May 7: Apple Orchard Trail, forest road, Cornelius Creek Trail loop. 6 miles.
We picked this watery route for this day based on the strong spring rains that preceded the date. And both Apple Orchard and Cornelius creeks were at heavy flow. The signature falls was loud and immediate, the upper slopes between the two creeks were alive with temporary flows, and we took off the shoes for two wades across Cornelius Creek.
May 13: Appalachian Trail from Blackhorse Gap on Blue Ridge Parkway to Wilson Creek and back. 6.2 miles.
With a goal again of water—for the dog as well as the good flow—we ate lunch along the creek.
May 18, 19, 20. Walks of the beach at Cherry Grove, SC. 7 miles.
The beach at Cherry Grove is wide, flat and inviting, in both directions from the condo for our visit with The Day Hiker’s sisters and their husbands. We walked both directions several times, with the most inviting being to the north toward the inlet, where a spit extends into the ocean at low tide.
May 27: Star Trail, Watchtower Trail, Loop Road into South Roanoke and back over Monument Trail and Star Trail. 7.5 miles.
This new favorite includes walking over the municipal mountain and into downtown Roanoke to a favorite meal—the Greek Salad with chicken at Athens Corner Grill—and then the trek back over the mountain (well, a little bit of “around” the mountain with the Monument Trail). And a great stop after lunch at the new n mighty good Blue Cow Ice Cream Company!
May 29: Cornelius Creek, Appalachian and Apple Orchard Trail loop including Black Rock. 8 miles.
Driving in on the forest road, we encountered a large group of cyclists. They turned out to be about 50 in number, and on a four-day excursion that had included Douthat Park and still had Little Cove mountain to go. The friendly group was gearing up to pedal up the Apple Orchard Trail, so despite our long-held pledge to each other to avoid the steep section of the Cornelius Creek trail on the way up, we nonetheless set off in that direction. Just one stream ford this time (and a soaked boot for me on the non-wade rock-hop); and we crossed a couple about our age coming down the steep part, where we got to lament out decision out loud and assert that yes, we knew better. Lunch was at the overlook at Black Rock.
Since Valentine’s Day 2004, Blue Ridge Country Editor in Chief Kurt Rheinheimer and his wife Gail have hiked at least once almost every weekend. Of those bazillion weekends, they have missed just 14, virtually all due to occasional balkiness from Kurt’s old-man knees or achilles. For the first two years (Valentine’s Day 2004 through Valentine’s Day 2006) they didn’t miss a single week, and they have a longer streak now, which Kurt is too superstitious to talk about. They celebrated their 1oth anniversary of hiking with a February 2014 trip to hike the trails of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. They completed the 550 miles of the Appalachian Trail in Virginia in the summer of 2008, and have walked more than 5,100 miles total, mostly in Virginia but including hikes in West Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Florida, Oregon and … New Zealand! This blog is an ongoing chronicle of those hikes. We hope you enjoy these tales from the trail, and we encourage you to get out there and experience the beautiful Blue Ridge for yourself – happy hiking!
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