Dominion approach

Tomorrow I depart for Richmond, Va., for a trip into the wild. Once in Richmond, it's off to Bear Creek Lake State Park. The park is a favored car camping destination amid the rolling forests of the Piedmont in Cumberland County. Next, it's a few hours north and west to Dolly Sods Wilderness near Red Creek, W.Va. This is a rare boggy area on a high-elevation plateau (~4,000') where the environment has more in common with Canada than the rest of West Virginia.

In preparing for the journey, I went to Acronym yesterday. Among the notable purchases were trekking poles and gaiters. The trekking poles are not just old walking sticks that you find on the ground. These are made of space age material and even have shock absorbers. The gaiters are rather like nylon spats. They hopefully will protect against water, nettles, thorns and ticks. More to report later from the Old Dominion!