Highly Classified

You can probably guess--we didn’t hike today.  It has been a good day of rest which we both needed, especially me.  Our hands have not been idle, however.  A few things got done.

We both have new glasses.  That was probably the greatest accomplishment.  We had gone to Walmart for eye exams about a week ago.  Yesterday we had a message that our glasses were ready.  It’s good to have that chore out of the way for a while.

This was also hair cut day for Gene.  It’s good to have that chore out of the way for a few weeks.  It’s not a hard task and now that I have a few years practice I don’t have to think about it much, but I always dread doing it.

There were a couple details associated with yesterday’s hike that I was too tired to include in the post.  One was the mystery of the heavy traffic on Virginia’s rural route 601.  We each got to drive that special road between VA 7 and US 50.  There appears to be two reasons why this road is so heavily traveled.  One is the large VA DOT Park and Ride commuter lot at the corner of VA and VA 601.  The other reason is Mt Weather.

Mt Weather is a FEMA facility which, apparently, employees a large number of folks.  The guide we use to find our parking lots describes Mt Weather as a “gated, guarded, highly classified” facility.  We really didn’t expect to be able to see it, but, low and behold, there it was on both sides of VA 601.  It’s definitely gated--the entire property surrounded by very high chain-link fence topped with barbed wire.  It is definitely guarded--a check point entry like you encounter at a military base.  I wouldn’t say the location is highly classified since it’s right out there in the open and half the population of Northern Virginia drives by every day, but what’s inside must be because a good portion of the fencing is shrouded in a heavy material to prevent the casual observer from seeing what’s in there.  I was quite impressed when I drove by.  If I hadn’t been driving, I would have taken a picture.  But then again, it’s probably best I couldn’t.  I probably would have been arrested and sent off to a highly classified federal prison.

I think we have rested sufficiently to continue our hiking tomorrow.  Yesterday was a 14 mile day.  We don’t like to hike that far, but have to hike between the parking lots.  We won’t have another 14 mile day among the hikes we have scheduled for this area.  However, tomorrow’s hike is 13.5 which is very near 14 which includes the rest of the roller coaster.  After that, we’ll get back to a more reasonable range of 10-12.

So, that’s it for today.