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YEAR ON THE TRAIL...
SEPTEMBER
Our September Year on the Trail walk was a collaborative effort with the Rockbridge Bird Club. The following is a report by Wendy Richards, our guide for the day and the field trip chair of the Rockbridge Bird Club:
On Saturday, September 23rd, seven folks gathered along a fog-shrouded Chessie Trail to listen for what bird life was around. It didn't take long for the fog to lift and be replaced by a crystal-clear blue sky. Trees were still holding onto leaves so it was difficult to see the birds, but we were serenaded by the almost constant calls of the Carolina Wren.
Here are the 12 species we were able to identify in a short stroll along the trail:
Downey Woodpecker - 3
Canada Goose - 1
Northern Cardinal - 4
Carolina Wren - 13
American Crow - 6
Carolina Chickadee - 5
Blue jay - 7
White-breasted Nuthatch - 1
Great-blue Heron - 1
Tufted Titmouse - 5
Mourning Dove - 1
Osprey - 1 (seen afterwards before leaving the area)
Our September Year on the Trail walk was a collaborative effort with the Rockbridge Bird Club. The following is a report by Wendy Richards, our guide for the day and the field trip chair of the Rockbridge Bird Club:
On Saturday, September 23rd, seven folks gathered along a fog-shrouded Chessie Trail to listen for what bird life was around. It didn't take long for the fog to lift and be replaced by a crystal-clear blue sky. Trees were still holding onto leaves so it was difficult to see the birds, but we were serenaded by the almost constant calls of the Carolina Wren.
Here are the 12 species we were able to identify in a short stroll along the trail:
Downey Woodpecker - 3
Canada Goose - 1
Northern Cardinal - 4
Carolina Wren - 13
American Crow - 6
Carolina Chickadee - 5
Blue jay - 7
White-breasted Nuthatch - 1
Great-blue Heron - 1
Tufted Titmouse - 5
Mourning Dove - 1
Osprey - 1 (seen afterwards before leaving the area)
OCTOBER
For our October Year on the Trail Friends of the Chessie Trail partnered with Rockbridge Advocates for Independent Living for a Walk n Roll. It was a great day for an outing!
Thanks to Lad Sessions for Photos
For our October Year on the Trail Friends of the Chessie Trail partnered with Rockbridge Advocates for Independent Living for a Walk n Roll. It was a great day for an outing!
Thanks to Lad Sessions for Photos
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER
On December 2, Stephanie RiCharde led a mindfulness walk for the Year on the Trail. Four participants came together to share some meditative time in the woods during the busy holiday season.
On December 2, Stephanie RiCharde led a mindfulness walk for the Year on the Trail. Four participants came together to share some meditative time in the woods during the busy holiday season.
In September, Maj. Stephanie Hodde (second from left) led her Field Work class on an introduction to the Chessie Trail. Many of the cadets regularly run the Trail, and this was their opportunity to learn a bit about its nature and its history as they prepared to do individual Trail-related projects.
Our thanks to Cadet Kerisha Goode VMI ’18 for working with us to redesign portions of our website, and for the great videos, runners’ quotes, and photos of our Chessie Trail Half-Marathon and 5K in October.
Ms. Goode is an English major who hails from Northern Virginia. As a member of Maj. Stephanie Hodde’s Field Work Class, she covered the October race, where she interviewed runners, took photos and had the inspiration of handing her videocam to one of the runners while the race was in progress. Nice going, Ms. Goode!
See her work featured below.
Ms. Goode is an English major who hails from Northern Virginia. As a member of Maj. Stephanie Hodde’s Field Work Class, she covered the October race, where she interviewed runners, took photos and had the inspiration of handing her videocam to one of the runners while the race was in progress. Nice going, Ms. Goode!
See her work featured below.
Video courtesy Cadet Kerisha Goode VMI '18
Perspective of a Runner Runners Interviewed By Cadet Kerisha Goode VMI '18
Chessie Trail Marathon 2016 |
Photos courtesy of Cadet Kerisha Goode VMI '18
Runners Interviewed By Cadet Kerisha Goode VMI '18
Chessie Trail Marathon 2016 |
VMI '18 Cadet Alexandra M. Hill’s ingenious HEADliners flier, posted in restrooms around the VMI post, reminds students that when exams and papers are looming, there’s no place like the Chessie Trail for a little stress-busting jog and tranquil scenery – Mother Nature’s got your back!
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Want to know how cadets have enjoyed “Point, Trail, and River” since VMI was founded? Check out Cadet Josh Pardew’s essay
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