Families were in abundance. I hope that when we get past this crisis they will continue to take time to be together.
Early on there are two foot bridges to cross. The first one shows infrastructure from the James River and Kanawha Canal. The trail follows the abandoned Chesapeake and Ohio railbed which in turn follows (more or less) the canal towpath.
Removing the dams has returned much of the river to its natural flow. A large dam upriver came down this winter amid much controversy.
The river winds around a narrow peninsula. The Uncas Trail, on the opposite side of the river, leads to the beach at the foot of that peninsula. Friend Michael and I walked that trail two weeks ago in a sleet squall! (We were glad it cleared up mid-walk.) It is rougher walking than the Chessie Trail, but I was glad to orient myself relative to the two of them.
The Maury has a distinctive green color. Perhaps there is copper in them thar hills? The high bluffs are on the left bank here.
Farther downriver the Maury bends the other way. Now the bluffs are on the right bank. This little river has worked hard over the eons to make a channel through the rocks.
One of the few times on this warm, sunny, and busy day when there was no one else on the trail with me. I encountered families, cyclists, runners, and other walkers. We kept a respectful distance from each other for fear of contagion.
I often met moms and children, but dads were also out enjoying the weather.
There are many invasive plants here and there along the trail, but I think these vines may be native grapes. Japanese honeysuckle usually strangles a tree rather than embracing it.
In addition to Japanese honeysuckle vines there are numerous non-native bush honeysuckle plants. Various varieties have escaped into the wild. I have not been able to identify this particular one.
The little girl and her dad were enjoying fishing. Mom sat on the bank with the baby.
A number of folks explored the river bank along this reach.
I was pleased to see that this family abandoned their bicycles in favor of exploration. They zoomed past me going out and zoomed past me coming back. The trail is too pretty to be zoomed.
I look forward to the day that I can get back onto the trail with my ladies' circle for our weekly walk.
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