From Blue Ridge Parkway at FR 191 (Salt Pond Road) to Appalachian Trail north to Wilson Creek and back. 7.6 miles.
This relatively easy, convenient-to-Roanoke walk offers pleasant walking, with a bit of up and down thrown in to keep it interesting.
And on this day gave The Day Hiker ample opportunities to quiz me on wildflower blooms, on which I think I was maybe four for seven. Not too bad, but I should have gotten galax even without the bloom.
We ate lunch along Wilson Creek, where Cookie The Amazing Creek-Wrecker Dog stirred things up pretty good. And we saw a frog for the first time in a long long time.
The thru-hikers were still streaming north on this day, as we crossed at least five on the way back southward along the AT, including Red Lobster, 20-something red-headed lady out ahead of two male co-hikers.
Trailhead: Blue Ridge Parkway milepost 101.5, with parking on both sides of the roadway.
May 29, 2010 hike
