Appalachian Trail

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.

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. 

I'd never seen a yellow ladyslipper.

This is a white trillium.

Wild mountain azalea were everywhere.

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. 


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.