By Jacklyn V. Melton

The cold, crisp air filtered through the maroon and golden leaves that barely clung to the trees in my grandparents’ large yard. My family and I had just arrived in Virginia for our annual trip after a few days of driving through dramatic temperature changes. The only reason that my twelve-year-old body was aware of any change in the temperature from Florida to Virginia was because of our few and far between rest stops. We stopped only to get gas, for fear of adding precious minutes to Dad’s record travel time from the previous year. Despite the fact my sisters and I would gaze longingly at the views from inside the minivan, my father was a man with a mission and seldom made stops without a purpose. As we arrived, I stood stretching my legs on my grandparent’s driveway and the wind blew right through my clothes and chilled my thin, Floridian skin.

I always anticipated what my grandparents had planned for my family to do while we were staying with them. Each year we explored something new, which was easy because their home lies in Winchester, Virginia, where the 200 miles of the Shenandoah Valley begins in the north. This region is perfect for a family getaway, full of museums and bed and breakfasts. From this wide valley, with its twisting rivers and streams, I got my first glance at the rounded peaks of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

These strong mountains are not only the highest of the Appalachians, but among the oldest in the nation. The soft blue haze caresses the mountains’ solid lines and it is easy to get lost in the simplicity of nature’s handiwork. But the nature of the Blue Ridge Mountains is anything but simple.

The Blue Ridge province is the defining eastern boundary of the Appalachians and extends from northern Georgia northeast to southern Pennsylvania. The range separates the Great Valley of Virginia on the west from the Piedmont region on the east. Roanoke is the city that serves as the dividing line between two different configurations of the Blue Ridge province. The larger of the two is a plateau that widens to more than 50 miles across at the North Carolina border and 70 miles across farther south. In Virginia, the plateau is called the Blue Ridge Highlands. The mountains are comprised of an escarpment along the eastern edge of the plateau plus the narrow edge of the Blue Ridge that runs north from Roanoke to southern Pennsylvania. Travelers can ride the mountain’s crest on the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive and be rewarded with impressive views of the famed mountains’ grandeur.

After bundling up in layers of clothing, we took the scenic route of Skyline Drive to head for our first adventure. The entire clan of cousins, daughters, fathers and sons piled into two vehicles and took off south toward Shenandoah National Park. This drive was less intense, but my dad still didn’t stop at enough of the 75 overlooks that afforded expansive views of the lush lowlands of the Shenandoah Valley. Although the rounded summits of the mountains were also visible through the windows of the minivan, we couldn’t wait to get outside to experience the thrill of them under our feet. Hiking a different trail every year turned into a tradition that my family grew to love because each trail provided an up-close view of the pristine surroundings.

Avid hikers relish the 500 miles of trails that reward weary hikers with breathtaking waterfalls, deep canyons, old-growth forests and remains of early settlements. Just imagining how people once lived in this same spot is amazing. This park also covers more than 100 ridgeline miles of forest, and about 100 miles of the Appalachian Trail pass through the park. We hiked a few paths that day, enthralled by waterfalls, wildflowers and wildlife. We glimpsed trusting deer that were remarkably unafraid of us and our curiosity. Once in a while, we’d stop on the trail to inspect tracks of what looked like bear, or sometimes we’d stop because of unidentified rustling sounds in the forest. But it was always just my uncle throwing rocks, followed by a, “What was that?” in an attempt to scare us. We smiled as we passed other hikers, and enjoyed the leftover turkey sandwiches we packed as we sat on a flat, cool rock overlooking the valley from limestone cliffs.

Over the next week of our vacation, we biked down scenic Skyline Drive, paddled the Shenandoah River, and attempted to fly fish for brook trout. We never ran out of things to do, and now there is even more territory to explore. A few years ago, 10,000 acres of what had been previously private land opened to the public as Gorges State Park. Located in Transylvania County, Sapphire, NC, these 7,100 acres of wilderness are an outdoorsman’s dream. The rushing waterfalls, rugged river gorges, steep rock walls and diverse trails found within this park make you feel as though you are the first person to ever set foot here. I loved these natural wonders then, and even more now as I learn the dynamics of my family and environment.

The only differences in the family trips I took back then and the trips I take today are that when I drive through the verdant valleys and highlands that make up the Blue Ridge Mountains, I stop at every glorious overlook—and I don’t drive a minivan.