Rocks Galore

Climbin' that mountain...

We went about 10 miles yesterday, and about 8 today, both days over some very rocky terrain. Yesterday, when we got to the top of Sinking Creek Mountain, we hiked for several miles on exposed boulders at the summit. It hit 90 degrees again, but we found a nice shady rock at the mountaintop to eat lunch on, with a great view. It's absolutely moments and sights like that that make a really hard climb and sore feet worth the effort.

Rocky ledge.

Our lunch spot.

After that trek, we made a little detour to Blacksburg, home of the Hokies, and I loved it there. They have some serious school spirit in that town. Everyone was walking around in Virginia Tech gear, and it seems like all the stores and restaurants are Hokie-themed. We got burgers at the Hokie House and Italian Ice at Rita's, right across the street from campus. It made me miss college.

Hokie House.

Today we only went about 7.5 miles, up and over Brush Mountain. I really pushed myself with the pace today, because it looked like rain the entire time and I didn't want to walk uphill in my hot rain gear. But, fortune smiled on us, and it was just cloudy, no rain, which was great since it made everything much cooler. Today, the terrain wasn't rocky, but there was a very special rock at the summit. Audie Murphey, the most decorated American soldier in WWII, was killed in a plane crash on Brush Mountain in the 1970s, and there is a monument to him there now. It's amazing that a war hero like Audie survived enough battle wounds to earn 3 Purple Hearts, and lost his life in a plane crash 30 years later. The monument is well cared for, and there were red, white and blue flower wreaths there, along with a very impressive kairn that has apparently been built by hikers over the years. Daddy and I added to it and had lunch there with Audie.

The Audie Murphy Monument.

So we had two days of really good hiking, both of which ended with more swimming in the river. Can't ask for much more than that, even when there is medical school paperwork to be done...

Just hangin' out.