The thing about The Greatest Day Hiker Of Them All is that when it comes to hiking, she likes a known, dependable entity.
Bushwhacking? Maybe a minus 3 on a scale of 1 to 10.
Infrequently used trail in the warm months, with all those weeds and the ticks they carry? Minus 2.
Any piece of trail we’ve never been on? Maybe a 1 to a 5, depending on how well maintained and blazed it is.
A popular trail with its own parking lot and to a chunk of the AT? At least a 6, and on this day pushing toward 10, as, after a pleasant first mile through cow territory, she took off through the second-mile steeps and the third-mile switchbacks of the Andy Lane Trail, which was in as good a shape – mowed, fences back up, styles back in use – as we’ve seen it for a long time.
So we were at the first rocks of the cliffs in an hour and a half, and on along to our favorite rock five minutes later, for a good lunch. Well, pretty good, as The Day Hiker had some minor gripes about the less-than-full-time sunshine on a coolish day.
The walk down – also a known quantity – got knocked out equally quickly.
Andy Lane Trail to Appalachian Trail to Tinker Cliffs and back. 7.2 miles
How to get there: Va 419 west from Salem to Va. 311 to Va 779 to the parking lot halfway between 311 and U.S. 220
