Lynn Ditch in the Great Dismal Swamp

Yay!  I've now caught up the accounts of my latest four hikes  Unlike the Sky Meadows hike, this one was really flat.  The goal was to lead a group hike to Lake Drummond in the Great Dismal Swamp, with four of us riding down together and the other two joining us there.  Unfortunately, when we got there, the gate to the trail was closed, with a sign saying that the Washington Ditch Trail was closed through February.  The other two were not there and didn't respond to calls or emails, so after about 20 minutes, we drove to the Jericho Ditch / Lynn Ditch Trailhead and hiked from there.  We hiked due south in a pretty straight line, reached the Washington Ditch Trail in about 5.5 miles, ate lunch (and got a great picture of a bobcat), and hiked back.  This was on "Black Friday."  REI had suggested opting out of shopping and getting outside, and that is what we did.  I won't call this hike boring because you are always looking for animals and such, but it not an exciting hike terrain-wise.

Here is the track, topographic map style and satellite image:

The word "swamp" conjures up a foreboding image in lots of people's mind - dark waters, insects, soggy ground.  For sure, there are lots of wet areas here.

But lots of the Great Dismal Swamp has been drained and converted to farmland or development.  And other sections have been drained so that pretty dry paths cut through the swamp.  Along the pathways are generally a wetland area, or "ditch", that has slowly flowing water.  We walked on the Lynn Ditch Trail, which connects the Jericho and Washington Ditch Trails.

We saw very little wildlife along the walk, and the neatest thing was a green heron that hung out near us for a while.  We also saw a belted kingfisher as it rattled along.  And we saw this poor little guy, which I think is a short-tailed shrew.

Here is another view of the Lynn Ditch Trail, which looks as straight as an arrow.  I continually scanned ahead with my binoculars hoping to see a black bear.

We saw lots of bear scat, like this, but no bears.  We literally could have walked within 20 feet of one and never see it, though - the vegetation away from the trails is that thick here.

Hey, I told you that we got a good picture of a bobcat?  Well, here it is, ha, ha!  The keys were actually in it!  The trail ahead was the Washington Ditch Trail, my original goal for the hike.

Our hike back was exactly the way we came.  We went a bit faster, but I did take note of a little fall color.  Actually, on the drive out of Suffolk, we all saw some of the most beautiful color we had seen all year!

Remember the other two, the couple that was going to meet us at the trail head?  Well, for starters, they left their mobile phone home by mistake.  But they arrived at the gate to the trail head about 10 minutes ahead of us, and the gate opened!  They drove in, waited for us, gave up, and hiked to Lake Drummond just the two of them.  The gate did not open for us, and the sign was pretty clear that the trail was closed.  Ah, well!  A good hike was had by all regardless.

Hiking in Sky Meadows

Two+ weeks ago, I led a hike for the Old Dominion Appalachian Trail Club to Sky Meadows State Park.  The weather was chilly but crystal clear, with lots of wind at times.  I'd been there once before, and recommend this park highly.  It is beautiful, has some easy and challenging hikes, some historical sites, and a hike-in campground.  Despite the cold weather, it was a very popular day to be there.

Here is the location of the park (orange circle) in northwest Virginia, not far from where Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia all come together.

Here is the track of the hike, starting and ending at the red star, and moving in a clockwise direction for just over seven miles.  We covered open fields, thick woods, and steep mountains.

By the day of our hike, November 10, there was very little fall foliage left in that part of the state.  I've been out on trails a lot, but have somehow managed to miss the great foliage that happens each fall.  Here is the rest of my hiking crew.  Can you tell that is was cold?

One thing that I liked about this hike was the many miles through open country with nice views.

This white-tailed doe had very little concern as our group hiked past her.

The Blue Ridge doesn't look very blue this time of year.

Some of the group on the trail...

I liked the starkness of these trees against the blue sky.

Once we hiked up the mountains and covered a mile or so on the Appalachian Trail, we headed downhill and had some wonderful views of the Piedmont.  You can see how the park got its name, as we crossed these high meadows surrounded by the sky.

I'd like to return here and maybe snag a few back country campsites for a group, set up camp as a base, and explore the many trails.  Sound good?

Cold Harbor Battlefield

A couple of days after the hike on the Virginia Capital Trail, the same group did a short 4 mile hike at the Cold Harbor Battlefield.  I've hiked there many times, and hesitated to publish another account, but decided to since it was with a group.  This hike was on October 31.

Cold Harbor was the scene of a horrific 12 day battle in June 1864.  It is a peaceable place now, and makes for a wonderful place to walk and commune with nature.  Here are a few photos from the hike.

We had a pretty good sized group, about 20 people, on the hike.  Here, a few of the group walk past an artillery piece.

At the time of the battle, most of the land was open like this.  Thousands of US soldiers attacked very well defended Confederate positions.  In one such attack, there were something like 7,000 Union casualties in about 20 minutes.

We stopped at about 10 historical markers that gave an account of the battle.  One of the group would read the placard to the rest of the group.  Here, a bridge was built to span original trench lines in an attempt to preserve them.

What was a bloody and terrible place in 1864 is now peaceful and serene, with natural beauty.  Most of the land is heavily forested.

There was a little pond along the way.  On prior walks, I saw lots of frogs here.

After the hike, I walked about a half mile to the national cemetery.  The men buried here, mostly dead soldiers killed in the battle and often unidentified, gave their lives for their country a long way from home.  It is important to remember their suffering and sacrifice.

Charles City County on the Cap to Cap

Wow, so I am four hikes (Capital Trail, Cold Harbor, Sky Meadows, and Great Dismal Swamp) behind on my blog!  Time to catch up.

The week after the tough solo hike up The Priest, I had the chance to hike a much easier trail with the Old Dominion Appalachian Trail Club.  There is a paved foot and bike trail called the Virginia Capital Trail (also called Capital to Capital, Cap to Cap, and Cap2Cap) that runs 52 miles between Virginia's original capital of Jamestown and the current capital of Richmond.  The fact that this trail exists at all is a testament to the work and cooperation of many people and at least four different political jurisdictions and the State.

Our hike took place on October 29, a Monday - it's so nice to be retired - and covered about 10 miles of the trail, ending at Charles City County Courthouse.  We saw a lot of cyclists but I don't remember seeing other walkers or hikers, or runners, for that matter.  We started near milepost 11 and hiked west.

Although a lot of the leaves were still green, there was some color as well.

It was a bright and sunny warm day, and this mole kingsnake was enjoying the rays right on the middle of the foot and bike path.  Hopefully cyclists would not run over this harmless snake.

There is lots of American history in this area, and at times, the state has erected historical markers.

More fall color along a marsh.

At this point, we had 4.9 miles to reach our cars (and our spot for lunch!)

Believe it or not, this plantation site, once the home of the 10th US President, John Tyler, is owned and lived in by one of the president's grandsons!  The grounds are open to the public for a fee, as is the house for tours at times.

One of the group, Jeff, mugged it up in this hollow tree.  I asked him if the Keebler elves had a cookie factory in there.  Apparently, they did not.

We had a nice view of this marsh from a beautifully constructed foot bridge.

An eastern painted turtle sunned himself of this log in the marsh.  Wetlands are so important for many creatures.

A stream ran out of the wetland through the forest.

Here is a view of the bridge crossing the wetland.

Clearly visible near the end of the bridge was this beaver dam.  Given its state of disrepair, I think that the beavers have likely abandoned the area for lack of food.

Here is a view of the Cap2Cap Trail in Charles City County.  No, it is not wilderness, far from it - a major highway runs just feet away.  But it is a fabulous resource for the community.

After the hike, many of us went to lunch at Cul's Courthouse Grille, which I highly recommend.  They have a map of the world up on the wall, and people stick pins in it to show where they are from.  The USA is a solid mass of pins, but there are many pins from all over the world.  I think that many of them are cyclists.  We had the world cycling championships in town 3 years ago.