Two RVA Trails

Once again, I am well behind posting about hikes.  I now have six undocumented hikes, although I may not post them all.  Two that I will post occurred several Tuesdays ago, 3/19 and 4/2.  One of my hiking groups, the Old Dominion Appalachian Trail Club, does a fast hike every Tuesday in the spring for about six or eight weeks.  They are downtown along the trails by the James River.  We hike from 8-10, and do about six miles.  Lisa does a great job organizing and leading these hikes.  Don't be late, as we step off at 8:00 promptly.  On the 19th, we hiked the Buttermilk Springs Trail, and on the 2nd, we hiked to Texas Beach. for a total of 12.5 miles for the two hikes.

Here is the track of each hike, Buttermilk Springs (purple arrow) on the south side of the James, and Texas Beach (orange arrow) on the north side:

We had a group of seven for the hike.

This map shows some of the trails in the James River Park System.  The James, specifically the fall line in the river, is why there is a big city at this location, so it's appropriate that people value and enjoy the river, and also treat it more kindly than in years past, when it was an open industrial and residential sewer.

Here, a couple of the crew cross a bridge over a creek.

There is a bit of up and down along this trail, although no long climbs or descents.

One guy called this "Whale Rock," and you can see why - massive and shaped like a whale.  I am keeping it from tumbling down the ravine here.

When we reached the Nickel Bridge, we descended and returned on a trail closer to the river.  One could also cross the bridge and return on the North Bank Trail, making about a 7 mile loop.

We didn't see a Sasquatch, but after seeing this sign, we were on high alert for the rest of the hike.

Rapids in a side branch of the river's main channel.

Just before getting back, we had a nice overview of the river.

For the Texas Beach hike, we crossed the Potterfield Bridge and headed up the North Bank Trail, then branched onto the Texas Beach Trail, turning around at the Nickel Bridge and returning on the same trails.  I only took a few photos.

Most of the hike had river views.

Texas Beach - no idea how the name came about.

Violets are a sure sign of spring in these parts!

Heading back into the urban zone of the hike.

These Tuesday hikes are a great way to get the day started, get the blood pumping, and hang out with a good bunch of folks while seeing a bit of nature.