You may not find this terribly rewarding unless you're included here, so this is a good time for casual and random browsers to turn back before they get too caught up in the sweep and majesty of the proceedings and can't let go.
A family favorite, Staunton's Montgomery Hall Park and its jungley forest filled with convoluted, well-maintained walking trails. That, behind the fence, is a softball field, and at the top of the hill is the original manor house, presently the city's Parks and Recreation HQ. On the far side of the hill, there are a public swimming pool, tennis courts, more ball fields and a 'soccer complex', as well picnic facilities, jungle gym setups, and an 18-hole disc golf course, much of it in parts of the forest.
Today we've started out from the carpark atop that hill and are embarked on the Scout trail, bound for the Fern Gulley, one of our favorites (1 March 2026).
The Expressway descends back through here from the left, but the Scout trail runs along to the right, parallel with the Amtrak rail line for about 700 meters.
Too early for serious greenery. The rail line is just visible off to the right.
The Amtrak 'Cardinal ' comes through between New York City and Chicago three times a week.
Up a little hill away from the tracks
-- Will you be coming along? All right, then. Let's go.
There's a pecular feeling that we're being watched.
-- Ah, buddy . . . you okay?
Yep, okay, and in no hurry to dash off into the underbrush.
Possibly meeting a friend here and reluctant to stray too far off.
We continue, increasingly away from the rail line now.
The Fern Gulley should be just up ahead.
The Scout trail continues off to the right, but the Fern Gulley veers to the left. The lower part of it is well maintained up to where the Expressway comes past it -- beyond that, the gulley continues higher up the hill, but is entirely unmaintained and potentially dangerous, with broken glass and what not amongst the shrubberies.
For some years there was a calligraphically attractive sign for the Fern Gulley at the bottom and at its egress onto the Expressway, but since last October or earlier the signs have disappeared, who knows why?
Somebody must know, but we don't.
The lower Fern Gulley is a very pleasant walk, and the ferns can be very cute in their high season.
Lo and Behold! Someone's returned one of the signs here at the top; that's the Expressway passing along on its way north.
'Gulley' and 'Gully' are equally 'permissible'. We all have our own preferences.
But we'll have another bold go at the upper part of the gulley, and even . . .
. . . check out some of the broken glass and rusted metal bits lurking all about.
At the top of the gulley, that's our landmark for finding it again along the Expressway (it's the only busted up bunch of rusted metal we've ever run into here).
At the Augusta Springs Wetlands, we're got about six rusted up old car wrecks squatting amongst the trees not far from the trail.
Now we'll follow the Expressway 5 or 10 minutes round one of its mighty convolutions, to bring us . . .
. . . back to the top of the formal stretch of the gulley.
A little up, and a little down, and . . .
. . . we're passing the Fern Gulley again and bound northwards along the Expressway.
That's the Gulley running off down towards the Scout trail.
But the Expressway has its own charms.
The day is warming up, obviously. Thank you, Weather God.
And it's got all its own convolutions, sometimes almost in circles (but never quite so).
Round another bend
One of our favorite loops, right round the old ghost tree
-- Stay on the trail! -- That is the trail, we've just looped past it.
The character of the vegetation, and its color, appear to be changing.
Familiar: we're nearly there.
Back out to the softball field. All in 58 minutes!
Next , a short walk round Lake Sherando (6 March 2026)
The Williams Branch of the North Fork Back Creek, seen from the carpark
The CCC Visitor Centre (which, with non-overlapping dates, we've only seen open on one occasion)
A beautiful little lake in any season (about 560 meters, 1,835 ft, to the far end)
Today we're commencing with a walk round the western Lakeside Trail, a good deal higher than the lake on this side.
For various issues involving an uncooperative tibiofemoral joint (more specifically, its meniscus), we're proceeding along the path uncharacteristically carefully today . . .
. . . well, one of our party is.
After a brutally cold January and February here well below the Mason Dixon Line, we're just pleased to get out of the condo for an afternoon.
Here we're passing over the earth dam and 'anglers parking lot', and the egress chute of the North Fork Back Creek just below.
Which rushes down to the Back Creek along the Mt Torrey road, then turns north to join the South River near Waynesboro, then meanders (literally) parallel to the Blue Ridge to Front Royal, where it joins the North Fork to become the Shenandoah River and beelines it for the Potomac at Harpers Ferry.
We'll catch up later; I've got the car keys.
Wait, there are two sets of car keys.
Up to the dam and carpark, and . . .
. . . at the uphill path to the Cliff Trail, we're awaited.
It's generally a jaggedy stony old path in many places, easily dealt with on the uphills, but . . .
. . . somewhat trickier dealing with it on the downhills.
Thus today's choice of the uphills.
We'll catch up later, yeah?
Lake Sherando, seen from the high point of the Cliff Trail. In the summer season, the lake's nearly invisible from here.
Down the 20 minute path to the Visitor Centre and carpark
Authentic environmental art
And it's always an exciting enterprise trying to get a usable photo of the Confederate-manqué's flag-flying fetish on the Mt Torrey Road through Lyndhurst.
Here's a worthy photograph of the newish little addition to our Gypsy Hill Park, with civic-historical information plaques.
Melvin doesn't seem to recognize us today. Perhaps he's just angry about something. Late catfood dinner perhaps.
Choupette knows when to stay out of the way.
Daylight Savings -- we need to sleep in longer to catch the rising sun.
Best wishes on those heartfelt sentiments.
The next 'No Kings' public party will be here soon.
Perhaps Staunton's lone public failing might be the absence of public benches. We take them where we can find them, as in the kids' playground of the venerable Trinity Church.
Synergy in Verona (technically in Staunton on the town line): A home-away-from-home, not infrequently, sometimes, with a helpful staff, nice clean surroundings . . .
. . . lots of nice machines, and even a sense of humor.
'Dream Big'
Next up: Further dispatches are awaited.
Dwight Peck's personal website
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All rights reserved, all wrongs avenged. Posted 5 April 2026.
