A Daily Adventure

Sometimes it seems like I’ll never get out of Virginia, but I admit that every day is an adventure.  You never know what the trail will bring and the weather always keeps you guessing. Sometimes you just need to stop early so you can stay at an alpaca farm.  More to follow.

I was happy to come upon this notice during a rainy hike.

Yes, that’s the three quarter mark; only 550 miles left from that point.

Day 117 – Burke’s Garden to Bear Garden (13 miles)

Day 118 – Bear Garden to Alpaca Farm (12 miles)

Day 119 – Alpaca Farm to Mt. Rogers Rec. Area (12 miles)

Day 120 – Mt. Rogers Rec. Area to Fox Creek (20 miles) 

Long Neck Lair

After traveling 13 miles through the rain, the question was – do we carry on for another 7 miles, or do we stop at the Alpaca Farm hostel? That was easy. Long Neck Lair is a very popular hostel where you can pet and feed alpacas if you’re lucky.  The hostel itself is clean and well maintained.

Close to the Ground

With my head down watching every step, I learn a lot about the forest floor. I recently came across a red-back salamander:

And a northern slimy salamander. It’s really cool looking, but could use a better name.

Among the less mobile: 

(Please comment if you know what the first two are. Number three is chicken of the woods)

(Foot added for perspective)

And some beautiful late summer flowers.

The first is Bottle Gentian. The flower never actually opens, so it takes a tough bee to break in for pollination.

Scenes From The Trail

Every once in awhile, when I pick my head up, this is what I see.

Thanks for listening.