Last week we went on vacation to the highlands of SW Virginia. We stayed in a town called Whitetop which is at the base of Whitetop mountain, the second highest peak in Virginia. The is only a few miles from Mt. Rogers, the highest peak, both are around 6000ft. There was lots of nice hiking in the area, including the Grayson Highlands State Park. Also, we were less than a mile from the Virginia Creeper Trail which is a rails-to-trails path. The trail is very smooth gravel and is around 33 miles long, and mostly downhill from our end. It used to serve as the train tracks to bring lumber out of the mountains. Now its a bike trail. We saw tons of wildlife including seeing bears in our front yard, twice! We also caught salamanders including the third biggest salamander in the world. Good trip!
Excited to hit the road!
Hiking in the Grayson Highlands. This was a 2 mile hike and Amalia did the whole thing.
Relaxing by the stream.
Riding the Virginia Creeper Trail. We did rides of 2, 5, 6, and 10 miles. Lisa would pull Camilo in the trailer while Amalia rode along side, or usually in front. Ignacio would drive ahead and park and backtrack up the trail, running, and then guide them back to the car.
Camilo seemed to like riding in the trailer but would probably prefer his own bike.
Its tiring riding and hiking all day.
Camilo was fascinated by the cows next door.
Amalia caught dozens of salamanders.
She did great on the hikes but sometimes needed to sit on a rock and rest.
Its not easy riding in the backpack. Sometimes Camilo needs to sit down on a rock and eat a bagel.
Tom and Ana (Ignacio's parents) came out for a couple of days. Amalia loved having them around to read to her and go hiking with her. Camilo won't sit still for anyone!
The best find was Ignacio catching a hellbender salamander in the Whitetop-Laural Creek. They are super rare and this one was walking along the bottom. They are super slimy so the shirt was used to hold it.
Probably about a foot long. Big salamander!
When we let him go he just walked/swam away.
I definitely recommend the area for a vacation. Nice a cool, especially in the hot summer months.
Camilo was fascinated by the cows next door.
Amalia caught dozens of salamanders.
She did great on the hikes but sometimes needed to sit on a rock and rest.
Its not easy riding in the backpack. Sometimes Camilo needs to sit down on a rock and eat a bagel.
Tom and Ana (Ignacio's parents) came out for a couple of days. Amalia loved having them around to read to her and go hiking with her. Camilo won't sit still for anyone!
The best find was Ignacio catching a hellbender salamander in the Whitetop-Laural Creek. They are super rare and this one was walking along the bottom. They are super slimy so the shirt was used to hold it.
Probably about a foot long. Big salamander!
When we let him go he just walked/swam away.
I definitely recommend the area for a vacation. Nice a cool, especially in the hot summer months.
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