Turtle Island, VA

Originally, the plan was to visit a waterfall. I wanted to do that before the holiday season b/c it has been my experience (very dangerous experience) that the waterfalls and the trials tend to freeze due to the very frigid winter temperatures in the Blue Ridge Mtns. Sadly, most of the waterfalls are merely a drizzle due to lack of rainfall in recent months. Instead, my friends Summer, Aaron and I hiked a trail called, "Turtle Island." It sits right on Smith Mountain Lake about an hour and half from my VA home. I think the neatest thing about this hike was that the Fall foliage was peaking in mid November due to the recent drought. It was an unexpected beauty. The weather was very fall-like . . . cool, mid 50s with gentle rays of sun and the leaves so vivid with color. Of course, I captured the fun through the lens of a camera. Enjoy!