on a particularly drizzly and foggy day in early auguest, i was able to meet up with my local hiking group for a little stroll along the appalachian trail in the mount rogers national recreation area. we logged eleven muddy miles and 2700 feet of elevation gain, so it was a decent enough workout, even if the payoff (the views) were slightly obscured.
the trails were pretty narrow and thick with stinging nettle. i was certain i was going to die of stinging nettle overdose. spoiler alert: i didn’t.
occasionally the stinging nettle was peppered with some flowers of various life stages. i’ll take it.
at buzzard rock, we stopped for a quick lunch. i prefer my hike lunches to have a fantastic view, but i settled for good company.
after lunch, we set off into the foggy wilderness…
it is actually occuring to me as i type this out, that i am not remembering the timeline all that well. so, i’ll stop narrating like there was some grand story arc to this hike. it was a trudgy, not super interesting hike if i do say so myself.
some other highlights. mushrooms. a giant cow patty. and one such cow. (some of the hike was on grazing land? i don’t even know).
anyways. it was an ok day. like i said. good workout. good company. still outside and in the wilderness. so, can’t complain. 🙂