This adventure is the Mount Everest of day hikes in Virginia. You have a 2000 foot assent in about 4.5 miles, topping out 3,291 above sea level. It is a truly spectacular climb. There are a few sections that are strenuous where you have to navigate through a boulder field, climbing, descending, and squeezing up the trail. Teamwork won the day as we cheered each other on to overcome these obstacles and even though we were perspiring, we grew stronger going up, bringing a beautiful ascendancy to the whole day.

There was one section of the boulders that was a tunnel with natural steps between two large rocks with cool breeze flow through as we sat looking out over a sunny mountainous valley view and a large hawk hovered up to our elevation suspended in an updraft that when we took it all in, reminded me of a Norman Rockwell scene. This hike had a The Last of the Mohicans feel to it without the bows and arrows.

These are the kind of days you need to give yourself permission to experience. There were things the men had to talk about and one of the highlights of the day was hearing Michael Levine speak words of encouragement with perfect clarity to Scott Duncan who received them while perched on a rockledge with unlimited visibility.

The peanut butter and jelly sandwich at the summit tasted better than a steak dinner at Hamilton's.

It was beautiful.

Jeff

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