Well I’m home. Back from the cross country adventure time. Back from the Jamaica destination wedding. But not quite back to reality. I still a few days before my dogs return, so I might as well make the best of it. There are some hikes around that do not allow dogs. I chose to do the 2.8 mile Wildcat Mountain Trail in Marshall, VA with a 665 ft. elevation gain for my first hike back.
This is a cool little trail that I found on Hiking Upward. If you like to hike in VA, MD, WV, or NC, but haven’t been to Hiking Upward, I suggest you go there immediately to check it out. This site has helped me find all sorts of gems. Run by the Nature Conservancy, this trail is marked with yellow diamonds. It has a great map at the parking lot with handouts you can take with you if for nothing more than to fan the sweat from your dripping skin as you become with the mid summer humidity. But seriously, it’s helpful to carry a map. The trail is well maintained, and offers educational markers on particular trees. I love learning more about the trees that surround me, so this was fun for me.
The parking lot was empty when I arrived. Clouds had been gathering out to the west, rumbles of thunder were threatening, and the humidity, did I mention, it was thick. I walked along remembering the hikes I did out west, and how fearful I had been in regards to the mountain lions and snakes. Now that I’ve returned those things seem to stay on my mind with the addition of more snakes, spiders, and bears. I’m happy to report that, even though I heard some strange sneezing coming from behind me when I first started, I only encountered spiders along this walk. I became a human web wrecker, but these webs were not as annoying as the early morning monstrosities I saw in Missouri. These were dainty, and stopped when I arrived at the Smith Family House and passed a young woman, the sneezer from earlier no doubt, who had knocked her fair share down along the portion of the loop I was about to travel. She should be happy to see that I did the same for her.
Wow, I haven’t seen another loan female hiker in quite some time. I wonder if she gets a lot of flack for hiking alone or if anyone even knows where she is. It was exciting to see her out on the trail. I realized that at the end of the lariat where I had stood and pondered which direction to turn, she had chosen to go left while I had chosen to go right. I made my choice based on what appeared to have the most gradual ascent. Had I chosen to go left we would have never crossed paths, and I would have destroyed all of the spider webs on my own. I would have returned to the parking lot to see her car, only to wonder who it belonged to and how far behind me they were. Only a few more days before I get my pups back. I’ll have to get at least one more dog unfriendly hike in before then.
TheArtLadyHikes 