From Bryson City, we started our journey north with the ultimate goal of arriving in New Hampshire. But before landing in New England: a few stops along the way!

First stop: Roanoke, Virginia and the Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains. Since I heart geography, and I know most people have no clue what states are located where, let alone mountains, I thought I'd give a little geography lesson about the chain of mountain ranges along the east coast called the Appalachians before sharing our adventures here in the Blue Ridge area.

The Appalachians

These are the Appalachian Mountains. Stretching from Alabama all the way north into Canada, the Appalachians are a chain of mountain ranges and within the Appalachians, you have sub-mountain ranges like the Blue Ridge Mountains, Allegheny Mountains, Catskills, The Berkshires, Green Mountains, White Mountains, etc. Each is rich in history and the heart of Americana.

Also within the Appalachian Mountains there is the Appalachian Trail. We have no interest in attempting to hike the 2100+ mile Appalachian Trail that runs from Georgia to Maine—I enjoy hot showers and sleeping in comfy beds too much for that—but it has been a lot of fun exploring and hiking pieces of the Appalachian Trail in multiple states and seeing how the vegetation changes as we head north.

Roanoke, Virginia

We had a great time adventuring and hiking in the Roanoke area with my mom and Kel for my mom’s birthday (happy birthday mom!). Jim and I have also never been to the Roanoke area. It has some great hiking and the countryside is scenic. (Are you noticing a theme here? The Appalachians have no shortage of scenic views!)

For a while now, I’ve been the activities director on our trips. I google things to do as well as research the best hikes and one-off Atlas Obscura type things in the area. When I asked my mom what she wanted to do for her birthday weekend she was quick to say “Hike!” So I started researching hikes in the area and came up with a few hikes to pick from, all along the Appalachian Trail.

Dragon's Tooth

Our first hike was the most strenuous on the list. We started out pretty late in the morning so even though we had a lot of shade on the trail, it was hot! But the rock formation at the top and the views made it worthwhile, as you can see in my pictures!

Tubing

Since the day before was so hot, on our second day in Roanoke we decided to play in the water. Tubing on the Pigg River was fun: an easy fifteen minute walk with a forty-five minute float for a windy mile down the river. No shuttle required and we could go as many times as we wanted. A perfect social distancing activity!

McAfee Knob: The Most Photographed Spot on the Appalachian Trail

Our last day to adventure brought us to the hike I was anticipating the most. I wanted to make sure we got out before the heat so that my mom would most enjoy her big birthday hike. Did I mention it was my mom's birthday? She climbs mountains like someone half her age though. This trail was pretty, although I was disappointed in the amount of trash I saw along the trail. It's rare that I notice trash along the trails in the US, other than bags full of dog poop littering the trails in Colorado.

But otherwise, it was beautiful! You truly feel like you're on the edge of the world. I can understand why it's a popular place for photos.