My previous visit the The Channels of Virginia was in March. I wasn't sure if I had explored the whole area. It is a maze down there with many tight passages. One of the first things I wanted to be sure to do, was to mentally note some of the first channels so I could find my way back out. No problem doing that this time.
Other than being icy back in the March, the other big difference was the number of people in the maze. None in March and a bunch today. There were large groups. One group from an art festival in Abingdon. They were led by a Virginia Dept of Natural Resources employee. There was a youth group with matching t-shirts. And, of course, a number of families, couples and yahoos.
Some of the darker, narrow channels had folks in them which you could not see until you met somewhere in the middle. A flashlight would have come in handy.
Another tip, next time, wear my scramble daypack instead of my hiking daypack. My water bottles scraped the sides and announced my presence in an unpleasant way. It was like fingernails on a chalkboard.
It was a very humid day. All the rock surface was dripping with moisture. Back on the surface I was afraid to walk over the channel cracks. Some required a leap from one side to the other. I thought the wet slick rocks made that tactic unsafe.
I spoke to some locals on the hike. They all said it was a real popular place and the parking lot was always full on weekends. I had to squeeze in along the roadside, just barely off the road. Sometimes groups of 100 make trek, I'm told. That is hard to believe.
These guys were along the trail near the top. Looks like C Lateritius. Some had no false gills at all. Just smooth underside.
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