake.

I can't recall the name of this waterfall. It's just off the main road near Beartree.

Returning to camp, we got the campfire roaring. By then, we had the tent set up for the Aiken family.

After the Aikens arrived, we went for a hike. Here are Cindi, Emily, and James on the trail.

Carole and Bob resting along the way.

Me, James, Emily, and Roy take off for a turn around Beartree Lake.

Backbone Rock, often called "the World's Shortest Tunnel". Originally a rail line, the engineers decided to chop through the rocky fin rather than demolish it. Making for a very thin "tunnel". Very close to Damascus, VA, it's actually just across the border in Tennessee.

A trail takes you across the top of the World's Shortest Tunnel.

The following day, we begin our all-downhill bike ride on the Virginia Creeper Trail. Part of the extensive rail-to-trails program, this was once a rail line that is now a hiking/biking trail. If you start here (at the Whitetop Station), you can pretty much coast all the way downhill to Damascus Virginia. A 17-mile trip, it's a leisurely ride and easy to do. Here's our entire group (sans me), at the old Whitetop Station, preserved as a visitor's center.

On one of the old railroad trestles converted for biking and hiking.

This old house is now a bed and breakfast, located at one of the other converted railroad stations.

Roy, Emily, James, Cindi, and Carole sit for a photo before we head on down the trail.

Continued...

Postscript: Saucony, the dog I hiked with several times, companion of Andy Kunkle, has died after a long battle with cancer. She was quite the sweet puppy-dog. I'll miss hiking with her.

Breakin' Da Roolz

What can I say? I had the entire gorge to myself. It was kind of scary as night fell.

Sometimes I break my own self-imposed rules when I go backpacking. One of these rules, which I interpret as part of the "leave no trace" ethic, is to not build campfires.

Generally, I do a good job of abstaining from building fires. Most of the time I can't stand to be around campfires when I'm backpacking. On a trip a couple of years ago I set up my tent in Deep Gap along the Black Mountain Crest Trail. Having been the first person to arrive in the gap, I set up my tent in what was, arguably, the best spot there. By late afternoon about half a dozen other hikers arrived and set up their tents. A pair of couples decided to build a campfire just upwind from me. So I had to suffer through about two hours of their attempts to start a fire. While they were ultimately unsuccessful, for quite a while I had to breathe their freaking smoke while they tried to get the damp wood to ignite (it had just rained rather hard just before their arrival). I could have showed them how to build a proper fire, but I didn't want one in the gap. I wanted total darkness. I did not want the trappings of fires and such ruining the wilderness experience for me.

However, this past year, I broke my own rule not to build a campfire. I had hiked down into the Linville Gorge Wilderness Area. Once at the bottom of the gorge, I searched for a decent campsite and found quite a good one. Level, forested, and adjacent to the Linville River. It not only had a tremendous pre-existing fire ring, someone had built a nice bench out of stones and driftwood. So I set up there.

Pretty soon I began to realize that I seemed to have the entire gorge to myself. Not only hadn't I seen any other humans, I hadn't heard any other people. For whatever reason, I began to feel lonely. I looked at the fire ring and figured I couldn't do any more harm to the ground than had already been done, and decided to build a campfire. As I was beside the river, there was absolutely no shortage at all of tinder-dry driftwood.

In short order I had collected up huge piles of fire wood and the stuff with which to start a blaze. A few minutes later I had a good fire going, and soon I was tossing in larger and larger logs. There are times when a good fire almost seems like company.

Looking Glass Falls

There are signs ALL AROUND THIS WATERFALL telling you NOT to climb on it and FOR GOD'S SAKE NOT TO JUMP OFF OF IT! However...

A Fucking Moron Fucking Dies

Here's one of our all-time favorite campgrounds. In addition to this being a kickass campground, you are smack in the middle of the Mount Rogers Recreation Area, which is packed bottom to top with outdoor recreation. You could spend an entire summer here and still not do everything worth doing in this tiny corner of southwestern Virginia.

As if I needed one more reason.