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Kurt and Gail RheinheimerBlue Ridge Country editor-in-chief Kurt Rheinheimer and his wife Gail woke up on Valentine's Day in 2004 looking to do something a little different in recognition of the occasion.

Since then, Kurt and Gail have hiked at least once every weekend for almost five years. Of those 250 weekends, they have missed 13, virtually all due to occasional balkiness from Kurt's old-man knees or achilles. For the first two years (Valentine's Day 2004 through Valentine's Day 2006) they didn't miss a single week. They completed the 546 miles of the Appalachian Trail in Virginia in the summer of 2008, and have walked more than 2,300 miles total, mostly in Virginia but including hikes in West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Florida and Oregon.

Puppies and Cowpies

Rock Castle Gorge Loop. 10.8 miles.

This Virginia classic, with its high points off the Blue Ridge Parkway near the Rocky Knob Campground, was in fine form this warm day when we began at the low point of the walk: at parking lot off of Va. 615 along the healthy flow of Rock Castle Creek. The smaller feeder creeks along the 2.8 miles of trail that parallel and cross the stream were also flowing well, in testament to the wet spring. And the small falls at several spots along the main creek made some real noise for the first time we've ever been along the stream.

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NETTLE!

In Ramsey's Draft Wilderness : Road Hollow Trail, Shenandoah Mountain Trail, Jerry's Run Trail, Ramsey's Draft Trail. 7.8 miles.

Here's what we forgot about a summer hike in beautiful Ramsey's Draft Wilderness, and did not remember until we had made our...

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Sand Dollars Instead of Wildflowers: Hilton Head Hikes

Series of beach walks, May 30-June 5, 2009. About 8 miles.

Sea Pines, a community at the southern tip of Hilton Head, S.C. , is laced with delightful walk/bike paths through the tree-shrouded community, which we rode at great length and pleasure during ...

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The Berries Will Be Back!

Old Hotel/ Appalachian Trail loop. 5.7 miles.

One summer day two years back, we met an older man in the primary blackberry-bush area of this hike, about a mile in on the Old Hotel Trail . The crop was puny compared to previous summers' we'd seen, and the ...

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The First Short-Sleeves Day of the Year... Without a Map

The First Short-Sleeves Day of the Year... Without a Map

Hoop Hole upper and lower loops. 9.0 miles.

With guest-dog Fluff along in addition to puppy Cookie, we returned to a hike in Botetourt County not too far from where Fluff would lie his head for the night. The Hoop Hole trails, east of Eagle Rock and w...

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