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| A steep and rocky trail is hard on the knees, especially on the descent. |
I've been hiking on the Appalachian Trail in Virginia with three friends - - not backpacking, just day-hiking. We've done this several times now, and have covered the central section in Shenandoah National Park.
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| My hiking friends Barbara, Pat, and Linda. |
Spring is slow to arrive on the mountains, so there were a lot of seldom-seen flowers along the trail.
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| I'd never seen a yellow ladyslipper. |
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This is a white trillium.
Wild mountain azalea were everywhere.
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We hiked around 23 miles; through-hikers do hundreds, up and down and up again over mountains, over rocks and roots. It makes my knees ache to think about it.
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| Scenic spot for lunch or just a rest. |
About a dozen through-hikers who started on the trail in Georgia in March passed us over the 4 days. We gave them homemade chocolate-chip cookies; through-hikers don't get treats very often.
