Friday, November 4, 2022

Oct 27 The Hidden Channels of Virginia

 


Near the Hayters Gap fire tower and the entrance to the Great Channels, is another area of sandstone channels I'm calling the hidden channels. Unlike the fenced off "top" of the Great Channels, these have fissures you have to jump over to get to your rock of choice. There is a social trail leading here but not much of a path down among the channels. They are narrower and the terrain is steeper. So these are unlikely to get overrun like the Great Channels.


Rhododendron offers some nice handholds as you slip and slide down. By my estimation, this area is larger that the Great Channels but much less accessible due to steepness. 


It's still a long ways down.


I explored a bit but did not find many channels that were wide enough or safe enough to slither through. The dead Rhododendron leaves made for a slick surface to further complicate the scramble. Of course the Rhododendron also meant more crawling and contortions to pass through.




Despite the rough going below, the top was a great place to sit in solitude to take in the view. 




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