Hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains

It all began with a pair of boots. Actually it began with a phone call, during which my granddaughter told me she was going hiking. Where? In the Virginia mountains.

I searched my memory banks. Has she ever hiked before? Has she ever been in the Virginia mountains before? First thing I thought of was snakes. My friend, Annette, used to tell me about hikes with her family in Virginia. She regaled me with stories about the rattlesnakes and copperheads they came across. I learned both copperheads and timber rattlesnakes are commonly found on hiking trails in Virginia. Both snakes are venomous pit vipers.

_{My Granddaughter at the Summit}

Yikes.

I asked my granddaughter about her foot gear. Sneakers.

Yikes.

I asked her to let me buy hiking boots...ankle high, at least (because of the snakes). She resisted. I persisted. We only had two days to get this done. We needed overnight delivery if she was going to get the boots in time.

Finally, she said, "Yes".

Boots were there the next day. She sent me this picture (below) when they came. She is the most patient granddaughter. I usually wait for her to ask advice and don't intrude in her life. This mountain hike with sneakers was an exception. It was just too much for me to ignore.

My granddaughter would be hiking with a friend. I don't know how much hiking experience this young man has. As I thought about it, I remembered a news story I read about Alpine Divorce--young men abandoning their female partners on hiking trails. But I met this young man. He stayed at my house. A nice, dependable person.

Alpine Divorce wasn't a realistic issue.

_{My Daughter's Friend at the Summit}

The young hikers were going to Shanandoah National Park, which is in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. This is part of the Appalachian chain, which runs north/south across much of the US East Coast. This is an old mountain range, which means the peaks are relatively short. The tallest my granddaughter climbed on her hike was just over 4,000 feet. The tallest peaks in the world are over 13,000 feet

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/4fEVF7stZrY

Here is a shot of the crevice they were going to climb through to get to the peak.

Here is a shot of my granddaughter coming down from the peak. If you look to her left, that is a drop. I'm glad I didn't know about this part of her hike before she went. I really don't like the whole idea of her being up there.

Here is a shot of her as she is ascending the mountain. I'm so happy I insisted on buying those boots! I mentioned the snakes to her after she had finished climbing.

I saw her putting her hands and feet into the crevices of the rock. That's where timber rattlesnakes like to nest. The following quote is from the Virginia Herpetological Society "Den sites are found at elevations of 200-1,200 m on steep slopes of 30-45°, and occur in fissures in ledges or in talus or scree on bare rock or soil".

Yikes!

If she goes again she's taking a snake kit :))

Here is a picture of her friend reaching the summit. I notice his backpack is larger and seems more well provisioned than my granddaughter's.

Here is her friend as he has finally reached the summit. Look at the drop beyond the sheer rock he is approaching.

Here is a shot of my granddaughter as she is making her way up through the crevice, looking for a secure place to put her hands and feet. I was amused to see in some of these photos that she is wearing a necklace and earrings!!

Her friend shot a video of her climbing through the crevice. I captured some stills from that video. You can see how hard she is climbing here. She is quite an athlete.

Here is another shot from the same video as she is nearing the summit.

Finally she turns around and takes a moment to savor her victory!

Here is another video my granddaughter captured on her adventure.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/LKUoyi0m3hU

On their hike they apparently passed a waterfall. Here is my granddaughter' friend, enjoying the sight.

Luray Caverns

Fourteen miles away from Shanandoah National Park the two hikers found another natural wonder: Luray Caverns. While these are a natural wonder, they also have a much more commercial aspect. As a matter of fact, there was an admission fee required to enter the site.

The caverns are located in the Shanandoah Valley and are said to be largest caverns in the eastern United States. They were formed more than 400 million years ago, but were discovered only in 1878. A group of farmers looking for lost cows happened upon the caverns.

Here are a few views my granddaughter captured.

She didn't provide descriptions of these pictures so I'll let them speak for themselves.

Here is another shot.

I'll end the post with a final view of my granddaughter at the top of the mountain.

She graduates this year from college. She is grown up, but at our age we allow ourselves the luxury of worrying about her. It is a grandparents'privilege.

Thank you for reading my blog. Peace and health to all.

If you celebrate Easter, Happy Easter.

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All pictures in this blog belong to me: they were taken either by my granddaughter or her friend. Both gave me permission to use the photos in my blog.