We decided this view was good enough to be Hemlock Point, whatever the identity of the evergreens.
January 1. Appalachian Trail from Va. 620 to Hemlock Point Overlook and back. 7.8 miles
This is a section we had not done for so long that we could not remember the viewpoint. And then, when we’d walked plenty long enough to have reached it, and the trail began a sharp descent off the ridgeline, it all came back to us: “No, Gail, it’s just a little farther.” “No, Kurt, we’ve already done four knobs you said were gonna be it, and now we’re headed down into the valley, just like the last time we were here.”
We had a nice lunch from a pretty viewpoint, Hemlock or not.
January 5. At Carvins Cove, Hotel, Buck, Brushy and Hi-De-Ho trails loop. 6 miles
You could take this nice loop, at the western end of the wonderful trails of Carvins Cove, as a little rehearsal for the coming Hinchee Trail. Once it’s here, we’ll all be able to go up the Hotel and the Buck, then hang a right on the Brushy Mountain, and walk on in to Salem.
January 12. On Mill Mountain, Star, Loop trails and back via Roanoke River Greenway. 4.5 miles
Fast becoming a winter classic for us. Walk over the mountain, have a nice lunch at the Fork, then take the short cut along the Roanoke River Greenway (with ice cream at Blue Cow!) and back to the car at the Star Trail lot.
January 19. From Valley View Mall to Countryside Sports Complex and back. 4 miles
A grandson basketball game at 12:45 makes for a tough hiking day. Well, unless you park at Valley View, have an early lunch at Shaker’s and then walk to Countryside Park for the ball game and then back to the car. Sometimes a hike has to be where you can find it.
The trails of Greenfield Park are open and airy along the way to Ballast Point, including this pretty glade near Greenfield Elementary.
January 26. Trails of Greenfield Recreation Park. 5.2 miles
We decided on this walk that Ballast Point, with that big ol building and all that nice beer n food, is missing out on a fairly sizable opportunity: I mean The Greatest Day Hiker Of Them All and I are gonna find our walks, plain and simple, as we did on this day, with about three miles before we climbed the hill for ingestion, and then a bit more than two miles to get back to the car at Greenfield Elementary. But why in the world doesn’t Ballast Point create a nice, switch-backy trail down its hillside to that trail network? Thus creating its own little walk-to destination? Just sayin’.