Ragged Mountain Natural Area - December 10, 2011

The morning of the annual Chapter Christmas Party called for a short, close-by trek that would allow people plenty of time to to prepare for the evening's festivities while still being able to get out in nature, breath some fresh air, enjoy some beautiful scenery and get the blood pumping a bit. Nearby Ragged Mountain fit the bill perfectly and 12 other hikers joined Hike Leader Ken Moss at Albemarle High School on a brisk morning.

With the short drive, we were on the trail by 9:30 AM, enjoying a pleasant 6.2 mile walk around the Charlottesville Reservoir in a counterclockwise direction. At about the halfway point, near the dam across the center of the lake, Iva Gillet produced a scrumptious pumpkin bread which hit the the groups collective spot. This was followed by a group photo on the dam before regaining the trail and completing our circuit at 12:30 PM. From that point everyone went their own directions to prepare for the evening's festive events.

Joining Ken and Iva were Marie Moss, Maynard Davis, Andria Hoffman, Denis Grushaw, Chris Kallenberg, Bev Fink, Pete Fink, Dan Ralston, Marian Styles and Lindsay Brown.