The Roaming Romantics

Started the day with a long climb up Bluff Mountain. There was a threat of rain all day, bit luckily it held off. There were several lookout points on the way up, that provided some great views of the James river flowing through the mountains. The trail got a little...

It rained all night long, finally slowing up a bit around 8am. I was able to get packed up and hit the trail around 9am. The trail was muddy and the little stream I had camped near had turned into a muddy torrent of water. Soon after I got back on the trail, it began...

It was really windy and rainy overnight again.  Stayed in the hammock as long as I before getting up. I packed up in a light rain and made breakfast on the shelter.  They had actually gotten rained on a bit overnight when the wind shifted. I hit the trail after 9am in...

Woke up to the sound of….birds! For the first time in three days, it wasn’t raining. Packed up and walked over to the brewery where they had a hiker breakfast for $5 After eating, they drove us back to the trail.  It started off with a nice flat section to warm up on...

Today marked the beginning of the Shenandoah’s! After signing  in at the self registration box and attaching  my permit to my pack, I was ready to go. The trail pretty much went up and down small hills in the woods  all day long, occasionally crossing the Skyway near...

Woke up to clear skies and sunshine, that never gets old! Early in the morning, I came across a rocky outcropping with great views of the valley below. I scrambled up to the top and had a great view to start the day. After digesting lunch, I hit the trail again and...

Had lightning and thunder overnight,  but the rain stayed to the north. The morning was a bit overcast,  but I did find a decent view early on. There were deer tracks all over the trail in the morning and eventually I ran into one. I stopped for lunch at a campground...

Started the morning with a couple mile hike to the Skyland Resort after hearing they had an  all you can eat breakfast buffet on the weekends. There was cereal,  fruit,  pancakes,  eggs,  sausage,  bacon,  potatoes and biscuits/sausage gravy. I must have walked back...

It was really windy overnight. At one point,  around 3am, the wind rocked the hammock so hard,  it woke me up. I got an early start and planned to stop at a wayside a couple miles away to eat breakfast on a picnic table and use a real bathroom However,  when I got...

Had a great pancake breakfast made by Scott at the hostel, before heading back out on the trail. The first five miles or so,  were very flat, through a forest of towering trees and made for some easy hiking. The trail passed over an active railway. Luckily, I didn’t...