Final 2020 Non-Mountain Hikes

 I recently wrote about my last mountain hike of 2020 (to Blackrock Shelter), as well as three others in the Blue Ridge.  I also took a number of hikes out of the mountains before the crazy year of 2020 closed out.  I'll briefly talk about a few of these, none of which was a solo hike.

I did two hikes in Pocahontas State Park with the trail club.  Some of us even dressed for the season!

The Co-op trail is a pleasant trail that goes through forests and past lakes.

Beavers also like this area.  Timberrrrrrr!!!!!

Lake view!

The Beaver Lake Trail is a pleasant loop around - wait for it - Beaver Lake!  No, this dam was not made by Castor canadensis, but by Homo sapiens.

I hiked several times at Powhatan State Park, which is only about 30 miles from my house.  These pictures are from November when there was still fall foliage around.

The trails go through forests, mostly.  I usually hike from 4 to 7 miles when I visit this park.

Powhatan State Park is popular with horsewomen and horsemen.

Fall foliage...

Sassafras - note the three different shapes of leaves on this shrub.

The other place I hiked in a few times was the Dutch Gap Conservation Area.  It is always a good place to see wildlife, such as this Ring-Necked Duck.

Well, that's it for 2020.  In a few days, I will come back to this blog and document where I have hiked so far in 2021, then make a decision whether to continue the blog or not.