Category: Afton

Virginia Is For Nature Lovers

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With thirty-eight state parks and nineteen national park service sites, Virginia is the place to be if you want to see the great outdoors! From coastal regions on the east and mountains on the west, there is something for everyone.

A popular slogan advertises that Virginia Is For Lovers and while that may be true, with all of these outdoor opportunities, I really think that Virginia Is For Nature Lovers!

During the cooler Fall months, I love to head to the mountains for a little camping and hiking. The Blue Ridge mountains are one of my favorite places with numerous campsites and over forty-nine marked trails with skill levels from easy to strenuous, including the renowned Appalachian Trail stretching from Georgia to Maine.

Sitting around on a beautiful Sunday morning, I realized that the outdoors was beckoning. Requesting recommendations from my son, an avid hiker, gave me the trail name, Humpback Rocks.

Hopping on the highway, we enjoyed the light traffic and sunny weather as we drove from Richmond past Charlottesville. Finally exiting, we drove along the Blue Ridge Parkway toward the Visitor’s Center parking lot. Many people park in the lot at the trailhead or along the road near that lot, however, even though the Visitor Center and its museum exhibits about mountain life were closed, I wanted to walk through the historic farm which lies between the Visitor Center and the trailheads.

Visitor’s Center

A wide, gravel trail took us amidst some log cabin structures, including a house, storage shed/barn and wellhouse. These were not open to visitors, however, you could see into the shed/barn if you are interested in its construction. The trail is only a quarter mile and reminiscent of an 1890’s mountain farm. During the summer months you can find costumed guides giving demonstrations on the way of Appalachian mountain life at the turn of the 20th century.

Cabin
Storage Shed/Barn
Secondary Structure
Wellhouse

Crossing the road, we followed others to the second parking lot where the trailheads began. Noticing two trails, we had to first make a phone call to my son to see which one was correct. Well…they both were. One would take us the long way around, on the Humpback Rocks Loop and the other to Humpback Rocks, more strenuous but only a short one-mile.

Don’t let that one-mile fool you.

The majority of the hike was uphill on the blue-blazed trail. Since having had given up my gym membership during the past few months, I found myself a little slow and breathing heavy, so we opted to take it in small sections, resting after each. The second half of the hike was the hardest with a 700-foot climb, zig-zagging back and forth, climbing over slippery rocks, large tree roots and muddy areas. As difficult as it was, we plodded on until finally, we heard many voices and reached a rocky area. Joining these other climbers onto Humpback Rocks, we were rewarded with spectacular views of the Rockfish and Shenandoah Valleys.

Grabbing a seat on an interior flattened area we enjoyed our water and snacks while basking in the beauty below and the warmth of the afternoon’s favorable temperatures. I must admit, however, being up that high was a bit disconcerting and as tempting as it was to get near the edge for that Instagram-worthy selfie, we both kept our distance.

Finally, we decided that our shaky legs had recovered enough to make the trip back down, which was considerably a bit easier. We decided that rewards were due for all of this effort!

Checking the internet, we discovered that there were many local breweries a short drive away. Now this was my idea of a good day…exercise followed by a good craft beer!

Settling on Blue Mountain Brewery, we arrived to find the extensive outdoor seating almost to capacity. Grabbing a spot at one of the umbrella-covered picnic tables, we quickly scanned the beer menu to find a thirst-quenching selection. Having a hard time making a decision, I decided on eight!

Okay, so it was eight tiny beers…a flight…but it gave me an incredible overview of the offerings at this particular brewery. Resting our weary legs, we were reveling in the picturesque scenery around us and enjoying our libations so much that we decided to stay and have dinner.

Though we didn’t have this plan when we first awakened during that morning, I’m glad that we decided to make the drive and give it ago. It was worth every step and every drop!

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Humpback Rocks and Blue Ridge Parkway Trails

Blue Mountain Brewery