I went down to James River State Park on a trip organized by AD and RH, which, among other things, is home to what may be some of the best scenery along the portion of the Appalachian Trail that goes through Virginia. We stayed at the cabins in the park itself, and, as is our custom on such trips, prepared our dinners together. We hiked each day and feasted lavishly afterwards. We stayed in two cabins that were a few hundred feet apart from one another, so that we went back and forth between them during the evenings to assemble to dine together, and on these occasions we were treated to unusually clear views of the stars. The park is not close to major cities and the interference from the ambient light is considerably reduced as a result. Even on Saturday, which was cool and wet, we were not inactive, covering several miles in the park itself. But it is best to take the hikes in order:
2/23 – Blue Ridge Tunnel Trail, 4½ miles, 300 feet elevation
This trail is quite new, having been opened in 2020. It is based on the track of an old railway that was used to transport goods in the area. It is slightly over 2¼ miles long each way, and it goes through a tunnel near Rockfish Gap. The tunnel is 4,273 in length, the longest train tunnel in the U.S. It was last used by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway in 1944. Afterwards a new tunnel was built and the old one fell into disuse. In 2007 the company donated the old tunnel to Nelson County, which spent some years creating the path of crushed stone that leads through it. Like the hike along the Torrey Brown Rail Trail, it is a hike that gives a sense of what life was like during a time when the railroad was the most efficient form of transport, not only for passengers but for cargo. When entering the tunnel its end appeared to be quite close; it was only after walking for a bit that one realized that the light was much further away than it seemed.
2/24 – Upper Crabtree Falls to Spy Rock and back – 9 miles, 1800 feet elevation
The weather for the tunnel trail hike was unusually warm for the season – well over 70 degrees. Indeed it set a record in some areas. The temperature on the following day was somewhat more normal but still warmer than average, excellent weather for hiking along mountain trails. We began by taking a rather jolting ride down to the parking area: four miles of gravel road in very rough condition down to a parking area a little over a mile from Upper Crabtree Falls. We did not, however, visit the falls but went in the opposite direction (south) to Spy Rock. The Appalachian Trail goes up and down several hills here, but none of them unusually taxing, and there were several views to the south through the bare branches of the trees in several areas. But of course the highlight of the hike was Spy Rock itself. Spy Rock is a large rock outcropping with a 360-degree panoramic view overlooking numerous forested valleys and several mountains, including the “Religious Range”: the Priest, the Friar, the Little Friar, and the Cardinal. The sky directly overhead in some areas was an unusually deep shade of blue, thrown into contrast by a few wisps of clouds interspersing it. It was windy, but we managed to find shelter in one fold of the rock, and there we had lunch, savoring the vistas all the while.
When I was last at Spy Rock – which was just before the pandemic began – there were several people on the summit and going up was something of a scramble. On this day, being a weekday in mid-winter, we had the rock to ourselves and the path has in the interim been much better defined, so that one no longer has to devise his or her own way to reach the top. Indeed the Spy Rock Trail has been designed specifically to discourage such clambering, which are injurious to several plant species. So it was less challenging than I had anticipated, but none the worse for that.
2/25 – James River State Park, 9½ miles, 900 feet elevation
Since the weather forecast was (correctly) for a cool and wet day, and since the drive to the previous day’s hike was long and troublesome, we decided to hike in the park itself, so that we did not have to drive at all. The park has some similarities to the Shenandoah River State Park: rambling trails with several undulations skirting along the riparian scenery and featuring at least one striking overlook: that of the Tye River draining into the James River, coming in almost at a right angle to the larger stream, with the peaks of the Religious Range in the background. We had planned to use a route recommended by the Hiking Upwards website, but we made a couple of wrong turns and the 7-mile route described online expanded to nearly 10 miles in the course of our roaming.
We came across daffodils in full bloom on one of the trails. I am somewhat concerned for the hikes I’ve scheduled for both Wanderbirds and Capital Hiking four weeks from now. These hikes are supposed to feature bluebells, but if this unseasonably warm weather continues the bluebells may come into flower several weeks ahead of their usual time and become past their prime when the two clubs take the hikes set for the first week in April.
Because we did not have to travel anywhere to trailheads we ended at about 1:00. Even though it rained steadily over the next hour and was still very damp in the later afternoon, I went down to the Visitor Center and afterwards to the view of the James River at Dixon Landing, where I saw the train barreling the track along the north bank.
2/26 – Three Ridges, 10½ miles, 4000 feet elevation
We split up for this hike. Three of us took the Appalachian Trail from the parking area on Rte. 56 to Reids Gap, going over the Three Ridges Mountain from south to north. Two others also went over Three Ridges, but in the opposite directly, starting at Reids Gap and ending at the Rte. 56 parking area. Two others took the Mauhar Trail, going south to north, which is somewhat shorter and has less elevation gain, but is still quite strenuous; it is at least 2500 feet of elevation gain and I would not be surprised to learn if the figure is closer to 3000’.
Again, I was here just as the pandemic was beginning. It is as splendid as I remembered. Three years ago I took the entire loop, starting at Reids Gap and going south on the Appalachian Trail over Three Ridges and returning via the Mauhar Trail, with an out-and-back to the parking area on Rte. 56 thrown in for good measure. This effort amounted to 18½ miles in length and nearly 6000 feet of elevation gain. The hike we completed on this occasion had cars at either end and so we went only one way; still, since three of us were going north instead of south we were covering the more strenuous way of going over the ridges – the parking area on Rte. 56 is about 1600 feet lower than the endpoint at Reids Gap. As the name indicates, the hike goes over three ridges, each one higher than the next. The ascent to the first one is moderately graded, but the other two are considerably steeper and, in parts, very rocky in addition; and after the ascent over the third ridge is completed there are a few lesser ups and downs to traverse even after finishing the better part of the climbing. I met with the other two in our group coming from Reids Gap for lunch at the overlook a little below the summit of the third ridge, something over the halfway point of the hike but – as they assured me – with much of the ascending now behind me. The summit, incidentally, does not provide the best view; that occurs about 400 lower down upon an outcropping called Hanging Rock. On this rock slab, as one gazes downwards thousands of feet into the Tye River Valley and at the Priest looming behind it, one feels suspended in air. A few scattered houses of the village of Tyro (it has fewer than 1,000 residents) accentuate the vast empty expanse below.
The two members of the group who took the Mauhar Trail option were quite pleased with their hike as well. It is an appealing trail, somewhat reminiscent of the Little Devils Stairs Trail in Shenandoah National Park, as goes upward to follow the Campbell Creek and skirts around a series of little waterfalls. AD had packed several snacks in the car for the end of the hike, as she usually does, and on this occasion we eagerly devoured the bagful of popcorn, for all of us greatly needed the salt.
An interesting side-note: I returned on the 27th and had intended to post this during the evening. But even though I returned early and even though the drive was not especially troublesome, I felt too weary to do much more than attend to the various little chores that pile up whenever one returns from a trip, even a brief one. Today I hiked with the Vigorous Hikers on a there-and-back along the Appalachian Trail between Rte,.55 and Rte. 522 – about 16 miles, with about 3400 feet of elevation gain. Yet I felt much livelier after the hike than I did after yesterday’s drive. Some people are able to drive long distances with energy and enjoyment, but I am not one of them. How strange that a drive of barely over three hours should leave me in a state of lassitude that persisted for the rest of the day, while after a hike lasting five hours I felt energized and invigorated! The portion of the AT we covered today is not one of the most spectacular portions of the trail, and is without striking features or overlooks; but it wends its way through dense forest and I definitely was feeling what is sometimes called “hiker’s glow” after the completion of the last ascent and the subsequent long descent to the parking area.
We had limited access to Internet during the trip, and we all thought that it was just as well. Certainly there was little news of interest. I continue to scan the headlines in vain for any evidence of progress of the indictments against Trump that are supposed to be pending, either from the Department of Justice investigation or the Fulton County investigation. MJ says that at this stage the legal authorities have delayed too long and that nothing will come of either investigation now, and I fear that she is right.
There is one item relevant to the COVID virus: Governor Newson of California has declared an end to the state of emergency that had been put into effect three years ago. There are seven states in which the state of emergency is still in effect, including, rather anomalously, Texas. Governor Abbott is about as different in his political views from Newson as can possibly be conceived, but in the early stages of the pandemic he was quite cautious, instituting facemask mandates over the protests of his far-right allies. Still, the continuance of any individual state’s declaration of a state of emergency is academic at this point, given that the Biden administration plans to end the national state of emergency on May 11th.
Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide: 679,951,261; # of deaths worldwide: 6,800,015; # of cases U.S.: 105,277,221; # of deaths; U.S.: 1,145,502. There were less than 100 deaths from COVID in the U.S. today, a very encouraging sign.