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SidemanDan
22 Pins
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I completed my final hike of the Blue Ridge Games at Bottom Creek Gorge Preserve, getting my daughter geared up with me one last time this month. Thank you for hosting the games, advocating for the wonders of nature that are so quickly accessible to us near to the Roanoke Valley. Thank you for the extra challenge and encouragement to break up my routine this month, push myself, explore more, and diversify the ways I connect with my family and others along the way!
Previously when I hiked Roaring Run, I hiked the loop passing the historic Roaring Run furnace first. This morning I hiked up the opposite direction, on the stream side trail first and I felt like it was a brand new hike. I enjoyed viewing the trail from a different perspective. Of course, the rushing waters and cool light of early morning helped to make the hike quite peaceful.
I hiked Dragon's Tooth after work today as a great start to the final-stretch weekend of the BR Games! This is one of my favorites: a unique, technical trail that has fun views at the end. Plus, it was the 2nd hike my wife and I did when we first visited Roanoke 2 years ago, so it's a good memory. I saw an older lady at the top, so we swapped picture-taking for each other, and then we had great conversation the whole hike back down. It's great to find so many points of connection with people you meet.
A friend, my daughter, and I hiked the Lauren Mountain Preserve loop this evening. The criss-crossed trails up the ridge were a little confusing, but back down by the river, the water sounded nice flowing over the rocks. I don't know if they're open yet, but it was neat to also drive by the new location of the Virginia Fire Museum in Bassett - with all of the old fire trucks and the movie set dinosaurs!
I hiked McAfee knob this evening, and wow, I'm super thankful for the new pedestrian bridge over Route 311 to make this trail so much safer! I also saw a black bear down the hillside on my way back! Unfortunately, my friend with whom I planned to hike today had to back out, so we'll have to reschedule again soon. I didn't realize until I was already on the trail, but the only other time I hiked to McAfee knob was 2-years-ago-yesterday (8/26/23), so that's neat.
After work, I invited a coworker and his dog to hike at Explore Park with my daughter and me. We enjoyed hiking near the river, and then reading the info signs for the historic buildings: the grist mill, blacksmith shop, school house, etc. The temperature was excellent today to spend time together outdoors!
I invited some family friends to hike Cascade Falls with my daughter and me yesterday afternoon. We haven't spent time with them in a few months; it was great to catch up with them! Honestly, I think I might enjoy the beauty of some of the unique sections of the river even more than the impressive falls; it's such a scenic hike the whole way.
I hiked with my daughter to Bald Knob Overlook to cap an outdoor weekend. She slept through all the views at the top, so I'll just need to bring her back when she's older :) I hadn't heard about the Mountain Lake Lodge before; it looks like a quiet, peaceful retreat location!
We did a nice family hike this evening up into Carvin's Cove from the Tinker Creek Greenway in Hollins. I think that's the first time I've ever hiked between the structure of a power line! I was also pleasantly surprised we had not issues with mosquitoes today. Yay :)
To round out the foggy morning, I went to Panther Falls, where I hoped fog couldn't obscure the view...and definitely not the sound. I love the background sound of rushing of water down a falls, plus the kids and kids-at-heart having fun in the water. Buena Vista is an aptly-named town; the surrounding mountains are striking. Now back home to spend the rest of the day with family!
The hike up Sharp Top was also peaceful with the fog damping the sounds of the morning. Still no views, but great exercise and a different way to experience the hike. I was able to invite 9 locals to join the Blue Ridge Games - for this year and next year!
A coworker and I had a nice, cool-weather hike together up Flat Top this morning trying to catch the sunrise. Unfortunately the fog obscured the views, but we had great conversations, enjoyed all the yellow flowers near the peak, and appreciated the uniqueness of fog rolling through the forest.
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