New wagon tent!
June 5: Trails of Waid Park (loop) 4 miles.
With baseball games for grandson Tyler at the park in nearby Franklin County, we arrived early enough for a pleasant walk through the park.
June 12: Urban walk to breakfast: 4 miles.
With a weekend full of two grandson high school graduations and a celebratory camping trip, we walked early to get out to the campsite.
June 19: At Carvins Cove, a loop of the Hotel, Buck, Brushy Mountain and Hi Dee Ho trails. 5 miles.
It’s good to climb a mountain, even if it’s not quite 2,000 feet in elevation.
June 26. Appalachian Trail from VA 621 up Brush Mountain and back. 4.4 miles.
As part of a family camping trip, son Adam and I set out to conquer Brush Mountain. Well, he conquered it, running the 8 miles from Va. 620 back to 621, while I made it maybe 2/3 of the way up from 621 before he reached me and I headed back down.
July 3. Appalachian Trail from VA 621 to crest of Brush Mountain and back. 6.2 miles.
Prepping to climb Brush Mountain
With The Day Hiker having passed on the previous week, in favor of staying at the campsite, we set out to get to the top of the mountain this time.
July 10. Read Mountain loop. 4.5 miles
Our lunch spot along the CCC Trail is one of the few spots around Roanoke where you’re amid a popular hiking route, but can be pretty well assured of a lunch spot by yourselves.
July 17: On Mill Mountain, Star, Woodtrush, Ridgeline, Star trails loop. 5 miles.
With lunch on a picnic table looking west.
July 24. Flat Top Mountain up and down. 4.8 miles.
To our surprise, this good climb was less demanding than in recent times. For the first time, we set up the hiking furniture on the western-view rocks for a delightful lunch under skies that were hazy and perhaps smoky from the western fires.
July 31: Beach walk from Carolina Beach to Kure Beach, NC and back. 5.6 miles.
As part of our first real getaway in two years, we walked from our hotel in Carolina Beach along a crowded and warm ocean to a beach-side grill in Kure, where the wedge salad with blackened Mahi was so good that we made our way back to have it again on three other days . . . on the bicycles.