I'm fundraising for the Taylor James Steeves Foundation and would really appreciate your help! The donation link is here: https://runsignup.com/crittoria Thank you so much!

Since this is the last weekend of Tay's Summit Challenge, I planned a challenging hike for myself. More than 8 miles and 3 mountain peaks! 

We started by hiking up Mount Shaw, which was so steep that at times I thought I was gonna fall over backwards. (Y'all know how graceful I am!) We experienced pretty much all the types of trails today, from carriage roads to deer paths! And the foliage was so colorful I had to keep remembering to look down or I'd trip! Ayiyi…anyway, we met a couple of kindred spirits up on top, and had a nice chat. It turns out that a Bubba's shirt is a great conversation starter! 

Then, we headed across the ridge to climb up Black Snout and check out the view in the other direction. It was just as stunning! 

The deer path that led off that summit pretty much dropped like a stone, and was hard to follow in places, especially with all the leaf litter. There were a few times when we chuckled and said we'd like to speak with management! 

After losing most of the elevation we had previously gained, we looked up to realize that there was yet another mountain between us and the car. It was so worth the climb though. The view from Big Ball Mountain was just incredible! 

Finally, we were on our way back down to the car. Along the way we found a waterfall, which just felt like the icing on the cake! It was a spectacular day!!

PS My legs are no longer speaking to me.

PSS I don't know how I'm still awake!

Hike 9 with 2,566 feet of elevation gain.

#staystrongclimbon