submitted by Iva Gillet
Today’s hike was a joint hike with the Southern Shenandoah Valley chapter, and the Charlottesville Chapter near the North River Gorge. Lynn Cameron had assembled her group AND run the shuttle before the Charlottesville group even arrived. The SSVC hikers included: Gabriel Garretson, Greg Fife, Jana Walters, Edda Duff, Bob Eggleston, David Bennick, Christa Neher, Terry Slater, Don Blume, Ron Stoltzfus, Michael Seth, and Lynn and Malcolm Cameron. Many of these hikers are also hike leaders, so even when our group of 20 spread out, everyone was safely with someone who knew the area. The SSVC was also measuring part of the trail to help with a hiking book.
Traveling from Charlottesville were: Art Bykonen, James McAdams, Bill Holman, Jacque Ensign, Tony Alimenti, John Sinclair, and Iva Gillet. Jacque and Tony were first time hikers with us, and we hope they will join us again. Lynn had planned a wonderful hike which began by walking along the Gorge, then crossing the Camp May Flathers bridge to reach the base of Lookout Mountain. We gradually climbed until we reached the ridge line providing views to the west and east as we hiked. Lovely! Just as the group was getting ready for a lunch mutiny, we came across the front of the pack, who finished wheeling the trail, and had stopped for lunch. Our group spread out and shared some treats that Tony and Iva brought with our meal. Then off we went on the trail. With such a large and varied group, the conversation was stimulating. We hiked as we descended the mountain, finally following a fire road that also allowed for mountain bikers. Upon reaching the North River campground area, the shuttle cars were there to haul us all back to the Wild Oak parking area. We look forward to more joint hikes, with trips to new places, and the interesting interactions that follow.
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