Appalachian Trail feature in Virginia Living

Hot off the press! I spent two nights in the woods of Grayson Highlands State Park and Mount Rogers National Recreation Area this past July. Just after a cold front moved across the east, I knew that humidity would drop and visibility would be amazing. Take a look at the spreads from the October issue of Virginia Living and a few more of my favorite images. The people that helped me make some of these great images appear below. I first had the pleasure of meeting Ron Beurteaux from Australia, a 70 year old man hiking the Virginia section of the AT. If you get a chance to read the article in VL, you will find him to be the central character. Interestingly, Ron shared that the Mount Rogers area was the most beautiful of all areas that he had experienced on the AT. I later met some day hikers who didn’t want to share their names, but willingly allowed me to take a photograph of themselves and their dog. I had a lot of fun meeting Earl and his family, who were taking a break from horseback riding. I was amused to see them pull out sodas from the chilled saddle bags on their horses. I thought that was a neat way to bring drinks on the trail. Earl happily gave me a Pepsi, which he said would help lighten the load on the way down. I think he meant for the horse, not me, and I eagerly indulged in this AT delicacy! As I continued to hike, I met Ed, a volunteer for the National Park Service. I think we crossed paths about four times that day. Finally the three folks together are Heman, Diana and Brynna – great people who hiked with me several miles and were kind enough to feed me. Believe it or not, I forgot food that day, so all I had was a small bag of pretzels. Thanks for the food guys; it was a life saver! I loved all the wild horses roaming around. I suppose they can’t read the sign that says they are not allowed. Oh yea, and I couldn’t leave out the close up photo of black bear poop. How often does that chance come along?