Strickler Knob

What a hidden gem this was.  I must say I'm glad I found it.  That said, Strickler Knob wasn't the original plan.  Rather, Casey and I were set to take ourselves on a 17 mile overnighter to test out our backpacks (and willpower), but the weather forecasters scared me away.  I am sure Casey would appreciate that I reiterate that the weather forecasters scared me away - not him.  He was merely intent on being a good boyfriend and not having the deal with the avalanche of "I told you so's" should I feel a drop of rain as we were hiking.  The sky was blue, the sun was shining, and weather.com and every other weather service that I could find seemed intent to inform me that I was planning my imminent demise should I choose to spend the night in a flimsy little tent.  "Scattered thunderstorms." "Wait, no, BIG thunderstorms!" "Tornado watch!!!" "Stay inside. Lock the doors. Hide out in a basement! Everybody panic!"  I'm a good rule follower.  I panicked.

And with that, I put together a menagerie of possible little day hikes that might fulfill Casey's need for "strenuous" and my need to be locked away under a real roof when the rain struck.  I laid my proposal out to Casey with care and we decided that Strickler Knob might just be an okay alternative.  Even more, a little hike called Bearfence Mountain was only an hours drive from Strickler, so if we were feeling it, we'd be able to do both in one day.  And so we departed, still with our backpacks, as if to salvage just a little bit of the original plan.  The new plan?  Hike Strickler Knob with the packs on, drive to Bearfence, return home, and call it a day.

The drive from Northern Virginia (I'm home for June!) wasn't bad, although I should admit that I sang along to music in the passenger seat while Casey did the driving.  The sky was still a bright bird's egg blue when we arrived at the trailhead and set off to our destination.  From what we had read, the trail to Strickler Knob was not an official trail and so might not be particularly well kept up or marked.  This had a bit of merit to it, but really - there was little to no fear of ever getting "lost."  The first (nearly) two miles of the trip were on a path that was more of a fire road - rocky at parts, but quite wide - and definitely official trails.  It isn't until you need to make the turn for the last leg of the hike (at which point you are less than a mile from the knob) that the going gets a bit more tricky.  Namely, the tricky part for us was actually finding the turn.  Once we found it, there were more than enough faded pinkish beige markers to keep us headed in the appropriate direction.  We missed the turn off for the unofficial trail the first time around and proceeded to hike another 3 tenths of a mile down the other side of the mountain before we decided that we had gone too far.  But hey, we saw some tadpoles in a little puddle, which was nice.  The sky?  Still cloudless and blue.  We turned around and did manage to find the trail branching off of the main Massanutten Trail right at the top of the ridge.  If you start going down the other side, you have gone too far.

For as uneventful as the first section of the hike was, this last leg was a lot of fun. 

The way was rocky, with some rock scrambling at the end and at least three or four beautiful overlooks before we even reached the main overlook point (from which there were 360 degree views).  Better than Old Rag, I'd say.  The rock scrambling wasn't quite as intense, but it was fun.  The only downside was that from the moment that we left the car until the moment we arrived back at the car, we were plagued by a wide variety of bugs.  The gnats were the first of our nemeses.  They seemed to subside a bit as we reached the ridge, but then came the flies and one very irritating, very persistent little bee.   

At the top, we had planned to eat our lunch, admire the views, and then head back.  The bee seemed to want to join us.  He buzzed around and proceeded to land on my arm.  I'm not afraid of bees, but I really didn't want to get stung and wasn't quite sure of the correct protocol when a bee decides to spend ten minutes feasting on the sweat on your arm.  He was totally content.  I was concerned.  Casey was laughing his head off, but refusing to get any closer than a good three feet from me and the bee.  I devised a plan.  Using my left arm, I snatched the bag of fruit and seed mix that we had brought.  I removed a single piece of dried pineapple and stuck it in front of the bee's face.  It took him a minute, but eventually he placed all (six I think?) feet onto the pineapple chunk.  Step one: check.  In a quick swoop, I chucked the pineapple off the side of the cliff.  Step two: check.  And then the bleak (re)realization of "oh shit, bees can fly" as the bee zoomed back off of the falling pineapple towards my face.  I brandished my bag of fruit and nut mix at him.  He divebombed me.  I flailed.  Casey fled the overlook rock.  I yelled at Casey.  The bee zoomed in again.  I swatted him. Again.  I made a lunge for the side of the rock from which we had gotten up.  I started to climb down.  And got stuck halfway.  The bee landed on my leg.  Well crap.

And there I was, clinging to the edge of the rock, a cliff on one side of me, not quite sure where the next rock was to place my foot, a bee on my leg, all whilst begging that Casey please come back and help me get down.  Casey took one look at the bee and decided to direct me from afar.  I continued to panic.  He finally came to my rescue and plucked me off of the rock wall and placed me onto the lower rock base.  Turns out I was about three inches away the whole time.  Oops.

Long story short, we survived our close encounter with the bumble bee (I know I sound like a real tough hiker here...) and successfully carried 20 pounds apiece up and down the trail.

As we were leaving, my mother called, having heard the weather reports, telling us that we'd best return home.  We went ahead and skipped the trip to Bearfence Mountain.  That massive storm?  Yeah, it still hasn't rained a drop.

Harkening Hill - Peaks of Otter

We finally completed the last of the Peaks of Otter Trio!  Don't get me wrong - these hikes only total about 12 miles when combined, but we did each on a separate occasion and yesterday just happened to be the time to do Harkening Hill.  It wasn't as impressive as either Flat Top or Sharp Top, but the trail was nice, interesting, and did pass by some pretty views (albeit nothing near the magnitude of either of the aforementioned hikes).  Although the views weren't quite up to snuff with the other two peaks, I think I actually enjoyed the trail more.  It appears that nobody has been out to care for the trail since the dawn of Spring, because the trail is now merely a one man wide path that is extremely overgrown at parts.  I have started to run.  Jog might be a more appropriate word.  But none-the-less, in an effort to prepare myself for a million killer hikes on the planned trip out west at the end of this summer, I bought myself a spiffy pair of neon orange (the last color left...) running shoes and have started to jog.  Is it making a difference as I hike?  As of now, it's hard to tell. 

Fortunately, no bushwhacking was required, but I'm thankful there didn't seem to be many ticks out because it would have been easy to become covered with how much we were rubbing through the brush.  Either way, it was fun to make our way through the greenery and for the first time on a hike in ju

st about ever (that I recall) I didn't have to stop to huff and puff even once.  This probably had more to do with the fact that I wasn't carrying anything on my back and that the hike itself is pretty easy than it did with my improved fitness, but I should say that I've started running!  Yes - it's true. 

Regardless, this little hike brought a good time with surprisingly cool weather.  It's nearly impossible to get lost (and I can attest well to this I think, seeing as I manage to get lost at every chance that awaits me) provided that you get on the trail next to the "Harkening Hill" map behind the visitor center.  Overall, it was a good little hike and would probably be a great one to bring kids along.

Sulphur Springs Ridge and Price Mountain

I've been slow to write about this little hike that a friend and I did a few weeks ago.  That said, my lack of writing has more to do with my lack of enthusiasm to sit at my computer as the weather warms up than it has to do with the hike itself, which was very nice.  Unfortunately, even as I sit here now, I'm feeling little desire to write out a long play-by-play of the experience, so I think I'll keep this one short.  We walked.  We came upon a stream.  I looked for salamanders and came up empty handed.  We crossed a bridge and climbed to the ridge.  I stopped frequently to huff and puff and complain.  Anthony took picture of me with my bright red face as I tried to dodge the camera.  We questioned if we were lost because the trail seemed to go endlessly up.  We saw a black snake.  I learned that Anthony does not like snakes.  We wandered along the ridge taking in the (slightly obstructed, but pretty) views.  We learned that we were not, in fact lost, and began to descend the mountain via the Price Mountain trail.  We arrived back at our car and made it home, all in one piece. A good day if I may say so.  And that, my friends, was our trip to Sulphur Springs and Price Mountain.

Bottom Creek Gorge

     Last weekend I was looking for an easier hike, but still one that would provide a fun experience with some views.  Bottom Creek Gorge seemed to fit the bill.  It was a bit of a drive from Tech, but after about an hour, we pulled into a little lot and started our hike.  It didn't disappoint.  Although there was no particular "climb to a peak", there was a variety of scenery, a nice overlook with a view of the second highest waterfall in Virginia, and an area to access the creek (or was it a river?) that flowed alongside part of the path. 
     The weather was perfect, the flowers were starting to bloom, and we saw a deer as we walked.  It was pretty incredible too.  When we spotted the doe in the shrubbery off the trail, we stopped to watch her.  I was lucky to happen to have my telephoto lens on my camera so I carefully pulled it out and started
shooting.  She saw us, but instead of bolting or even turning away, she watched us for a bit, seemingly nervous, but curious, about the sound that the camera shutter was making every time it clicked.  She actually started to approach us.  It didn't appear to be in an aggressive manner, but it was clear that she wasn't entirely habituated to humans and looking for food.  Rather, she cautiously approached, stopping about 15 or 20 feet away to watch us some more, before she turned and wandered away.  It was definitely a one-of-a-kind kind of experience!

Angel's Rest

I went back to Angel's Rest.  I swore it would never happen.  It wasn't that this was a bad hike, but from my memory, I recalled a short, yet grueling climb up to a very lackluster little overlook point.  But, alas, Casey has caught on to my goal to finish Venture Out's (the outdoorsy shop on campus) list of the top 10 hikes in and around Blacksburg.  And, in catching on to my plan, Casey decided that he too would like to finish these hikes.

This is no problem at all - I welcome anyone who values nature over sitting inside playing video games, surfing the web, or doing schoolwork - but it meant that Casey would need to hike Angel's Rest.  I told him to go find someone else to hike it with him.  He said he would.  But today the sun was shining, the breeze was just perfect and I was feeling kind, so I kidnapped Casey and drove him 35 minutes to the side of the road in the middle of nowhere.  And took him on a hike.

And you know what?  I'm really glad we went.  I needed to stop to rest about as many times as a person on a road trip guzzling soda needs to stop to pee, but we made it to the top.  Again.  This time, though, I took in the cool rock outcroppings near the overlook and even climbed up a few.  We had a picnic at the overlook point.  The view was much better than I remembered.  We talked with a backpacker who was just about to finish his 620th mile (at this point I almost choked on my own spit and vowed to never ever complain about walking 1.7 miles ever again).  We found a little "cave" built into the rock outcroppings.  We wandered.  I got a kiss at the overlook rock.  It was actually pretty perfect.

Now I'm back and my legs hurt, my butt aches, and I have a much fonder memory of this little hike in Southwest VA.

Read Mountain

Casey, Kevin, and I decided to do this little hike on a whim during our return trip from Smith Mountain Lake to Blacksburg.  I was convinced for a bit that we were lost as we zigzagged through a neighborhood of McMansions all placed neatly side by side on a little paved road with little manicured lawns.  Not your typical trailhead destination.  Low-and-behold, the trailhead was there, up a neat little labeled drive situated neatly between two of the aforementioned McMansions.  It made me smile.

Overall, Read Mountain was the perfect mid-roadtrip hike, as it wasn't too tiring, but provided a nice chance to stretch our legs and get outside.  Of course, me being me, I was still breathing quite heavily as I climbed the steady ascent to the overlook.  This time, I'm blaming it on a cold that is hanging onto life like no other.  We saw a few families with children at the overlook which leads me to believe it's a popular destination for the neighborhood families.  Overall, it was a nice experience on the most gorgeous day of the year so far.

Linville Falls and Hawksbill Mountain

This trip was about as spontaneous as they come.  Casey and a friend from Colombia, SC decided on a whim to meet up at a midway point in North Carolina.  I was invited along for the ride, and with no weekend plans of my own, decided that it would be good fun to do a little impromptu road trip.

Casey and I departed from dreary Blacksburg on Friday afternoon and drove several hours through random little towns and past plenty of dilapidated old barns.  We stopped to chat with some suspicious cows, saw a beautiful snow covered mountain that could've come straight out of Narnia, and dropped in on a little pet boutique where we met an adorable puppy and a little gray cat. Otherwise, the drive itself was uneventful.  We listened to music  - of which we had many choices: country, gospel, country, christian rock, country, or gospel - and settled on some good old country.

We arrived in Linville and found the cheap little motel/lodge without difficulties.  The owners were sweet as could be, and the room, although far from fancy, was not a bad find for twenty-five bucks a piece.

The owner sent us in the direction of a place to eat (of which there were few) and we found ourselves a half mile up the road in a restaurant that boasts the claim of being in three counties at once.  The food came quickly, and was edible and cheap, so we were satisfied.  That is, until the waitress made an offhand comment about the 7 inches of snow that the town was expecting overnight.  Ensue panic.  Casey tried to keep me calm, while I blubbered on about getting stranded in the middle of nowhere (three counties worth of nowhere) and missing my lab practical on Monday.  I called my mother (because, whether I want to admit it or not, my mother is still my main source of sanity when I have a freakout moment) and she and my dad both laughed at me, which proceeded to calm me down just a bit.

At about this time, Casey started to panic about his friend and his friend's friend who were still MIA. 

Fortunately, all the panic was for nothing because the friends did manage to arrive (albeit 3 hours late) and upon waking up the next morning, there was but a dusting on my car that Blacksburg has taught me is not worth a worry.

We set out for a little day of hiking and were not disappointed with the views.  Each hike was short (which put me in a nice little mood), but the payoff was outstanding.  We saw a waterfall, the magnificent Linville Gorge, and got views of Table Rock and Hawksbill Mountain, which we climbed later in the day.  The trail to the peak of Hawksbill looked like someone had come along before us, dumping bags of crushed ice all along the trail.  In reality, we think that an ice storm had come through earlier, coating the leaves of the trees, and eventually falling onto the path below.  The views at the top were great and definitely worth the short, but steep ascent.  The best thing?  The face of this mountain was perfect for exploring.  The worst thing?  Casey, and friends all proceeded to explore and disappeared for a good thirty minutes at which point, I began to overreact and panic, yet again.  Oops.  Turns out they were alive, so all was good.  Overall, a pretty fun trip and my butt isn't even sore today.