The Day Hiker used a long pole as a sort of safety blanket on her first few hikes back.
Our weekend hikes oddity, now in its 17th year, saw an unprecedented bump in the trail over this period—my best excuse for not reporting in at better frequency. The Greatest Day Hiker Of Them All was visited by severe back pain beginning in mid-July, reaching a point where three things occurred: medical attention, a period of physical therapy and five hikes where I walked alone. But not entirely alone, as on four of them The Day Hiker drove to where I’d walked, for lunch; and on the fifth she was already stationed at where I would end up after the walk.
During the most acute weeks, she was convinced she’d never be back to normal for walking. But it is part of what makes her The Greatest that from the first day back, she was involuntarily walking away from me as always.
July 11: Tinker Creek Greenway from Plantation Road to Carvins Cove and back, 4.8 miles. Where at lunch in view of the fishing dock, we verified again the fine line between fishing and standing on the dock looking like an idiot.
Jul 18. Flat Top Trail at Peaks of Otter, up and back. 5.2 miles. Where the multiple faux summits were as prevalent as ever.
July 19. At Carvins Cove, Horsepen and Lakeside trails out and back. 4 miles. Where lunch beside the reservoir was peaceful without the dog along (too hot).
July 22. Via bicycles, the Roanoke River and Tinker Creek greenways and back. 10 miles. This midweek foray, the day after our 30th wedding anniversary, was undertaken in deference to back pain for The Greatest Day Hiker Of Them All, to the extent that walking was not particularly possible.
July 25. Bikes again, Roanoke River Greenway. 10 miles, with a nice streamside lunch. And the back no better. And thus biking not even really tenable.
August 1. Oh No #1. With The Day Hiker pretty well immobilized, I walked from home, along the Roanoke River Greenway and up the Mill Mount Loop Road (about 5.5 miles) to meet the hobbled hiker at the top for lunch.
August 8. Oh No #2. Ditto the above. 5.5 miles solo.
August 15. Oh No #3. Ditto. 5.5 miles solo.
August 22. VA 621 and AT from it. 4 miles. The family didn’t get to do its annual beach-or-mountains trip this year, so maybe this weekend, with all of camped in tents along Craig Creek not far from Roanoke was as close as we got. Well, not all of us, and The bad-back Day Hiker and I commuted out for the days and came back to town for the evenings. A fine time had by all 23 of us. I snuck away to get the four miles in—once to reach the campsite and once to do a short stretch from 621 toward the Audie Murphy Monument.
August 29. Oh No #4. Ditto 5.5 miles solo.
August 30. She’s back! Horse Pen and Lakeside trails out-and-back at Carvins Cove. 4 miles. The Greatest Day Hiker Of Them All didn’t miss a full month after all! Three weeks into (the magic of) physical therapy for her back, she was ready for the trail again, with this easy, mostly flat foray to a favorite lunch spot beside the water.
September 5. The Day Hiker upped her mileage a bit, with a 4.8 out-and-back on the Tinker Creek Greenway from Plantation Road to Carvins Cove.
September 6. Back to the Horse Pen-Lakeside out-and-back at Carvins Cove. 4 miles.
September 7. Tinker Creek Greenway from Plantation Road to picnic tables beyond the boat dock and back, 5 miles.
September 13. Read Mountain Loop. 5.5 miles. Nice lunch at Boulder Point along the CCC trail, with view eastward.
September 18. Explore Park trails. 4 miles. The River Walk Trail parallels the Roanoke River as it separates Roanoke and Bedford counites.
September 19. At Carvins Cove, the Hotel, Buck and Four Gorges Extension trails out and back. 6 miles. There doesn’t appear yet to be a map that includes the Four Gorges extension that connects the Buck and Hi De Ho trails mid-slope on the side of Brushy Mountain. We found it by accident, as the signage is not up et either.
September 26. From the Blue Ridge Parkway, Salt Pond Road to the Appalachian Trail south to Fullhardt Knob Shelter and back. 8 miles. Well, not exactly the shelter, as the approach to it allows for pretty good hearing of anyone is there, and we heard lots of gleeful talk. So we went on to the knob just beyond the shelter side trail for a nice lunch.