Once again it was time for my spring “epic” road trip. Last year I stopped along the way to spend a day at Douthat State Park in Virginia. I decided that one day there just wasn’t enough so this year I planned two days to try and take in more of the park.

This narrow bridge leading to the campsites always gives me pause:

As usual the campsite accommodations were excellent. My “room” had a river (or creek) view (watch that first step though):

And there were flowers in the room:

In fact, there were flowers Everywhere! I saw lots of butterflies taking advantage of them.

But I came here to hike, so after a night in my hammock tent, it was off to see some sights.

Again, as usual, I found well-marked trails. Yes, I was heading for the Mountain Top Trail:

And what a supertastical view from the top of that mountain! The picture doesn’t do it justice, it just reminds me of what I saw:

Coming around to the Mountain Side Trail gives a view of Lake Douthat:

Ya know, they always give some very good reasons to stay on the trails when hiking: don’t trample the plants, don’t cause erosion, and you’re Far less likely to get lost if you stick to the trails. Some of the trails here add another reason: if you go off the trail, it could be a long time before you can come to a stop.

When I’ve gone even farther north earlier in the season, I’ve been a bit disappointed at not seeing any snow. This time I found some snow, in a corner of the mountain the trail was following:

After I completed that hike I was sprawled out at the table at my campsite when a Chipping Sparrow came poking around. He went right under the table where I was sitting. I didn’t want to scare him off, so I just aimed the phone blindly to snap this picture of him:

The next morning, let’s do it all again!

This day took me up the Blue Suck Falls Trail (I’ll have to ask how it got that name), which felt a bit like rock climbing in some areas:

And there we have the Blue Suck Falls itself!

Continuing up to the Middle Mountain Trail (which is actually a bit higher than the Mountain Top Trail) again provided some amazing views, including from Lookout Rock:

As they say, what goes up must come down (unless you’re NASA), so down the mountain to the lake:

The lake flows out into Wilson Creek, which is a convenient handrail back to the campsite.

I think Douthat State Park is going to be a regular stopover on my northeast trips from now on. The facilities are excellent (well, the wifi at the park office could be a bit more reliable, but really the point is to disconnect), there’s lots of nature and trails, and there’s no cell phone coverage (I suggest taking a PLB or satellite communicator in case of emergency, and tell the boss to not even bother trying to call).