May 4. Dragon's Tooth Trail to Appalachian Trail to Dragon's Tooth and back. 5.2 miles. It had been about six months since the five-year-old grandsons had made their first real hike with us (four miles up and back on Tinker Mountain to the first overlook of Carvins Cove), and they announced themselves ready for the longer, steeper, rockier climb to Dragon's Tooth. And sure enough, aside from a fall or two and minor skirmishes over who got to be in front (if only they were old enough to absorb the lessons of one contented always-behind hiker), they were absolutely correct, leading us across the multiple creek crossings, around the switchbacks and over the difficult rock climbs to the top – at a pace hardly at all different from The Day Hiker's usual one (at least on the way up). The day was perfectly clear and warm, the views were appreciated by all and lunch devoured gleefully. Upon seeing the Dragon's Tooth formation itself, speculation between Aden and Matthew ran immediately to how ginormous it was, and since one single tooth was that huge, just think about how big the dragon is!
May 11. Roanoke River Greenway from the sewage treatment plant to up Mill Mountain via the Star Trail, Wood Thrush Trail, Ridge Line Trail and down via the old road. About 5 miles. With Saturday given to the big fun of the 5K Gallop 4 Greenways in downtown Roanoke, and with the Sunday forecast calling for storms, we played it safe with a close-to-home hike that had been planned – all snowless winter – as a snowy weekend hike. It worked well as a rainy weekend hike as well, with the new greenway section offering a gentle, urban, riverside start before we started up the mountain on the Star Trail. A short ways up, near the water tank, was new-to-us signage, announcing the Wood Thrush Trail. The Day Hiker subscribes fully to Yogi Berra's dictum about when coming to a fork in the road, taking it, and so we did, and walked for about 45 minutes into totally new territory in our home town. The trail seems to end at the parkway spur, and it took a little 'shwhacking and exploring to find the Ridge Line Trail on the other side, which took us on up the mountain. Our goal was to at least reach the top of the mountain before the rain, so that we could eat lunch dry and in the pavilion. This goal was accomplished, but as we ate, the heavy rains came, and we walked most of the way down the old road in a downpour. The Day Hiker, Gortexed from head to toe, took the occasion to gloat a little over her warm, comfy self.
May 17. Cascades Trail and on to Barney's Wall and beyond via Conservancy Trail and back. 8.2 miles. A perfect May afternoon had the Cascades Trail well-populated in both directions, owing not only the day, but the good strong flow of Little Stony Creek, providing portend to the largest volume of water we've ever seen at the 66-foot falls, which was full and loud enough that people had to shout at one another in the observation area. Beyond the falls on the Conservancy Trail, we were alone save for one hiker headed down, and at Barney's Wall, where it was cool and breezy enough that The Day Hiker put on three layers and wrapped herself in the picnic blanket, we shared the rocks with only a few ants pleased to carry away a pea or two that fell from my salad. As usual from this great-view precipice, we marveled at the view into the New River Valley and at the strong flow of water from near the peak of Butts Mountain; we walked on farther on the Conservancy Trail to look for the source, and found several smaller streams combining to create the falls visible from the wall. But the question remains for me: What's the hydrology/geology of so much water flow from so near the top of a mountain?
May 22. Star Trail up Mill Mountain and back. 3.4 miles. The first weekday evening hike of the year, and for a good cause: Gunnar, loyal dog of The Greatest Day Hiker Of Them All these past nearly 12 years, passed away with her head on her owner's lap two days before Gail said she needed a walk to get herself out of the yard where she and the black lab/golden retriever spent countless hours over the years, with one planting and picking, pruning and propping, and the other pretty much lying there moving little more than her eyes. So, we headed out for a short, local walk and ate dinner on the lower overlook, with the real mountains to the west in clear-day view. Gunnar, who ran gleefully through the woods with us for nearly three years, had not been able to hike over the last year of her life, to the great chagrin of The Day Hiker.
May 25. Mount Pompey/Mount Pleasant loop in the Mount Pleasant National Scenic Area. 6.6 miles. What a nifty thing it is to have a national scenic area in our backyard here in south-central Virginia, and have it live up to its name in every season. In this one TGDHOTA found the wildflowers in full May glory; the breeze was crisp enough to feel like a month earlier, and the views to east and west atop Mount Pleasant were as breathtaking as ever. On this first day of the Memorial Day weekend, there were several sets of hikers on the trail.
May 31. Appalachian Trail from Mount Rogers HQ northward to the northern crest of Glade Mountain and back. 11 miles. New AT miles for us, reducing the miles remaining to finish Virginia to about 52, all in the Mount Rogers National Scenic Area. (Save the best for last!) This walk, while it climbs Locust Mountain and takes you up to nearly 4,000 feet along the ridge of Glade Mountain, is generally tree-shrouded, precluding the views you'd hope for at that elevation. And it's a robustly up-and-down 5.5-mile section, with almost as much ascent/descent in one direction as the other. One small first-ever for us on the AT: Near the crossing of Va. 622, in both directions on the trail, huge orange VDOT signs trailside, announcing road construction ahead, as if preparing high-speed thru-hikers to put the brakes on and slow down to maybe four miles an hour or something. And one bigger first-ever: A rattlesnake as big as your upper arm, just off the trail, rattling with a noise level that made The Day Hiker wonder if we'd missed his brethren many times, thinking we were hearing a chorus of cicadas. Gail, having kicked herself several times already on this hike for not having her camera, did so even a little harder.
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