Sometimes time seems to slip away, as it has over the past several months. We’ve continued to hike and take photographs, many of which have made their way into photobooks but not the blog. I’ll try to rectify that with a rather lengthy post of my late fall and winter photos. (I’ve reduced the resolution of the photos this time, hoping they’ll take less time to load and not at the expense of quality!)

First up…War Spur. This is a short (two-mile) loop near Mountain Lake. It’s one of my favorites since it has a good amount of rhododendrons and evergreens so it’s a pretty hike year-round. It’s also home to one of Virginia’s few remaining virgin forests.

Later the same day, we stopped off at Mountain Lake and Pandapas Pond.

Photo date: October 30, 2016.

In November, we hiked to the summit of Mount Rogers, the highest peak in Virginia. It’s a good late fall hike since the rugged remnants of ancient volcanoes provide interesting scenery despite the loss of foliage.

There are also wild ponies throughout the park. But watch your food supplies–though visitors aren’t supposed to feed the wildlife, the ponies have come to expect handouts.

Photo date: November 12.

The following day, we returned to Mountain Lake, which was at its lowest point in many years.

Photo date: November 13.

After a few busy weekends, we finished the year with two more trips to Pandapas Pond. One was on a dreary December day, and I played with black and white effects in my photos.

Photo dates: December 11 and 22.