Moormans River both forks

I have rarely swooned for a trail as much as I swooned for the Moorman River Trails last Tuesday.  Just lovely.  I parked at Blackrock Gap on Skyline Drive, hiked fast down the North Fork Moorman's River Rd. and then North Fork Moormans River Trail seeing some lovely flowers

Big Branch Falls

The North Fork of the Moorman River is absolutely enchanting.

The trail is right above it for most of the way.   I took a little side trip to see the Big Branch "falls", which were much diminished after a summer drought.   When the trail ascended a rocky cliff and started to traverse a poison ivy thicket, I turned back.  Nature's ball bearings made the descent interesting.

I had been eyeing many wonderful pools and thinking that I should take a dip.  Then I found the most perfect dipping pool I've ever laid eyes on.  I HAD to take a swim.  And it was a real swim.  The pool was that deep.  Perfectly wonderful! 

Shortly thereafter I came to a road and then a parking lot.  I hadn't known I was so close to civilization.  I met a trail runner in the parking lot and never saw her again.  Somehow I failed to see the Charlottesville Reservoir but I did cross the stream and start ascending the South Moorman Fire Road, another enchanting trail with many pools in the stream beside me.

I also passed a chimney standing by itself.

The chimney wasn't the only manmade structure I saw.  I stopped for lunch on the Turk Branch Trail and saw what appeared to be a manmade watercourse.

Pool on S. Moorman Fk. Tr.

Cascades on S. Moorman Fk. Tr.

Manmade watercourse

 I rushed up the Turk Branch Trail because I still had a bunch of miles to go.  I finally caught a photo of a beautiful orange butterfly I've seen often.

I reached the A.T. at Turk Gap at around 3:20 and still have more than 7 miles to go.  So I stopped for a quick drink and thundered north on the A.T.

18..6 miles for the day; 2 new trails; 9.7 new side trail miles.