Wildlife in West Virginia

I left for France on 10 June and I've been back for a couple of weeks but it's been tough to want to resume life as normal.  I came back with horrible allergies, jet lag, a major craving for French chocolate and contentment.  I felt fine when I needed to fall asleep at 6 pm from exhaustion.  I was happy.  That bubble burst last week but it's a big reminder how much I really love traveling (especially with a friend that I love dearly).

Before I start talking about France, there are a few events that I don't want to forget about.  I gathered a group to hike Harpers Ferry in West VA at the end of May.  I had no idea what to expect but we chose the most difficult and longest hike possible and just went.

The day was gorgeous and not too hot.

Jane and Athelia - we were probably talking about how much we love avocados.

Debbie and Jane posing on the rocks.

We had just ate lunch and I was commenting to Anne (a friend I hadn't seen in years) that we hadn't seen any wildlife beyond bugs.  All of a sudden I saw this deer leap out of the forest.

(literally)

I also really loved the hike because it was a civil war battle site.  I had no idea but there were markers all over showing how much equipment the soldiers brought up the mountain.  Again, simply amazed by what was possible.

Trees with Apples and Trees without Apples

When a dear friend from NYC visits, sometimes I gather 5 other friends and we hike Bull Run Mountain.

Can you find the frog?  I was amazed at the crispness of the photos with my new iPhone.

I was happy to see some of the leaves changing color.

Emily on a rock.

The view from the top of the mountain.

Super happy that Lauri was able to visit.

Jenica found her favorite book.

We waited 45 minutes for these apple cider donuts from The Apple House and they were worth it.

We were all kind of amazed with how quickly Jenica ate her donuts.  

Our last stop was the Stribling Orchard in Markham, VA.  It was a perfect introduction to autumn.

Billy Goat Gruff

After our hike in the Smoky Mountains, I decided that we should make hiking a monthly adventure even on really hot and humid days.  I'm hoping this ambition will last beyond a few months.  There are a lot of hikes in this area which I'm excited to explore.

We went on a pretty famous hike in the Great Falls Park called the Billy Goat Trail which involves lots of jumping from rock to rock.  It was crowded being the weekend it is but we still managed to have some lovely hiking time and I was able to spend time with friends I don't see often enough.

I didn't take any photos of the rocks because I was more concerned with staying vertical and not getting crowded from behind by the not too polite hikers.  But I took these on the walk back.

Anne and I were a little behind the others.

I'm so excited for hiking in the Autumn.