Thank goodness for friends who encourage you to add fun to the calendar, and Karen, from The Unassuming Hiker makes sure that we do.
A couple years ago, Karen started a hiking club for women of all ages and hiking abilities, and while the group often ventures out during the week, Karen makes sure to plan a weekend hike several times yearly for those not retired. In addition, she schedules the date for those hikes several weeks in advance so that we make sure to set aside the time.
“Buffalo Mountain is one of the most significant natural areas in Virginia. The combination of high-elevation (3,971 feet), wind-exposed openings at the summit, and magnesium rich soils make it unlike any place else in the Commonwealth”.
Karen suggested that we arrive early knowing that it would not be long before the trail became crowded. The image below is the parking area that morning. By the time we left a few hours later, the place was packed with cars jockeying for position in what few parking spaces were available.
It was a gorgeous fall day and the hike to the summit, while up hill the entire way, was only a mile. What an incredible view!
The 4 of us have hiked together before and the comraderie, the combination of silence and talk, and the excitement of being outdoors is a great fit.
Being on top of a mountain is exhilarating and I scrambled around the rocks like a child, at one point losing my lens cap over the ledge.
Beth sent me these images and I’m sharing them because they reveal the feeling of being on top of the world.
The shale and rock were beautiful and while this image doesn’t show it well, the flecks of color glittered in the sunshine.
Climate change has affected the color of the leaves this year, but the beauty remains.
All in all, a wonderful day on Buffalo Mountain.
Please visit Karen’s blog post about our day and read about the kind folks we met along the way.
Life on the Bike and other Fab Things 
These are all beautiful images Laurie and damn I wish I had your energy 😀 I really love the B&W silhouette image.
I’m so glad you liked that one, Joe. Maybe for Monochromia???
Absolutely 😀
Lovely photos LB, it’s always fun to watch someone discover this mountain for the first time. I was in total awe my first time up and it continues to wow me. Great reward for very little effort.
So true! Can’t wait for the next one!
Reblogged this on The Unassuming Hiker and commented:
It’s fun to see this hike from fresh eyes, enjoy LB’s blog and learn more about this fun day.
Isn’t it wonderful to have a friend like Karen who organises these hiking events for you! It looks like you are having great fun and have left all your cares behind in the parking lot! ❤
I feel very fortunate to have the friends that I do, offering goodness in diverse and wonderful ways.
We had a great day!
Although we lack your gorgeous mountain vistas, I share your exhilaration for the trail and the sense of wonder and well-being outdoors in nature. At this time of year, it doesn’t get much better!
Karen sounds like a perfect friend to have!
Karen and I have talked about heading up your way some day … meeting up with you and with Lynn. You just never know where the road will lead
Funny, when I was writing my comment I thought the exact same thing … some day I should head down your way to squeeze in some mountain time with you and Karen.
Anything can happen!!
Cannot like this comment enough!! You are welcome anytime. Plenty of room!
hmmm – maybe I should run this by Lynn 😃
Yes, yes, yes!
This sounds great, I would love to hike with our Canadian friends!!
It was fun reading about this same hike from two different points of view. Thanks for sharing this!
Hi Donna. Thanks for stopping by and for commenting.
It was such a great day out there
Great photos of the vistas–and the people too. Glad someone was able to get all of you in a picture.
While we got up there early enough to avoid the crowds, there was a really nice, multigenerational familiy there and we swapped taking photos of one another 🙂 so fun!
A great record. Love the shadow picture reminiscent of the Statue of Liberty
Derrick, I love that comparison to the Statue of Liberty
🙂 Seems symbolic, somehow
Hiking with friends is the perfect way to spend a day.
That’s a beautiful hike and scenery to take in with friends. Buffalo Mountain was well worth the climb.
I let out a little gasp when I scrolled down to the B&W photo. It’s stunning, Laurie!
You have such a rich group of friends, Laurie, couples with incredibly beautiful places to hike, bike and ride. I love the colors, the shapes and the wonderful friendships.
I loved the black and white photo here. I couldn’t find the place to comment on the last one I read and just saw it accidentally. Those are incredible images of some fantastic scenery. That looks like quite the hike. Hope all is well on the voting front.