Like a fox on the run..

All the way from Milano, Italy! a bachelor party like no other.. wine "growers" and business men.. childhood buddies. Hiking and toasting each other on our beautiful Blue Ridge.. In this cold wet spring, we are very thankful for the mountain huts along some of the backcountry ridges. A hut, a little hot cocoa, and all is right with the world.

We all had the opportunity to head out on some of our favorite trails last week. (You'll have to visit Chad's blog as well - the SMG blog) Chad was down in Roanoke getting his certification as an LNT Master Educator.. while we got to spend some major good times in the highlands


Two weeks ago we kicked off the first of the Old Rag Mountain Steward weekends.. and it was a c-c-cold weekend indeed! howling winds, spitting rain(?) I swear it was sleet! It made Old Rag resemble Mt Washington more than a lesser Blue Ridge peak...The summit temps were a solid 20 degrees cooler than the base.. It's always interesting to see folks arrive at the summit in tank tops and shorts, when the temperature is in the high 30s... not counting the wind chill. At the same time we shivered here.. our good friends at White Grass WV were getting a late spring snow.. you gotta love mountains!!

Folks from the lower piedmont, tidewater and northern VA/DC/ metro MD head to the mountains with great enthusiasm, but arrive at the summit with the same shocked expression.. "It wasn't this cold in Fredericksburg" must have been overheard 25 times. Wingtips, heels, umbrellas, briefcases... "Folks this is a NATIONAL park.. not a municipal park!"
The clouds and icy squalls kept blowing in.. bumping into, the mountain before lifting up and over.. leaving little "wind eddy" clouds spiraling on the back side.


We're preparing ourselves for another amazing spring weekend in a few days.. Memorial Day weekend. We will again be on Old Rag... being good stewards to our favorite playground.