Lost on the Blue Ridge Parkway, VA

Wow! Where do I begin on this blog? I guess it all starts with my passion for waterfalls and how I am always itching to see as much as I can. On Friday night, I get my "Waterfalls" book out and start looking for a NEW ONE. I got my heart set on a waterfall called, "White Rock Falls." I followed the directions to a "T" and then, I try to follow the hiking instructions but something about them was not easily understood and quite confusing. Regardless, I followed them to the best of my ability. Long story short, I ended up hiking 3 miles through the forest only to end up on the Blue Ridge Parkway (national scenic road that runs for 469 miles through VA to NC). At no point did I see "White Rock Falls." I was very disappointed but I attempted to make the best of it. I decided not to go back through the forest to return to the vehicle but instead, I walked the Parkway about 2.5 miles. The hiking trip (round trip from car back to car) was about 7-8 miles!!!!! I think the best thing out of it was photographing 2 beautiful flowers and finding a terrific view on a cliff that the locals call "20-Minute Cliff."

Fun Facts:

20-Minute Cliff gets its name from the locals. Long ago, the local farmers knew that when the sunset on this cliff that the farmers in the valley had 20 minutes of daylight remaining.

I have taken several photographs to document this insane hiking trip that ended with no sightings of a the waterfall :(

Wigwam Falls, VA

Now that Spring is here . . . I am making every attempt to venture out on the Blue Ridge to find new and exciting falls to photograph. I really and truly stumbled upon this one. I was driving home from my favorite waterfall hike in VA (Crabtree Falls) and I looked up and noticed this waterfall from the road. I just had to make it a stop but on that particular day, I was just too tired but I was determined to make it a future hike . . . and I did! On this day, the weather was perfect. It was not too hot and even had the chance to stick my feet in the cool spring ;)

Facts:

30 ft. Waterfall

It is located on the Yankee Horse Trail on the Blue Ridge Parkway

The trail gets its name because Stonewall Jackson's troops during the Civil War. During that time, a Union soldier's horse fell here and had to be shot.

The waterfall gets its name due to the nearby Wigwam Mountain is said to be an ancient Indian hunting grounds.