Crabtree Falls in the Spring!

This was my second visit to VA's largest waterfall and hands down, this visit was the greatest . . . The last time that I hiked the trail, I did not make it to the top which is considered the upper falls plus every cascade was frozen from the frigid temps of February. I can only think of one thing that might make this great visit the greatest of the great and that would be to see in the Fall when the greenery is vivid with the colors of Fall. Regardless, it was beautiful. My good friend Anne made the hike with me. We hiked "Crabtree Trail" all the way to the start of the waterfall which is a 1,200 ft. change in elevation within 2 miles from the head of the trail (bottom of the waterfall). I captured the hike through the lens of my camera . . . Enjoy! The only thing that I wish that I could bring to you in this blog would be the sound that you constantly hear as you hike up the fall and that is the sound of the running water as it rushes down the mountain. That is something that makes this hike one of my favorites.

1st River Run in VA

Today was an incredible day. The weather was near 85F and the sun was shinning brightly. That means only one thing: No excuses, it is time to paddle! I started at 10am at a place called "Alone Mill" and went 6 miles down river to "Bean's Bottom." This run was a great starter and it did prepare me (somewhat) for the next run that I would take. Nothing that I have ever paddled before even compared to the big water on this 9 mile run that I took in the afternoon. It was intense. There were parts of it that scared me and I can count 3 major incidents that nearly left me floating down the cold waters (50F water temperatures). However, every time that I got into a situation where the rapids almost GOT ME, I would do something that many paddlers call: Yell and power through. I was freaked and I did it. Oddly enough, it worked :) The 9 mile run started at "Rockbridge Baths" and ended at "Alone Mill." Essentially, we started in the middle of a the river and did the lower river first and then, the upper river in the afternoon. Sadly, I was unable to take my camera on the 9 mile run so all the pictures featured in the slideshow are from the 6 mile run in the AM. All together, we paddled 15 miles. Wild!

Giving a Little . . .

This year has been a journey . . . truly, I know that may come off as very cliche, but I believe it with my whole heart. One of the most trying times of my new career was when I lost a first grade student to cancer. It was that experience that helped me to make my decision to donate my hair. So . . . the first day of my spring break, I contacted a good friend from high school who is now a very talented beautician. She did a good deed . . . she gave up her day off and she opened the salon just for me. Then, she donated her time to a very admirable charity called, "LOCKS OF LOVE."

I encourage everyone to spread the word about this incredible organization and if you can, donate . . . it is a very easy thing that you can do to help a child somewhere. I was also inspired by this quote. At times, we can become very overwhelmed with the happenings around us and our instinct tells us to try to help. I guess this quote comes to mind: One person can't do everything but everyone can do something.

Of course, we documented the process through the lens of the camera :0)