Still smilin'

Even though days are long, miles are exhausting, and

clothes are smelly, there's always a reason to smile on the Appalachian Trail.

Hello Deer

We see deer on an almost daily basis out here. Many of them appear undisturbed by the presence of hikers, much like this deer who dined near us at Lambert's Meadow Shelter.

Dragon's Tooth

We had a great afternoon clambering down the rocks at Dragon's Tooth. We took these pictures just afterward, then raced down the mountain to Catawba, VA. where we shared a pizza! In all, a great day.

Rhododendron

We were worried that we may somehow miss the rhododendron in full bloom, but it's everywhere now! Hopefully peak season isn't over yet, and we'll have another few weeks with these gorgeous pink blossoms.

The Keffer Oak

At 300 years, this is the second oldest oak tree on the trail. Its girth is 18 feet, and it is a massive and overpowering sight.

Cold Feet

Sometimes there is no bridge; sometimes there never was a bridge. In any case, the stream must be crossed. In this case, the bridge was washed out in a flood and we had ourselves a blast wading through the freezing cold water.

Mountain Laurel

One of the most exciting events of spring in this region is the blooming of the mountain laurel and the rhododendron. It really livens up the mountains and makes them right colorful.

Pearisburg, VA

In our opinion, Pearisburg is one of the friendliest towns on the trail. This is a nice view of Pearis mountain which towers over the town. We stayed at the Holy Family hostel, which is a converted barn and has a great view of the surrounding valleys. We also met the Doyles, a great family who took us out for Mother's Day brunch. You'll meet them later, because they've invited us to their house in Waynesboro, when we get there...

Kimberling Creek Suspension Bridge

We cross many bridges as we walk through the woods, but this was definitely a first and probably a last. A beautiful suspension bridge made of wood and steel cable took us across Kimberling Creek.

A New Friend

While stopping over in Marion, VA, we met Susan West, our favorite trail angel. She invited us into her home, where we spent two evenings. She gave us rides to and from the trail, and made us feel perfectly at home. Her dog, Cody, also became a good friend, once he made sure we didn't mean any trouble and we understood that it was his house.

School's Out!

The Virginia Settlers Museum is home to the Lindamood Schoolhouse, which was open from the late 1800's to about 1934. It was very cool to see a bonafide one room schoolhouse. There was a list of punishments on the wall, and I was glad the teacher wasn't there, because we were due for some lashings...

Photo Op

We happened upon a group of trail maintainers from the Mount Rogers Appalachian Trail Club. They took our picture, gave us some juice and snacks, and important info about the towns we were about to enter. They go out every Wednesday to check and maintain the 50 miles or so of trail that's under their care. What a great group of people!

Grayson Highlands

We thought that the Grayson Highlands looked more like maybe
Montana than Virginia.
It was rocky and open with wild ponies roaming and grazing where they pleased. Very beautiful.

Damascus

We had a great time here in the friendliest little town on the trail. Damascus is easy to get into and around in, but not out of. It's very comfortable and makes you want to stay. But at last, we pushed on.