West Virginia and Shenandoah National Park

Camping is not really my thing. It's not that I don't want to camp, it's just that I need a shower and a toilet. I can't imagine having to sleep in my own sweat after hiking. I am also scared of bugs and bears, more or less at least. My aspiration to experience nature in a different way exceeded my normalcy this time, to a degree. I decided to go car camping. 

Actually, I made that decision in the summer and reserved a campground spot for mid-July. The weather that weekend was hitting high 90s, so I moved the booking to late October which also coincided with the most visited time of the year due to leaves changing their colors. I built the rest of the trip around that camping night and booked 2 other nights on Airbnb. No need to challenge myself too much in one trip...

My trip started from Knoxville where I dropped off Kitty at my friend's house. I drove 5 or so hours to West Virginia to hike Falls of Hill Creek, a short one and a half mile trail to the falls.

One of the 3 falls on the trail

Leaves are really amazing this time of the year!

My second hike a longer one, just over 3 miles round trip. High Rocks Trail was a stunning trail with incredible views.

After the hikes, I headed to my Airbnb. It was a remote apartment rental above someone's garage. It even had a propane heater! It was very peaceful and quiet.

The following day I had a reservation for a day trip on Greenbrier Express, a train ride going in the forest along Greenbrier River. Cass Bold Knob Trip, the most popular train ride was already booked for that day, so I had to try the new excursion. I was not disappointed. The train slowly went from Cass, WV to Durbin, WV, both small towns in the middle of nowhere with zero cell service. 

Riding the Greenbrier Express was like stepping into a postcard. The train left the historic town of Cass and followed the sparkling Greenbrier River through the gorgeous, tree-covered mountains of the Monongahela National Forest. Along the way, I saw a river otter, and a hawk soaring overhead—it felt like nature was putting on a show just for us. When we reached the tiny village of Durbin, lunch was waiting, and I grabbed a basic "bologna sandwich" type of meal near the depot. Honestly, lunch was a huge disappointment for the price I paid for the excursion.

View from the train

At the train station for lunch

100 year old train

The train ride was done just past 3 PM local time, and it was time for me to drive another 2 hours to my next Airbnb. I got there just before dark. It was a tiny house, very comfortably furnished. I had a good night of sleep but had to wake up really early as I had to hike Old Rag Mountain in Shenandoah National Park the following morning.

Driving at night is not my favorite thing, but I was determined to arrive just after the sunrise to find parking at this popular trailhead where you need a permit to hike the trail. Indeed, I got there on time to park in the closest parking lot. I bought my National Park Pass and headed uphill. I felt good until I got to the "scramble" area. It was not just scrambling, but full on climbing. After a few attempts to descend safely I made a decision to turn around. It hurt my ego a bit, but safety was my number one concern. I wanted to play it safe.

Deer was very comfortable with my presence there

Another deer

Beautiful views from my turnaround point

After the failed attempt to concur the mountain, I decided to head to my campground, but wanted to do some more hiking and stopped at Dark Hollow Falls Trail. The hike was more challenging than I expected, and very very very crowded. Almost to the point of not being enjoyable.

My first experience arriving at a campground was exhilarating. I checked in at the entrance and quickly found my spot. I was car camping sleeping in my car. That's why you get a Subaru, I guess!

Cooking set up

Storage at the bear box

My fire pit

A must have smores experience

Sunset from the back of my car.

I took a shower for $5 at the campground before bed and felt completely refreshed. The neighbors were relatively quiet, and the night went well. The only challenge was me sliding in my car as I discovered there was a bit of an angle from the top of my folded seat. It still was relatively comfortable as being only five foot tall I could fit with my legs stretched out.

Before heading out home in the morning, I made a hot cup of instant coffee with oat milk and decided to go on another hike Rose River Falls just a few minutes away from the campground. That is the best thing about camping - easy access to trails without having to drive.

While the falls didn't impress me much, the peace and quiet of the trail this early in the morning did. I stopped at a few spots before leaving the park to take the last few shots of the colorful forest.

Visit to Toronto During Hurricane Helene

My trip to visit my cousin in Toronto was planned 3 months ago. I asked my friend to pet sit Kitty for me while I was away and headed to the airport in Asheville on September 25th. The weather forecast for that weekend in Toronto was sunny and warm, but it was not great for the area I was flying from. I was concerned a bit, but not very worried. I drove to Asheville and got on my flight just past noon. 

Toronto from above

The flight arrived on schedule, and my cousin met me at the airport. It was the first time in the past 10 years I saw her so I was really excited to meet her daughters as well. After dinner and a short conversation, we headed to bed.

The following day we dropped off the kids at school and drove to Niagara-on-the-Lake, a small town about an hour and a half away from Toronto. It had a wonderful suburban vibe. We walked by the lake and explored the town a bit stopping for sushi for dinner. After the meal, we headed to a small winery for wine tasting and then had another walk at a park nearby.

The second day together we spent locally walking by the lake, enjoying lunch at a small and quirky restaurant and eating a ton of delicious pastries and cakes. In fact, I was so sugar overloaded that I could not even think about more dessert. I didn't take as many pictures as I should have of the dessert, but it was a lot more that you can see below.

Dining room of Chelsea Restaurant - located in a regular house

Delicious lobster bisque

Sandwich

Dessert at a coffee shop nearby

Waterfront

I was heading home the next day on September 28th, but it was not meant to be. I had a layover in Atlanta. The flight there from Toronto was flawless, but as I was departing I got a notification that my Asheville flight got cancelled. I was really stressed out by that knowing that my car was there. The next flight to AVL was not until the next day. After going back and forth, I was able to get another flight to the local airport to home (TRI - Tri-Cities airport). I asked my friend to pick me up. The flight was not leaving Atlanta for several hours, so I walked around for a while. Another concern I had was that this was the first time I decided to check my luggage at the gate in Toronto, so I was worried that I would lose my bag due to this flight change. In the end, my flight did make it to Tennessee without delays, and I was able to safely retrieve my bag.

I got a notification from my friend that my house was okay with no damage. Here is the video of strong winds behind my house that my friend too. 

Without my car though I felt stranded, and my friend was going home the following day. 

We attempted to drive to Asheville the next day, but all roads were closed. I decided to rent a car the next week and do it myself when I heard of roads opening up. Lo and behold, on Monday I saw on Facebook that someone was able to drive to Asheville using a route from Greenville, TN. I rented a car and 2.5 hours later I was in Asheville. The level of destruction was incredible. I stopped to get gas at a grocery store, but all gas stations were out of gas. I had to return the car without refilling it. I was lucky to have found my car undamaged and with half a tank of gas which would allow me to get to Tennessee. That was incredible luck as I remember thinking prior to the trip that I should fill up my tank before leaving my car at the airport, but decided not to. Five hours later and with a moderate charge from the rental company I was home with my car. It was liberating to have my transportation means back. You take so many things for granted and realize that only when you lose them, even for a little while.

My rental - the lady upgraded me to a 4WD when she heard where I was going

For me, this local disaster was an ordeal, inconvenience, but for many others a life-changing devastation. The hurricane came over my town with force and destroyed the town I loved so much. 

Local Eastern Tennessee and Western North Carolina Attractions - Waterfalls, Theater, Restaurants

Tennessee has the most beautiful waterfalls. Early in the summer when the rain is still abundant, the waterfalls are full of water.

My first waterfall hike was to Margarette Falls Waterfall in Greenville, TN. The hike was stunning all the way to the waterfall. Lush green forest, bubbling (and in some areas more than bubbling) stream led to the tall cascading waterfall that I had to myself early in the morning.

Laurel Falls was another highly rated hike in Hampton, TN. The trail to the waterfall was a bit longer with multiple bridge-assisted water crossings and a bit more people and one snake.

Other hikes took place on the Appalachian Trail (AT), like Indian Grave Gap to Beauty Spot. This trail was almost completely empty, even on a holiday. The views of Blue Ridge Mountains at the top were stunning, although there was no specific spot where I would consider a stop-for-lunch view point.

I went back to Grassy Ridge Bold via AT, a stunning hike I did back in 2022 when I rented a place in Greenville. I never thought that I would return here as a resident. It's fascinating looking back at some of my posts just 2 years ago. Life changed so much in a short period of time. Who knows where I will be in another 2 years!

I frequented Tweetsie Trail both on foot and on a bike. The local paved trail with plenty of people but in a nice setting. There are not too many trails for biking, and the roads are just country roads that could barely fit a car, not talking about a bike. I rode on the roads once, and I have to say that people were really patient, but you just never know. I took my bike to Asheville to French Broad River Park and rode along the river. I now just keep the bike in my car in case I get a change to ride somewhere.

With the hot weather in Tennessee, hiking was not as frequent for me as in other parts of the country. Humidity and high temperatures is a recipe for sweating, and I hate to sweat. As the weather cools down in September, it would be much better.

I spent some time visiting Asheville and Jonesborough theaters and saw multiple plays. At some point, I would go to the theater every weekend as tickets were not very expensive, and I felt like I needed an outlet for my need to experience new things now that frequent traveling was gone.

I met a few people and made an effort to establish a circle of friends, something I have been missing while traveling, but now was determined to do. It's still a work in progress as the area does not have too many like-minded people.

I established a routine. Well, somewhat of a routine. On Saturdays, I wake up early to go to the farmer's market and then head to my volunteer shift at the animal rescue farm. Then I have the rest of the day to myself and either go to Asheville for a hike and grocery shopping or stay locally. I like the routine, but miss new things. I often think that my comfort zone is shrinking, so I schedule more trips and outings.