It's Saturday afternoon, and I am sitting relishing my first true hike after the knee surgery. With some free time today, I decided I would strap on a light pack and head out to a state forest I had just found surfing the internet. I upped the ante by loading on 12 pounds to the pack.Conway Robinson State Forest is one of 17 state forests in Virginia and is located in Gainesville. It is little known, but a haven for mountain bikers, apparently. For me, it offered the opportunity for a "rehab hike" to get back in shape. I must say, it provided a great outing, and I plan on going back tomorrow or Monday to get in another hike. Despite being surrounded by urban areas, the 444 acre park provides a decent trail system. By cris-cossing trails, one can easily get in about 10 miles or better. I managed 4 1/2 miles today and got in a little hill climb work as well, which included a couple of easy switchback areas.
Trails were pretty sloppy after last night's rain and some normally wet areas to begin with. Mountain biking probably keeps the trails fairly boggy until things have really dried up. The noise from Rt66 is pretty much inescapable, but fades decently once you get far enough out. The trail remained fairly level for about the first 1/2 mile and began to climb a ridge. A side trail was too inviting and I took that. It provided the switch back you see in the first picture. There was also a pretty cool rock outcropping that I was able to walk on at the top since I approached it from that angle. It would have been fun to explore, but I did not want to push my luck.
It was in this area that a small stream came into view as well. Another pleasant surprise considering the proximity to neighborhoods.
I found myself curious to know if those people knew what a pleasant gem they had in their own backyards. The orange blazed trail came back unto the blue trail that I had already been on, so I re-hiked that section of the blue trail and continued past where I had explored the orange. The forest was loaded with little stone mounds all over the place. I'm not sure what these were, but seemed odd.
The trail meandered on past a pretty field and then entered a pine forest. The light faded considerably in here, but skies were also clouding up.
Despite cool temps, it was very humid and I took off my fleece pullover and just kept my rain jacket on. The trail looped back after some time to my starting point. Numerous cross trails were tempting, but best saved for another time. A came upon a small group of 6 or 7 deer at one point. Their white tails stood out in the woods and reminded me of people carrying lanterns at night in the distance. The knee held up fine for the trip. I snagged my right foot on a vine in the trail once. That was the only time the the knee complained. I must say I really noticed the help from using my Summit trekking poles. They really absorbed a lot of the impact. I tolerated a few rocky areas well. Fun outing!
Trails were pretty sloppy after last night's rain and some normally wet areas to begin with. Mountain biking probably keeps the trails fairly boggy until things have really dried up. The noise from Rt66 is pretty much inescapable, but fades decently once you get far enough out. The trail remained fairly level for about the first 1/2 mile and began to climb a ridge. A side trail was too inviting and I took that. It provided the switch back you see in the first picture. There was also a pretty cool rock outcropping that I was able to walk on at the top since I approached it from that angle. It would have been fun to explore, but I did not want to push my luck. 
It was in this area that a small stream came into view as well. Another pleasant surprise considering the proximity to neighborhoods.
I found myself curious to know if those people knew what a pleasant gem they had in their own backyards. The orange blazed trail came back unto the blue trail that I had already been on, so I re-hiked that section of the blue trail and continued past where I had explored the orange. The forest was loaded with little stone mounds all over the place. I'm not sure what these were, but seemed odd. 
The trail meandered on past a pretty field and then entered a pine forest. The light faded considerably in here, but skies were also clouding up. 
Despite cool temps, it was very humid and I took off my fleece pullover and just kept my rain jacket on. The trail looped back after some time to my starting point. Numerous cross trails were tempting, but best saved for another time. A came upon a small group of 6 or 7 deer at one point. Their white tails stood out in the woods and reminded me of people carrying lanterns at night in the distance. The knee held up fine for the trip. I snagged my right foot on a vine in the trail once. That was the only time the the knee complained. I must say I really noticed the help from using my Summit trekking poles. They really absorbed a lot of the impact. I tolerated a few rocky areas well. Fun outing!
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