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A Cool Swimming Hole and the Joy of Dogs

Lower Hoop Hole and Roaring Run loops. 5.5 miles.

One-Dollar Watch, Million-Dollar Walks

Four days of hikes: Crabtree Falls, AT, Shenandoah National Park. About 36 miles total.

Gravel Roads and Mountain Views: A 2,000-Foot Climb

FR 59 to Cornelius Creek Trail to Appalachian Trail to Black Rock; AT to Apple Orchard Falls Trail to FR 59. 10.5 miles.

Snake! Big Scary Snake!

War Spur Trail, War Branch Trail, Appalachian Trail, Va. 613 loop. 8 miles.

Sunscreen? Check. Nature Books? Check. Hiking Boots?…

July 11: Hoop Hole lower loop. 4.0 miles. July 12. Andy Layne Trail to AT to Tinker Cliffs and back. 7.6 miles.

Current Issue

Left: Grandson and puppy both head for the cool water. Right: Grandson Aden demonstrates the joys of a swimming hole along Lower Hoop Hole.

A Cool Swimming Hole and the Joy of Dogs

Lower Hoop Hole and Roaring Run loops. 5.5 miles.
Kurt Rheinheimer shows off his new watch along the Crabtree Falls hike.

One-Dollar Watch, Million-Dollar Walks

Four days of hikes: Crabtree Falls, AT, Shenandoah National Park. About 36 miles total.
Gail Rheinheimer at Black Rock (disregard the time/date stamp, which isn't set!).

Gravel Roads and Mountain Views: A 2,000-Foot Climb

FR 59 to Cornelius Creek Trail to Appalachian Trail to Black Rock; AT to Apple Orchard Falls Trail to FR 59. 10.5 miles.
Left: Kurt stands next to one of the dead hemlocks in Mountain Lake Wilderness, surrounded by dense and living rhododendron. Right: A view from below, up at the skeletons of hemlocks.

Snake! Big Scary Snake!

War Spur Trail, War Branch Trail, Appalachian Trail, Va. 613 loop. 8 miles.
Left: Gail in sock feet and Birkenstocks. Right: We came across Kathryn Estelle's beautifully appropriate Birkenstock embroidery through the Birkenstock blog and Flickr feed - see below for links!

Sunscreen? Check. Nature Books? Check. Hiking Boots?…

July 11: Hoop Hole lower loop. 4.0 miles. July 12. Andy Layne Trail to AT to Tinker Cliffs and back. 7.6 miles.
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Departments

At Coopers Rock State Forest, new Stargazer cabins invite guests to look up through skylights and telescopes.
Country Roads

Even Closer to Almost Heaven

New Stargazer cabins at Coopers Rock State Forest offer a skyward escape in the mountains of West Virginia.

June 29, 2026
©Duncan Seaman
Country Roads

A Mountain Tradition Turns 90 

Visitors flock to Galax, Virginia, each summer for the Old Fiddlers’ Convention, a days-long celebration of Appalachian music.

June 29, 2026
Synchronous Fireflies
Creature Feature

The Light Fantastic

Fireflies are struggling with the effects of artificial light.

June 29, 2026

CALENDAR OF EVENTS