Arlington, VA (USA)

[ate lunch with James L. - worked until around 1500 - then went with co-workers to happy hour with CEO and CHRO at Gordon Biersch (finished at 1645) - later met Joe R., Joe B., Kelly and her coworker at California Pizza Kitchen at Pentagon City after a huge Metro SNAFU (arrived at 1800) - after a little while, we drove over to the River House and had more drinks (and cigars) with Joe R. - ended the night around 2100 but it took an hour to get to my house because of the slow Metro schedule - grrrrr...]

Harrisonburg, VA (USA)

[After checking out of my room at the Motel 6, I ate breakfast at McDonalds in Harrisonburg (0655). Next, I headed out to do some bear hunting in Shenandoah National Park! It was a fee free day (NPS Centennial). I didn't rush the start of the morning but still made it to the trailhead (Doyles River Trail) at Skyline Drive mile marker 81 by 0800. Temps were in the mid 70s and I was able to stay in the shade for most of the morning. The trail was well-worn and the climbing wasn't too difficult. Saw lots of caterpillars today, for some reason... It got warmer through the day but I made great time, reaching my turnaround point (Blackrock Summit) in about 1.5 hours. The views were tremendous! When I started back, I began to encounter large groups of day hikers. Unfortunately, I didn't see any bears at all. I pretty much raced back to my car, arriving at 1130 as the temps reached the mid 90s. Was glad to fit in around 9.5 miles before it was unbearably hot... On the way home, I visited my friends, James and Renee, near Warrenton. Great weekend! AT Today = 4.70 miles / Grand Total AT = 746.88 miles]

Harrisonburg, VA (USA)

[I had hoped to leave at 0430 this morning but late night festivities at Bob's derailed that plan (it was worth it, though). I departed almost four hours late.  Got gas in New Market (0845). Still made it to the trailhead in the Mount Pleasant area (FS-48) by 1130. Headed NOBO, chased all day by a very warm sun and a gentle breeze. Didn't see anyone for a few hours (everyone else had headed SOBO) - I did encounter a deer, right on the trail, though. There were also butterflies and lots of colorful flowers everywhere. Like the rest of the stretch between Roanoke and Rockfish Gap, this section had several roller coasters (+/- 500 feet). About two miles from my turnaround point (Piney River North Fork), I met a family who had stopped to eat lunch. We talked for awhile, sharing stories about good hiking areas and places to camp. Soon after, I talked to my first flip-flopper of the season (SOBO). After I backtracked, I ran into "Bearfoot/Barefoot" (AKA "Mountain Slider"), another flip-flopper (NOBO) who startled me while expressing his inner monologue as I came around the bend. He was out of water and seemed very worried about this. When he started talking about Trail Magic (he had found a cooking pot and a bottle of bourbon!), I realized I had extra water to share. Of course, it was in an often-used plastic bottle (the kids have chastised me for reuse, but I've persisted...). He wasn't too proud or picky to take it from me - we're all best friends on the trail, right? ?? Later, I found what I believe was his water purifying kit - he may have trouble without it... Ultimately, I made it to the top of the last ridge (after a few more conversations) and then enjoyed the stroll downhill to my car, finishing my roughly 12 mile day around 1600. Felt tired but satisfied, since I don't have any more VA miles left (outside of SNP) north of Roanoke. Headed back to Harrisonburg and checked into Motel 6 at 1720.  Enjoyed dinner with Erin at the Festival Center (1915) and then took dorm tours with Erin and Brenna.  The day was the perfect mix of driving, exploring, exercising and socializing! AT Today = 5.80 miles / G.T. AT = 742.18 miles]

Bethesda, MD (USA)

[telework day so I could take Mollie to Walter Reed - picked up lunch combo in the hospital (1144) - traffic jam on the way home - we picked up shot her records at the old doctor - teleworked - met up with Sabrina at Wegman's Pub for happy hour at 1600 - finished at 1800]

Fairfax, VA (USA)

[Mollie and I ate breakfast (pancakes with peanut butter) together - after cleaning up the apartment and packing Mollie's things, we drove to Lake Accotink - we rented a canoe for an hour (1115) and had a great time (upstream paddling, heron, hibiscus, buck running across stream) - we next went to Fairfax to eat lunch at Freddy's Steakburgers (1300) - drove back to Alexandria and visited the Jerome Ford Nature Center (got tour, touched snakes, turtles, hissing cockroaches) - it was raining, so we walked around in the Landmark Mall (window shopping) and then visited the Animal Shelter on Eisenhower Avenue – we also drove around in our old neighborhood in Bush Hill - dropped Mollie off at her mother's home at 1645]

Leesburg, VA (USA)

[got up at 0545 - drove to Leesburg for Mollie's "Shadow Day" at the Equine Medical Center - we picked up some lunch (chicken lo mein) for Mollie at Wegmans (0735) and then ate breakfast at Anita's (finished at 0830) - we explored Morven Park before checking Mollie in early (0930) - I teleworked for most of the day at Washington Center and the Rust Library in Ida Lee Park - had a nice working lunch with Sean E. and Mike G. at Yummy Pig BBQ (1330) - the EMC rep (Penny Archer) called to see if Mollie could stay longer and I said yes - we finally left for home around 1600 and Mollie slept most of the way - gas fillup in Haymarket (1630)]

Mount Vernon, VA (USA)

[after work, Randy and I left the city, bound for the Mount Vernon Marina to ride on his boat (1600) - we picked up food/beer at Giant near Hayfield (1645) - we went swimming in Pohick Bay and got back after dark (2100)]

Annapolis Junction, MD (USA)

[had to go to Fort Meade for a doctor visit (appointment at 1150) - then drove home - post office (1330) and haircut (1350) on the way]

Buena Vista, VA (USA)

[Tried unsuccessfully to view the Perseids after sunset and before dawn - too bad... It was too early for any real breakfast so I got some snacks at the gas station (0525).  Left Buena Vista at 0530 - and made my way to the trailhead on VA-812. The dark, hilly, winding roads made it slow going. I'd hiked part of this section before and wanted to locate another road crossing (to shorten my day) that I'd seen when I had cell signal. It looked like I would be successful - until I found the ending of two gravel roads (but no AT) and had to backtrack to my original starting point (one hour wasted). I headed NOBO just as the sun cleared some ridges in the east and I retraced my steps to the sign for the Johns Hollow Shelter. This section, a 2000 foot climb with numerous switchbacks, was almost completely a mental challenge. The climbing was physically tough but I was able to lean forward and move my feet - to a point. I didn't see any people or wildlife but it was just as well (didn't need anymore encouragement to stop or turn around). In some ways, the whole day reminded me of the Nefud Desert crossing in "Lawrence of Arabia" ("In one hour comes the sun..."). I WAS racing Sol! My brain and body were both fried by the time I reached the top of my climb - I'd dealt with with several "false summits", was completely drenched from head to toe and had trouble finding my turnaround point (much different views of the James River valley and vegetation since the last visit). One positive: I escaped the worst of the sun because I spent the morning mostly on the western side of the ridge. I'd also hydrated all night and morning and it paid off (along with some snacks I'd brought). After admiring the great view, I was able to get back down the mountain in half the time. Not wanting to spend one extra minute in the heat, I blew by three guys who'd apparently just started a late climb from the shelter (yikes!). Back at my car after finishing about 7.5 total miles (1000), I changed every stitch I was wearing and was STILL wet for another hour! Fortunately, my drive north went very well.  Got a gas fillup in Raphine (1105) and I arrived home just after 1400. I've got 20 miles in SNP, 30 in Del Water Gap, 1.5 miles near Greenwood Lake and a 6 mile section near Orinocco. In other words, I've almost completed a continuous section from Roanoke (VA) to Orange Turnpike (NY) - more than 650 miles (and back)! AT Today = 3.10 miles / G.T. AT = 736.38 miles]

Buena Vista, VA (USA)

[It's been so long since I hiked the AT and, despite blazing hot temperatures and a forecast of rain, I was determined to get back out there! Left my house at 0445 and made great time to Lexington. Got gas in Buena Vista (0745).  I was treated to a beautiful sunrise and bright clear skies. I'd planned to put in my miles on Cole/Cold Mountain (FS Road 48) but made a wrong turn (no cell signal) and ended up on the Blue Ridge Parkway (I also saw a huge hound hunt getting started). The detour wasn't bad in itself but it meant I wasn't on the trail (at a completely different trailhead - Spy Rock Road) until 0845 - and it was already getting hot... I had to use a 1 mile approach trail (all uphill) to get to the AT. After that, I headed SOBO towards Hog Camp Gap. There was a noticeable breeze on the ridge and the thick canopy kept me from frying, thankfully. I didn't see any people for almost two hours but enjoyed watching pretty butterflies eating, heard cheerful songbird tunes, marveled at brilliantly colored flowers and startled some wild turkeys into flight. Just before my turnaround at Piney River north fork, I met my first hiker of the day: "Backtrack", a teacher from Staten Island who was working on his last few states south of Vermont. We talked bears, hydration strategies and maximum mileage in a day. After I left him and turned around, I ended up walking for a few miles with Peggy & Kenny ("Mourning Dove" & "Seldom Seen"). A retired couple, they have been section hiking like I have and have completed GA-VA and northern Virginia to Duncannon. They knew about a lot of sections I haven't completed, so the chat will help me in the future. It was nice to be with other people, especially on a hot day like this... I finished my return leg but still had about half a mile to complete so I could get to Spy Rock. I made the climb OK but almost didn't see it. What a difference three months made: the canopy on and around the rock was just getting started back in May but it was completely overgrown today. Once I located it, I clambered up the huge rock for some spectacular views! I had a harder time getting down (had to sit/slide so I didn't break my neck!). Lots of day hikers were still climbing up for their chance as I walked down to my car. I left the trailhead at around 1400, with more than 11 miles to show for my day. I stopped to visit the Montebello Fish Hatchery and got some ice cream at the little sportsman resort in town. Explored my options for Sunday (near the James River) but it started raining on BRP. Called it a day before 1700 - staying in Buena Vista Motel.  Tired and sore but feeling great. I want some more!!! AT Today = 4.60 miles / Grand Total AT = 733.28 miles]

Arlington, VA (USA)

[brunch at Tazza Kitchen in Arlington with Kelly, Sabrina, Stephanie (finished at 1205)]

Doswell, VA (USA)

[Mollie and I were out of bed by 0800 - ate breakfast (cereal, raisin toast) - we departed for King's Dominion at 0930 - traffic was horrible all the way - we ate lunch (quesadillas, chips) - right before we arrived and we were at Soak City by 1230 - we were parked by 1210 - we enjoyed most of the early part of the day on water rides  - after a few hours at the park, we went on "regular" rides and took in two shows (Cirque de Imagine, Robinson Crusoe 3D) - we ate dinner (Chick-fil-A) at 1700 - the rain started at 1830 and we decided to leave - it took almost two hours to get home - we went shopping at 2030 on before we made it home]

Daddy-Daughter Vacation - Day 5

Our last day of the trip... We woke up at 0630 and packed up the campsite. We were on the road by 0730 and ate breakfast at Tudor's Biscuit World (0745) again (mmmmm...). We drove to Hinton and got some gas (0835).  We had to drive through town, across the New River and almost all the way back to the Interstate so we could visit the Sandstone Falls. It took awhile to get there but it was well worth the wait. Mollie and I enjoyed a nice nature walk before we had to leave the National River. We picked up some souvenirs at the visitors center (1020), including a National Park Passport book, so Mollie can get stamps at every park we visit! It is great to see her building a passion for travel and outdoor adventure. We "officially" left the area at 1030. Our drive home (retraced our steps - I-64 to US-29 to I-66) was pretty uneventful, with only a short stop for gas ($1.72 a gallon!) in Fishersville (VA) at 1230. We did have some fun watching crazy driver behavior...  We ate lunch in the car and dodged lots of distracted drivers. When we arrived at my apartment at 1500, Mollie helped me empty the car and clean our gear. It has been such a great couple of weeks - we've had some great times! Mollie keeps asking when we will go rafting again..

Daddy-Daughter Vacation - Day 4

I had the best sleep in the tent of the whole trip - felt comfortable and didn't need to move for almost seven hours. We were out of bed by 0700 and ate breakfast at the campsite. Mollie and I departed for Hawks Nest State Park at 0830. We visited several overlooks along US-60 and then used a gravel road to reach the river below. I think I remember the same dilemma from 2007: the trams to the jet boat are closed every Wednesday (for maintenance). We weren't deterred, though and took a pleasant (but buggy) nature walk to view some of the old mine sites in the area. After getting our fill of pretty views from above the gorge, we drove west and north. We stumbled across a beautiful near Gauley Bridge and then drove on some other gravel roads, trying to locate river access (we were unsuccessful and gave up to preserve the tender underbelly of "Bessie", our Town & Country). Mollie started expressing interest in a nearby Civil War park (!), so we stopped for a visit to Carnifex Ferry Battlefield State Park, where we got to see views of the Gauley River after all... We then proceeded to the Summersville Reservoir. Before our swim in the cool mountain waters, we picked up lunch (1235) at Fat Eddie's on the Dam (again, a repeat of 2007 activities). We ate near the beach (1300) and then got in the water. We were practically the only people there (it was a bit overcast) but there were plenty of boaters and RVers across the water. When we'd had our fill (1500), we drove south to Babcock State Park to see their pretty grist mill. Mollie remarked that I turned into a nerd with the lady inside the mill (but I retorted that we now know where grits come from!). We did some more nature walking again before it started to rain. We continued south and west again. We stopped at the ending of the McKendree Road (scene of the "OMG, Dad, what were you thinking?" off road adventure in 2007) and took a picture. If you really want to know what kind of person I am - in travels and in life, just ask Brenna or Erin to tell you what memories that road inspires! Mollie and I then completed our circle around the campground, driving back to Beckley and on to Fayetteville. We did stop for supplies (including some new frozen drinks that I've enjoyed throughout the trip) along the way. Since we'd never heard from the caretakers of the campground since we'd arrived, I visited little country store and learned that was the place to pay - they ran the place on the honor system, I guess. It turned out that the old man who owned the place in 2007 had passed away but the campground was still in the family. I told the owner that we'd thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and would definitely return! Back at our campsite, we made a big fire and used the Coleman Stove to cook our dinner (Italian Wedding soup, beanie-wienies, mixed veggies). We made s'mores again and sat around in the dark, recapping our trip. Mollie had started out with the idea that the place was nice to visit but wouldn't be a good place to live. But she started to see my point of view :-) by the end of the trip. We partially packed the car and went to bed early (although I managed to finish my book before falling asleep (around 2200)... Only one more day left.

Daddy-Daughter Vacation - Day 3

We got up much earlier today and said goodbye to our neighbors. When we left the campground (0730), we stopped at Tudor's Biscuit World for breakfast (0750). Basically, Mollie and I were retracing the steps from the 2007 trip... We drove back to the ACE Resort and got equipment for our rafting trip! After checking in (0840), we rode a bus to Thurmond and put our "duckies" in the water (at around 1015) just upriver from Thurmond. We had a great time on the Upper New all day: in addition to the many Class III rapids we went through, we stopped for lunch (BBQ chicken and pork, potato salad, mac and cheese, veggies, tortellini, cookies, pudding) along the river. Other fun activities included: rock jumping (I dared the drop but Mollie didn't budge), duckie battles and wildlife viewing (herons and bald eagles flying, plentiful deer and groundhogs).  Our guide was Rich (assisted by Randy, Tonya, Adelaide, Brennan). Mollie started off tentatively ("Dad, you are going to stay close to me, right?") but continued building confidence all day ("Dad, stop following me!" and "This is just like when we went bowling - I can do it myself!"). She only fell in the water once (at "Surprise" Rapids) but that was the hardest one and she insisted on going first (I barely missed her flying raft - and her floating helmet - as I paddled by). We met several nice people (including an active duty Navy family on the PCS move of a lifetime). It rained a bit on us before the day was done but it was generally sunny and pleasant. We were also startled when a huge tree fell, just as we finished our paddle (1530).  We rode the bus back through the woods to ACE after our fun-filled day. We had planned to swim in the resort lake but the lines were really long at the welcome center. We settled for reviewing the photo package (we bought one, 1645). Soon after that, we got to watch the personalized rafting trip video with the group we'd met during the day - it was funny and included Mollie's epic spill (we bought that too, 1820). After a very memorable day, we left ACE (1830). Mollie again asked if we could visit Grandview, so we drove down there. The weather was much better this time and we ended up eating dinner we'd packed as we rested in the pleasant evening air. We were treated with some amazing views of the New River from hundreds of feet above. The best overlook (Turkey Spur) was closed but we found several other places where we could enjoy seeing the clouds below and the tiny trains in the gorge. We arrived back at our campsite by 2030. I tried to start another fire (was not as successful because there had been some rain, apparently). The cell signal was intermittent throughout the trip, so talking was definitely an option! :-) We went to bed, pretty tired from our amazing day - Mollie was already planning to visit again so we could take a trip on the Lower New River or the Lower Gauley River...

Daddy-Daughter Vacation - Day 2

Mollie and I didn't rush out of the campsite this morning but we still got going by 0815. As we drove to the ACE Adventure Resort, near Minden, we saw very cool fog/clouds below the NRG Bridge. It turned out that we were a bit late (0845) to be able to raft the same day, so we made plans to come back the following morning. Instead, we bought a horse riding package. While waited for that adventure to begin, we visited the Thurmond visitors center and took a nice nature walk near the railroad tracks. The place had been a huge coal boom town but is now deserted (I heard later that the population is 6). We ate lunch at Burger King in Oak Hill (1045) on the way to Cunard (Equestrian Expeditions) and checked in for our trail ride at 1130. We ended up having a great time (2+ hours) with our guide, Jeremy, and were the only ones on the trip. Mollie rode "Nicki" and I rode "Jaqui" - there was mud was everywhere and the trail consisted of several big hills. The view at turnaround was blocked by fallen tree but we forgot about that while trotting across a huge field (the only place where I wasn't nervous that our sure footed friends would slide right down the mountain). Mollie was very proud of herself because she killed a huge horsefly that was pestering her horse.  Afterwards (1430), we took our guide's advice and located the Long Point trail head a few miles away. We walked for about 3.5 miles until we got an amazing view of the bridge. Mollie fell and skinned her knees but we both managed to keep going. Before dinner, we went back to the visitors center at Canyon Rim before it closed and got some more information about local activities. We got gas (1635) picked up more supplies at Walmart (1650).  Funny - it was the same thing we did in 2007 but the place seemed brand new... We then went to Dirty Ernie's (also recommended by Jeremy) and ate dinner: ribs and BBQ chicken, onion rings, salad and veggies and pudding (finished ata 1745). I'd told Mollie about our previous visit to Grandview so we took a drive down there. Unfortunately, it started pouring right when we got there and it never let up. I wondered how our nearly 10 year old tent was doing, so we drove back to Chestnut Creek (1830). We found out (for the first time but not the last) that the gorge is so big and the weather patterns are so diverse that there had been no rain at all at our campsite! We made the best of things: Mollie got a fire going and I walked over to meet a dad and his kids who had set up at the campsite next door. Like the previous night, Mollie and I talked a lot and we didn't get to sleep until around 11:00 PM. The temperatures must have been about 10-15 degrees cooler than home - ahhhh... We were both feeling very content in this amazing wild place!