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.
Looks like another great hike.
ReplyDeleteLike how the red leaves pop out among the green ones.
Fun picture of Jeff in the tree.
It's a really pretty area, and a great place to walk or ride (a bike). I enjoyed the group hike here, with just enough nature to keep it interesting.
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