September 18, 2010 Sharp Top

With the weather nice, the club (today Rekha, Deept, and Jody, though we ran into Van on the hike) set out for Sharp Top for a hike with a winery stop at LeoGrande in Goode, VA. Sharp Top is a fairly short, but steep hike (rising 1,370 feet over 1.6 miles) where route 43 meets the Blue Ridge parkway that was once thought to be the tallest mountain in Virginia. For those not interested in the hike, but interested in the view, there's also a bus that can take you to the top while the weather holds. Peaks of Otter Lodge is at the base, where the club stopped for lunch at the end.

Click through to see photos from the hike.

Sign at the trail head.

Rekha hiking near the bottom of the trail.

Deept hiking next to some boulders.

A view from part way up Sharp Top

Another view along the hike.

Yet another great view.

Deept and Rekha hiking.

Jody resting at Buzzard's Roost. When asked by hikers climbing up how much farther the hike is, Jody likes to give his estimate, but then point down at his shirt and say "But the log flume ride at the top makes it all worth it."

View from along the hike.

An outcropping at Buzzard's Roost (the little side spur near the top, which is MUCH less crowded and which has way fewer bugs than the top of Sharp Top.

A boulder balanced on top of an outcropping on Buzzard's Roost. Looks like a giant-size cairn.

Another mountain (don't know the name).

Rekha and Deept are doing ... err... something.

Shelter at the top of Sharp Top.

Sign at the top.

Looking out from near the top of Sharp Top.

Rekha taking a break at the top.

Deept looking stern.

Photos from LeoGrande to be posted when they're available

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March 20, 2010: Crabtree Falls

For the first weekend of Spring, the weather decided to cooperate (temps in the 70s) so the club set out for Crabtree Falls as the first hike of the year. Preethi, June, Fritz, Franz, and Jody didn't get away from Lynchburg until after 2 PM and grilling was already planned for afterwards, so a winery tour was not considered for this trip. :(

Crabtree Falls is a series of photogenic waterfalls in Nelson County on Route 56. We began at the bottom of the falls and hiked to the top (about 2 miles each way).

Click through to see photos from the hike.

At the bottom, there's an ominous warning that 23 people have died on the trail from stepping out too far onto slippery moss-covered rocks.

Franz and June. At the beginning of the hike (to the first switchback), the trail is paved and has a gentle slope.

A cascade near the bottom of the trail.

There's quite a few stairs on the hike (some wooden, some stone), but it's not really that stenuous.

Jody, Fritz, June, and Preethi at a switchback next to the falls. The trail is a sequence of switchbacks on the right side of the falls, so there's lots of these landings along the way to rest or just to take a goofy picture.

Preethi and Fritz at a switchback.

Fritz, Preethi, and June emerge from a little cave on the side of the trail.

Hiking up the trail. Lots of people were out while we were hiking up, though noticeably fewer when we were coming down.

Yet another switchback, yet another spectacular waterfall.

About 2/3 of the way up.

Close to the top.

June posing in front of a portion of the falls.

Fritz's turn to pose for a picture.

Franz is King of the World!!! Or at least standing on a boulder.

Looking out over the North Fork (Tye River) Valley from the top of the falls.

Franz at the top of the falls.

While we were sitting at the top of the falls, an eagle alighted on a branch close to us.

Fritz was quite tired after the hike up. After resting in the shade for about 30 minutes (and having some water and ham), he was eager to start hiking down.

Fritz, Preethi, June, and Jody on a platform at the top of the falls.

Snow. Even though it was in the 70s, this was a little reminder that it was also the last day of Winter.

Hiking back down towards one of the cascades.

Back to parking lot and off to the grill out.

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