The focal point for The Greatest Day Hiker Of Them All on these three walks was the return of the wildflowers (why else would I have been ahead on April 27). The accompanying slideshow displays a few of her faves.
April 13: At Carvins Cove: Trough, Brushy Mountain, Gauntlet and Horse Pen trails loop. About 6.5 miles.
Ah, the wonders of the trails of Carvins Cove Natural Area on a pretty spring day . . . easy climbs, budding wildflowers, views of McAfee Knob, a friendly cyclist or two and a full-pond reservoir.
Not to mention a good lunch at the fire pit along the wide and easy Brushy Mountain Trail.
Back down the Gauntlet Trail, the rocks and mucky areas we usually cross to get to the edge of the reservoir were all under water, with the Cove at full pond, the first time we’ve ever seen it so.
How to get there: Va. 419 west of Salem to Dutch Oven Road and then a quick right on Timberview Road to the parking lot at the end.
April 21: Dragon’s Tooth Trail to Appalachian Trail to Rawrie’s Rest and back on AT and Scout Trail. About 4 miles
A short easy walk with some good views to the east and, on this day, wildflowers along the streams at the lower reaches of the Dragon’s Tooth Trail.
We debate each time we do this walk which little set of rock(s) is Rawrie’s rest, though it really doesn’t matter much among the several that look out over the valleys and north toward the Audie Murphy Memorial.
How to get there: Va. 311 west from Salem to the small parking lot on the left about a mile west of Catawba.
April 27: Little Rocky Row Run Trail from U.S. 501 to the Appalachian Trail north to Big Rock Row and back. About 8 miles.
The pretty and relatively gently climbing Little Rocky Row Run Trail just off of U.S. 501 is a significantly easier climb to the Fullers Rocks overlook than the 21-switchback climb on the AT to the same point. Nonetheless, The Day Hiker might well have advocated strongly for lunch at that pretty overlook, had I not been, uncharacteristically, ahead of her (and opting not to check back at that particular point, for which I was duly chastised once she did reassume her usual position of leading us up the trail).
And, truth be told, Fullers Rocks does provide a better view down onto the James than the mile-or-so farther and higher Big Rocky Row summit, where we ate lunch after I absorbed the verbal abuse for, you know, heading on toward the agreed-upon lunch spot.
We saw no one either way on the little-used, 2.8-mile Little Rocky Row Run Trail, but the AT was busy between Fullers Rocks and the Big Rocky summit.
How to get there: Natural Bridge Exit (175) from I-81 to U.S. 11, right on Va 130 to U.S. 501 to small parking area on the right at the Rockbridge/Amherst counties line (walk back about 100 yards to trail head).
