Apple Orchard Falls

After a rough week of battling- exams in Alli's case and a stomach virus in mine- we took to the hills for a little R&R.  We packed the car with plans of tent camping all weekend somewhere in the George Washington/Jefferson National Forests in Botetourt County, Virginia.  As it turned out, my uncle and one of his friends were staying Friday night in a little hunting cabin we have access to in the same general area.  The exact location of the cabin is highly secretive and is only distributed on a strict need-to-know basis.  Alli and I decided that Friday night would be a perfect opportunity for her to see what goes on at the cabin and expose her to a little redneck living.  Alli's favorite experience was getting to ride the four wheeler as she had never ridden one before.  I've got a little work ahead of me if I want her to become an avid shooter.  I think she border-line enjoyed shooting a little .22 pistol we had and was fairly accurate with it (it did have a holographic scope).  She was not so crazy about the 9mm, claiming that it scared her, and she didn't even think about picking up the .357sig.  After an afternoon of riding and shooting, we grilled up a little surf 'n' turf of New York strip and fresh Carolina shrimp both coming from Anderson Carriage Food House in Charlottesville.  Although the cabin was available, we were steadfast with our commitment to tent camp and set up right on the little creek that runs beside the cabin.

The next day we packed up and moved and unspecified distance to North Creek Campground.  North Creek is a beautiful little campground that, as the name might suggest, sits right on a trout stream.  After much deliberation, we found what we believed to be the best site being the most secluded and posited right above the creek.  After a quick bite to eat, we headed up the creek to the trail head for the Apple Orchard Falls hike.  I believe there are a number of different ways to approach this hike of varying lengths.  For the particular route we chose, you just keep driving past the campground for a mile or two, until the road ends, where you will find a kiosk with a map and information about the hike.  From this position, it is a 2 mile hike up to the falls and then you turn around and hike back.

The hike itself is very easy and relaxing following close to the creek the entire time.  The beginning of the trail is pretty much flat.  After a half mile or so, the trail begins to climb to the falls although the incline is very slight.  Wooden walkways are provided along the way for creek crossings as pictured above.  The last quarter mile climbing up the falls is a little more uphill, but your work is rewarded with the best views of the hike.  There is no single drop to focus on once you reach the pinnacle.  Instead a series of small, 4-5 foot falls highlight the trip.  I have heard from a friend that this hike is particularly pretty in the winter when half of the falls are flowing and half are frozen over.  At a total of four miles, the distance of this hike is just right so that it does not take up a large portion of your day, but you still feel like you have accomplished something after it is over.  Apple Orchard Falls is perfect for anyone looking for a lazy stroll along a picturesque mountain stream.  It always seems that when we do these hikes, the pictures we take don't do justice to the sights.  The only way to see how beautiful these places truly are is to get out and see them yourself!

Although you can't really tell from the photos, we got rained on the entire hike.  What started out as a light drizzle turned into a downpour at times.  Being a mile or so from the car with no raincoat when it really started coming down, I had no choice but to suck it up and get soaked to the bone.  Allison was a little smarter than I was and had a rain jacket so she fared much better.  Unfortunately, it looked to be a soaking rain that was going to continue well into the evening.  Not wanting to be confined to the tent all day, we decided to pack up camp and head back to Charlottesville after the hike.  It pretty much rained the entire trip back and well into the night so I think we made the right call.  We are still itching to sit around a camp fire under clear skies, so I would imagine we'll have another camping trip in the near future.