Hike through the Sky

The last day of September — a Saturday — Chip accepted an invite to join his office mate on a hike.  The invitation to the beautiful 1,864 acre Sky Meadows State Park included me and featured an added bonus of free parking in observance of Public Lands Day.  It was a bright morning with a brisk autumn breeze.  The US Park Ranger stationed at the gate told us, “Don’t even think about paying today.”

Welcome to Delaplane, Virginia!

We parked beside the historic Manor House of Thomas Settle, M.D., attending physician at the public hanging in 1859 of abolitionist John Brown.

Stationed in what now is known as Fauquier County (Estab. 1759), the handsome home stands on a central knoll with sweeping views of the rolling Blue Ridge mountains.

I peeked in the window of the closed estate to see a comfortably set dining room in elegant detail and the parlor where a member of the household could sit at the keys of the upright piano with a popular tune ready for play.

But ho, what’s this?  A figure appears at the side of the cook house dressed in confederate grey and a string of white tents is set for a number of rag tag militia and their camp followers.  The muskets set on the group’s shoulders are extreme in length and one of the cook squad explained that the bayonets are proven to be very sharp.  A delighted small boy posed at my side for our strange juxta “pose”, while Chip took our picture.

This was the meeting point but our purpose was to use the trails well designed and marked brightly by the Virginia parks and the Piedmont Environmental Council.  The two kind couples who included us were Ray  and his wife Lynn and Chris with wife Brenda. They were dressed for success, jeans and appropriate shoes and top cover.  I had underestimated the sudden shift in temperature and worn shorts and cute tennis shoes.  Lucky I brought a cardigan.

The walk is not too challenging on the North Ridge Trail, provided you know where to stop.  We chose not to attack the Appalachian Trail because our hosts assured us the added three hour walk was more than we were there for.  We turned right to the Piedmont Overlook and that was splendid and quite a popular part of the park.

We then felt it was time to try the Ambassador Whitehouse Trail because I had met him in my last visit to Laos 1974, 5 years after I had lived there.  I promised myself I would learn more of his involvement with this wide group of conservationists.  There we met many others walking with many a happy dog, and a number of unhappy children.   Maybe they were cold and had not been any more prepared than I was.