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Carvins Cove Reservoir
Carvins Cove Reservoir, in Roanoke County, Va.
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Carvins Cove
Carvins Cove Reservoir, in Roanoke County, Va.
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Carvins Cove Reservoir
Carvins Cove Reservoir, in Roanoke County, Va.
Appalachian Trail, U.S. 220 to Carvins Cove viewpoint and back. 6 miles
The lure of fall seems to be made of three primary ingredients: cool, crisp air, good visibility and the presence of fall foliage. This little walk, which we've undertaken many times on hurried weekends, was at its very best in all three of those contexts on this day, resulting in a wonderfully pleasant lunch looking down on the deep-blue waters of the reservoir, which was surrounded by hillsides and mountains painted in the best of fall color, stretching toward the sky that served to create those blue waters.
Ours was a late-morning/early afternoon walk, and on the way up and through most of lunch, we saw no one. Mid-lunch, we visited with two ladies about to descend from a weekend-long hike of the 20 or so miles from Va. 311 to U.S. 220. And on our way back down we crossed groups of hikers every half mile or so, on their way up into the perfect afternoon. Families, couples, little groups, doggies – all out under the sun, and on the Great Trail.
October 24, 2009