June 3: Appalachian Trail to Carvins Cove overlook at back. 5.2 miles
Our favorite place to look down on Carvins Cove—over recent years nearly always close to full-pond—is just 2.6 miles up Tinker Mountain from U.S. 220 at Daleville. Trail re-routings over recent years have made the trek even more pleasurable, though The Greatest Day Hiker continues to pine for the days when the trail better skirted the dusty, empty, shocky area under the power lines as you crest the mountain.
June 4: Poor Mountain Nature Preserve trails. 4.2 miles.
More easy, fun walking to another old favorite, including the nice lunch spot along the stream near the mid-point.
June 10: Star Trail up and down Mill Mountain 3.4 miles.
We set out on this in-town climb with grandsons Matthew, 14, and Grayson, 6. And while Grayson complained now and again about the climb, he suddenly had huge amounts of energy once he selected a picnic table for us that was right next to the playground equipment. We separated for the descent, with The Day Hiker (aka Gigi) and the boys walking down the loop road toward the new Blue Cow Ice Cream Company, and Papa heading back down the Star Trail to get the car and meet the ice-creamers not too long after they arrived at Blue Cow.
June 11. Tinker Creek Greenway to and from Carvins Cove. 4.8 miles.
The reservoir’s edge at full pond is good spot for lunch too.
June 18. Flat Top Trail up and down. 5.2 miles.
The 20-minute shower that fell over our walked was at least well-timed; not far from the top, we turned around to have lunch under an overhanging rock before heading up to visit the western and eastern viewpoints under sunshine.
June 24. Mount Pleasant loop. 6.2 miles.
The western side of the peak is one of the nicest places in the Virginia mountains for lunch-with-a-view.
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!
Feedback? Suggestions? They are always appreciated. Feel free to contact us:
