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October 8, 2024 34 mins

Get ready to uncover the hidden gems of Southwest Virginia's scenic hiking destinations. Tyler Mullins of the Pine Mountain Trail Conference, takes us on a journey highlighting the must-do trails of Breaks Park set against the majestic Russell Fork Gorge. Then it’s on to the lesser-known but equally captivating Pine Mountain Scenic Trail that weaves along the Virginia-Kentucky border.

 

In Part 1 of this two-part series, Tyler entices us with trails inside Breaks Park that include awe-inspiring sandstone cliffs, unique rock formations, serene lakes, and stunning vistas. 

 

Tune in next week as Tyler continues our journey on the Pine Mountain Trail. This developing long-distance path offers unique opportunities for solitude and scenic beauty away from the crowds. We discuss the mesmerizing Jenny Falls, the panoramic 360-degree views from Birch Knob Fire Tower, and a unique ecosystem that makes this region a true outdoor paradise. Let’s Go!


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Mentioned in this Episode:

Breaks Interstate Park

Breaks Park Hiking Trails

Episode 55. Appalachia’s Greatest Conservation Story: Elk Restoration in Southwest in Virginia

Episode 31. Rock Climbing in Breaks Park and Southwest Virginia

Pine Mountain Trail Conference

Birch Knob Fire Tower

Pine Mountain Scenic Trail

Contact Tyler Mullins: tylermarkmullins@gmail.com

Fan Mail - Send Jessica a Text Message

Contact show host, Jessica Bowser:

jessica@virginiaoutdooradventures.com

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Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jessica Bowser (00:00):
Tyler, welcome to Virginia outdoor adventures.

Tyler (00:03):
Hey, Jessica, thanks for having me. I'm excited to be
here.

Jessica Bowser (00:06):
What do you love about hiking in southwest
Virginia?

Tyler (00:09):
There's a lot to love about hiking in southwest
Virginia. I guess the good thingfor me is this is home. I mean,
I've grown up in southwestVirginia. Still live here.
There's so many beautiful areasand great hiking opportunities
in this area that outside of theregion, you know, a lot of
people don't know about got alot of good day hikes. You've

(00:30):
got opportunities for longdistance backpacking. You've got
waterfall hikes, hikes withgreat vistas. There's, there's a
hike in southwest Virginiathat's got something truly for
everybody. So there's a lot tolove about hiking in this
region.

Jessica Bowser (00:46):
Do you have any favorite memories from breaks
Park?

Tyler (00:49):
Oh, yes, absolutely, I would have to say that my love
for hiking actually began at thebreaks when I was young. My mom
used to take me hiking overthere all the time. So we would
hike just all the differenttrails that are over there. And
so that's really kind of whatsparked my love for bidding

(01:10):
outside and being out just kindof in the woods. We love going
to the pool, the old pool, whichisn't isn't there anymore, now
that the water park and the newpool are there, but we loved
going to the pool, eating at therestaurant. One of my favorite,
more favorite recent memories, Iguess, would be zip lining a few
years ago, and we actually gotmy grandmother on the zip line

(01:32):
with us. So that was, that was agreat family experience. So have
have a ton of memories fromchildhood up till now, of just
great, great times at breaksInterstate Park.

Jessica Bowser (01:41):
I love the story of your grandmother being on the
zip line. It breaks. Because Ihave done the zip line, it
breaks. And I'm not like aroller coaster person, so I was
super freaked out to do the zipline. And I cannot imagine your
grandma on the zip line. How oldwas she when she did it? You

Tyler (01:57):
know, she was in her 70s.
I don't remember exactly how oldshe was, and I think she was
more fearless than any of us.
She she loved it. She had ablast. She would probably have
been ready to have jumped rightback on it as soon as we got
done. So, you know, all the restof us were kind of hesitant. She
jumped right in and so that was,that was a great day. I just had
a blast watching her, more thananything.

Jessica Bowser (02:19):
I'll bet I mean, props to your grandmother, that
is amazing. Good for her. Yeah,I'm really excited to talk about
hiking at breaks Park, becausebreaks is hands down my favorite
park in the entire Commonwealthof Virginia. I love everything
about this park, and I reallythink that the hiking is truly
spectacular and amazing. So I'mreally excited to get to talk to

(02:43):
you about the different hikingopportunities and share those
opportunities with my listeners.
So let's jump right into it. Canyou start off by telling us a
little bit about brakes Park?

Tyler (02:54):
Yeah, absolutely. So brakes Interstate Park is it's a
joint park between the state ofKentucky and the state of
Virginia. So it's right there onthe border, far southwest
Virginia and southeasternKentucky. There's something that
at the breaks park foreverybody, even those people who
hiking might not be there, theirprimary thing, you've got tons

(03:17):
of hiking trails, which we'llget into, like you said here in
a little bit. But you've alsogot, you've got, like we
mentioned, zip lining. You'vegot their very popular Water
Park and Pool, the pool thatthey just opened up this summer
to go along with the water park.
They've got elk tours. They'vegot opportunities for kayak
rentals and boat rentals. Thereat the lake, there's truly

(03:39):
something at the breaks foreverybody, and all kinds of
different lodging opportunities,ranging from cabins to camping.
And then just the natural beautyof the area is just, is really
just unmatched. You've got thegorge, and of course, within the
park, you get all thesedifferent opportunities to view

(04:00):
the gorge from from differentvantage points. You've got the
iconic towers that are there,and with the Russell fort, kind
of bends around that you can seefrom several different points in
the park, and then just lookingdown into the gorge itself, it's
it's just a beautiful area thattruly has something for

(04:20):
everybody who visits.

Jessica Bowser (04:23):
That's a great description, and I'll just throw
in that they also have reallyexcellent rock climbing
opportunities in the park aswell. Yes, absolutely,

Tyler (04:32):
I'm not much of a rock climber. I've seen the routes,
and it looks like something thatwould be awesome for somebody
who's probably a little moresure footed than me,

Jessica Bowser (04:41):
yes, but rock climbing is great for beginners
as well. And I'll just add thatI have two other episodes about
breaks. One of them is aboutrock climbing, and the other one
is about the elk tours that youmentioned, too. So I will drop
links to those two episodes inthe show notes, so if anybody
wants to learn more about thosetwo opportunities and. Breaks.
They can they can do thateasily. So Tyler, what advice do

(05:04):
you have for someone who'splanning to hike? It breaks
well.

Tyler (05:07):
So you know several things that somebody would want
to think about before they planto go out on a hike, and the big
one is make sure that you knowyou've got a map, either getting
one online from the park'swebsite, or visiting the park
lodge or visitor center andpicking up a paper map. You
know, make sure that you knowyour route, where you're

(05:29):
planning on going. Make surethat somebody knows where you're
going. Make sure that you've gotwater and snacks for however
long you're going to be out.
Make sure you got sturdy shoes.
You know, within the park thereare a lot of different trails
that have rocky or steepsections, so you want to make
sure you got to sturdy footwear.
It's never, never a bad idea tokeep a rain jacket handy,

(05:50):
because you never know how theweather might turn. And then
hiking stick or trick and polesis also good to have. And then
I'll just make sure you allowyourself plenty of time, because
you know, you never know whenyou might want to spend a little
extra time on a trail or findanother area to explore. And
then, along with that, thinkingabout different leave no trace
principles, the big thing isjust, you know, respect the

(06:11):
park. It's a beautiful area, so,you know, it's, it's always a
shame to see things like peopleride on railings or things like
that. And you know, just areally, a really good idea to
try to leave the park betterthan you found when you go out
on the trails.

Jessica Bowser (06:30):
Yes, and I cannot emphasize enough all of
those things that you justpointed out as far as how to be
prepared, because we hear allthe time that before you go out
on a hike, you need to have the10 essentials and how to be
prepared, but some of the trailsat breaks are really difficult.
I mean, they are strenuoushiking conditions, and you are

(06:51):
not going to make it if you onlyhave one plastic water bottle
with you, and you're not goingto make it if you aren't in good
hiking shoes. It's just it'sespecially important at the
breaks, if you're on a difficultor strenuous trail, to really
heed those warnings and makesure that you have done all of
those things in advance, oryou're going to find yourself in
a world of hurt. Yes,

Tyler (07:10):
yes, absolutely. What's the saying? An ounce of
prevention goes a long way. Soyou know being going into the
woods prepared is is not onlygood for you, but it's good to
keep also first responders orrescuers from having to come out
and assist you on the trails. Soabsolutely,

Jessica Bowser (07:29):
and there is a variety of difficulty levels on
the trails at break so that,like you said, there's something
for everybody. There's easytrails, moderate trails,
difficult and strenuous trails,and we're gonna talk about some
of those. But real quick, do youhappen to know how many trails
or miles of trails are availablein the park?

Tyler (07:48):
There are 18 different trails in the park. There are a
lot of trails in the breaks, andall those trails kind of total
up to be roughly about 17 milesworth of trail. There are tons
of opportunities. And whateverkind of hike you're looking for,
you can find it in the brakes.

Jessica Bowser (08:06):
Yeah, and I like that most of these trails
connect to each other. So whilesome of them might be short and
others a little bit longer, youcan create whatever type of loop
you want. And you could behiking around the brakes
literally all day, just goingfrom one trail to the next?
Yeah, absolutely.

Tyler (08:22):
And that's one thing I love to do is, you know, you
can, kind of, like you said,create your own route, and you
can really make your hike asshort or as long as you want to.

Jessica Bowser (08:32):
Let's get into some of these individual hikes.
I'm really excited about thispart. You and I picked out a
handful of hikes that we wantedto share. And what we did was we
picked the trails that wethought really showcased some of
the best features of the parkand also would appeal to the
majority of people. So we've gota variety of easy, moderate,

(08:55):
difficult and strenuous hikes toshare that I think people are
really going to enjoy. So areyou ready to do this? Tyler,

Tyler (09:01):
yes, let's jump in. Okay, so

Jessica Bowser (09:04):
let's start off with some of the easier ones.
This is a really popular trail,and it's the Overlook trail. Can
you tell us about the Overlooktrail?

Tyler (09:12):
Yes, so the Overlook trail, like you mentioned, is
hugely popular because, like itsname, suggests you get some
great overlooks, some greatvistas from along this trail,
and it's pretty easilyaccessible from a few different
points along its routes. It'sabout three quarters of a mile.
If you did like a round tripPython and out and back from end

(09:33):
to end, it'd be about a mile anda half. And as far as difficulty
level, we would probably beconsidered fairly easy. There's,
there's not a whole lot ofelevation change, but you know,
this hike really provides one ofthe best opportunities to to
really be able to experiencejust the vastness and the beauty

(09:54):
of the gorge. From above, youcan see out into the canyon.
There's several difference and.
Um, you know, overlook areasalong the trail. You're walking
right along, kind of the edge ofthe gorge throughout the length
of the hike, and so you get alot of impressive views. If
you're an early riser, you canget some really beautiful views
with the fog, kind of rolling upout of the gorge. Or if you go

(10:17):
later in the afternoon, you canget some really beautiful
sunsets. I've got a favoritekind of Sunset spot along that
route that you can always youknow, with with good weather,
you can get great sunsets. It'sa great trail. You do have to be
careful, because, although youknow, several of the overlooks
do have railings, there areseveral sections that have

(10:37):
beautiful views that don't haveany kind of guard rails up for
it, or anything like that. Soyou do have to be cautious with
your footing. But it is. It is agreat hike if somebody is
looking to find a hike that'sfairly easily accessible to get
great views on.

Jessica Bowser (10:54):
Yeah, I think this, this trail is especially
great for people who want tohike from one overlook to the
next, because, as you mentionedin the beginning of this
episode, there are severaloverlooks that you can easily
walk to from a parking area, andthis trail kind of connects
several of those, so you can gofrom one to the next to the
next. And it's something thatpeople like to do that is not

(11:15):
too hard. I think it probably isone of the more popular trails
in the park.

Tyler (11:19):
Yeah, I think so too. And it's great for if you just want
to pop on to get an overlookview and then pop back to your
car, you've got that option too.
So it's got a lot of versatilityfor people looking for great
views into the gorge. The next

Jessica Bowser (11:34):
trail is the geologic trail. I don't know
about you, Tyler, but I kind offeel like this is the must do
trail at the brakes. Yeah,

Tyler (11:41):
I agree this. I kind of grew up on this trail. This is
one that we hit all the timewhen I was younger, and I still
love it just as much today. Likeits name says, you get some
really awesome rock formationsalong this trail, walking
through slot canyons, havingboulders kind of suspended up

(12:02):
above you, wedged in betweenother rocks. So this, this trail
just has some really greatgeology to be able to kind of
view down into what's going onalong the canyon wall. And it's
also got, if for anybody whohikes that you'll notice
markers, numbered markers alongthe trail. And so there's like a
self guided interpretive heightoption with this trail, where

(12:25):
you can pick up a height guidefrom the visitor center or
access it online, and you canget you know information about
different things that you'reseeing along the trail as you
go. And so, and it's not a verylong trail. It's less than half
a mile because of the rockinessof the trail, it would probably
be considered more of a moderatedifficulty trail, just because,

(12:46):
not because of the length, andthere's not a ton of elevation
gain, but it is kind oftechnical in some areas because
of because of the rockiness ofit. But it is, it is a great, a
great opportunity to kind of seehow the different geology of the
park kind of has has changedover many, many years. The very

Jessica Bowser (13:07):
first time I ever visited breaks, this was
the first trail that I hiked,and I was absolutely blown away.
I mean, I remember getting ontothe trail and looking up at
those huge sandstone cliffs andjust thinking, like, where am I?
I thought it was in some otherworld. I've never seen anything
like it. And this is just soimpressive, like you walk down

(13:29):
this trail and you don't knowwhere to look like you. You
should be looking at the trailin front of you to make sure you
know where you're putting yourfeet. But you can't help just
stopping and and just staringup, because it's so amazing. It
it makes you feel very small. Ifeel like because the sandstone
cliffs are so huge and soimpressive that you're just sort

(13:50):
of, you feel like a little antright next to them. I can never
get over it. Like all the timesthat I visited the breaks, I
never miss going down thegeologic trail. And every time,
I still have that same feelingwhen I go down this trail.

Tyler (14:02):
I feel the exact same way. It's it never ceases to
amaze me. Like you said, lookingat those cliffs, looking at the
different boulders that havecome down over time, it is. It's
just a truly kind of awesometrail to be able to see just
kind of how, how the parklandscape has changed even from

(14:22):
before it was a park over allthose years of erosion and
weathering. Yeah,

Jessica Bowser (14:27):
I can't wait to share some of the photos and
videos that you and I took whenyou and I hiked this trail
together in the park not toolong ago, and I think this is a
good place to give a shout outto your mom, who came with us
and did a great job takingphotos and videos, and I really
enjoyed having your mom theretoo, because she got to talk
about her connection to the parkand bringing you as a young

(14:49):
child to the park, and how thatwas meaningful to you and your
family. And it just became clearto me that there's a lot of
connections to the park in thecommunity, and I could tell.
Just being in the park that thecommunity really reveres this
park as a special place, and itwas really cool having your mom
there. So shout out to Amy forcoming with us on this hike.

Tyler (15:11):
Yes, yes. She She loves any opportunity that she can
take to come and hike in thepark. So she had a blast that
day. Yes,

Jessica Bowser (15:19):
I did too. Let's move on to the Laurel branch
trail. This is also a reallyneat trail. Do you want to
explain what this trail is like?

Tyler (15:28):
Yeah, so the Laurel branch trail, it's, it's another
trail that it's under a mile.
It's also about probably threequarters of a mile, about a mile
and a half, if you wanted to doan out and back round trip on
it. It's difficulty level wouldprobably be more considered
easy. Also, there's, there's nota ton of elevation gain for the
majority of the trail, the theend that connects up and kind of

(15:51):
intersects with the geologicaltrail does, does get a little
bit steep as it starts to headdown into the gorge, but for the
most part, this is a trail thatdoesn't have a ton of elevation
gain, and it's a beautifultrail. So it does fall Laurel
branch, very scenic. So it'sfollowing Laurel branch
throughout the the entire hike.

(16:13):
You're kind of crossing back andforth over it, and you get to
see some more of those sandstoneCliff facings. Walk through
Rhododendron thickets. If youhit it at the right time of the
year, if you come between Juneand July, you can really see
just the beauty of thoseRhododendron thickets that
you're walking through. One ofthe kind of the, I guess,
geologic highlights there, andthis is kind of where the

(16:36):
geological Trail and the Laurelbranch trail kind of kind of
come together and almostintersect is an area called the
notches, which is kind of likethis, almost like a mini Canyon.
And it's a beautiful area rightthrough there. So again, you're
kind of looking up at thesandstone Cliff facings, and it
is just a sight to behold, to beable to kind of walk through

(16:57):
that area. So it's a trail thatyou know, if you're looking for
a very scenic hike that youdon't want to go on, a hike
that's overly strenuous and thenit's not too off long, the
Laurel branch Trail is a greatoption for somebody to take.
Yes,

Jessica Bowser (17:14):
and I think I was telling you, when you and I
hiked part of that trail, thatno matter how many times I try
to take pictures of it like nophoto does it justice, because
you just have to be there inperson to see it. And if you are
going to try to photograph it,make sure you bring your wide
angle lens, because that placeis so big, like you can't even
fit it into your viewfinder on acamera if you're planning to use

(17:37):
a camera. So it's just a reallyneat place. And one thing that I
like about the Laurel branchtrail on the other end of the
trail, it connects to the LakeTrail, which goes partially
around Laurel lake. It sort offollows the water's edge, and I
think that's also a reallybeautiful area. Laurel Lake is a
place where people can fish andpaddle, and there's also some

(17:58):
really amazing cabins that arebuilt right on the lake. And
from the Lake Trail, you can seethose cabins on the other side
of the lake, and it's verypeaceful. It's very pretty. I
like that part of the park aswell.

Tyler (18:12):
Yes, absolutely. And that's a good example of, like
we said earlier, being able toconnect trails and make a longer
hike. So, yeah, it leads rightinto the Lake Trail. I mean, so
you can pretty much start outbasically right there near the
amphitheater, right behind thevisitor center, and get on the
Lake Trail, and then head ondown, and then you're just go
right on into the to the Laurelbranch trail. And so that whole,

(18:34):
that whole area, like you said,is beautiful through there.

Jessica Bowser (18:37):
Yes, it will take your breath away another
trail that will take your breathaway for different reasons,
because it's difficult, is theprospector trail, and this is a
really cool trail. It connectsto some other trails that we're
going to talk about as well. Butwhat are some of the highlights
of the prospector trail?

Tyler (18:53):
Yeah, so like you said, this is where we start to talk
about trails that have a littlebit of a more challenge to them.
If you're looking for somethingthat's that's a little more
challenging to kind of be ableto get down into the gorge a
little bit more so theprospectors trail, it would be
considered a moderate todifficult level trail, just

(19:13):
depending on on the section thatyou're on, it begins more
moderate, and then kind ofprogressively gets a little bit
More difficult and technical. Asit becomes more rocky, it's a
mile and a half trail. So if youif you did kind of an out and
back on it, it'd be three miles.
But I will say my favorite hiketo do in the park loops this
trail in with with several othertrails. So kind of my favorite

(19:34):
kind of hiking loop to do wouldbe to start on the prospectors
trail, follow it its length,then get on the Laurel branch
trail, and then go up to whereit intersects with the
geological trail. Hike that backto the Overlook trail, and then
back to the same parking lotwhere you started the

(19:55):
prospectors trail there at thetowers tunnel parking lot. I
know that's that's not just.
Prospectors trail, but it's abig cog in and that's a pretty
popular loop for people to do.
And so the prospectors Trail isa huge part of that this. This
trail really allows you to kindof get down into into the heart
of the canyon. So it, you know,it does not take you down to the
canyon, to the canyon for andwe'll talk about another trail

(20:18):
that does that here in a littlebit, but it kind of gets you
under that first cliff line. Andso you're, you're kind of right
along, right in, in the theheart of the of the canyon, and
you know, again, you get somefantastic views of just kind of
the the cliff facings, the cliffline that you know you're, that

(20:38):
you're standing up on whenyou're on the Overlook trail,
and now you're down below it,looking back up at what you were
standing on top of. And it'sjust, it'll, it'll take your
breath away from multipledifferent reasons, like you
said. And you also havebeautiful rhododendrons, if you
hit them at the right time ofthe year, um, you've got some
huge hardwood trees, so some,some old growth forest trees

(20:58):
down there, which is are alsovery beautiful. And so, you
know, this trail is great to hitany time of the year. There's no
wrong time to do this trail, butin order to really be able to
experience just kind of howimpressive the canyon walls are,
if you hit this trail during theearly spring or late fall or

(21:20):
winter, you can really see, youknow, what kind of geology
you're you're walking, you'rewalking along, which is
extremely impressive. It is amore challenging trail. So this
kind of goes back to what we'retalking about. You you really
need to be prepared. You want tomake sure you have good
footwear, plenty of water,snacks. It's a great trail, and
it is a trail that, if you'relooking for something to give

(21:43):
you a little bit more of achallenge this, this is probably
the trail for you.

Jessica Bowser (21:50):
I tell folks all the time who are experienced
hikers that they will reallylove these trails, but also not
to miss them, because if you areonly going to the park to see
the overlooks you're missinghalf the park? Yes, yeah. I
think some of the moreinteresting and fascinating and
beautiful features are closer tothe bottom of the park, because

(22:12):
that's when you're looking up atthose huge sandstone cliffs, and
you're also getting closer tothe water. And I think that it
just gives you a differentperspective, that the people who
are standing at the top lookingdown aren't seeing, but you do
need to be prepared, and you doneed to have a certain fitness
level to be able to completethese hikes safely. Yes,

Tyler (22:33):
absolutely, it's, it's not, it's, it's not a hike that
you know you just kind of wantto necessarily go and do on a
whim, if you don't have a fairamount of experience hiking, you
know, you want to make sure thatyou are prepared with those
things that we talked aboutearlier. But it is, is a great
hack that, like you said, allowsyou to have a perspective of the

(22:55):
park that you're not going toget from up on top, where you're
just kind of up, you know,around the different areas along
along the road, or some of theseother areas where, you know,
it's easy to access, maybe anoverlook, but you're never going
to get that same kind ofperspective on the park until
you kind of venture down into,into some of these trails that

(23:18):
are down in the canyon. Yeah.
And

Jessica Bowser (23:20):
that also just reminded me, if you're the type
of hiker who likes solitude,that's where you're going to
find it. Because even thoughbreaks can get busy at times,
especially in the summer, mostfolks are on some of the most
popular trails, and a lot ofpeople don't venture down the
more difficult trails. So ifyou're looking for an
opportunity to experience thepark, without a lot of other

(23:42):
people on the trail. This iskind of the way to do it.
Absolutely.

Tyler (23:46):
It's, it's, it's a beautiful trail, and it'll
definitely, definitely challengeyou as far as what to expect
along the hike.

Jessica Bowser (23:53):
The last trail that we're going to share is the
bottom of the brakes trail. Nowwhen I met you and your mom in
the park, both of you laughed atme when I told you my experience
on this trail. I had hiked itthe day before we met, and my
plan was to hike this trail andthen hike a couple other trails
all in the same day. And Ilooked at the mileage, I'm like,

(24:15):
Okay, 2.4 miles. That's not bad.
It was rated extremelystrenuous, but I'm an
experienced hiker, so my thoughtwas, oh, I'll knock this out and
an hour and a half or so, andthen I'll have plenty of time to
do these other trails I want todo. No that plan went right out
the window. It took me most ofthe day to do this 2.4 mile
hike, and it kicked my butt, andI loved every minute of it, I

(24:41):
have to say,

Tyler (24:45):
yes, the bottom of the brakes trail is, is one of my
favorite trails. But it is. Itis definitely not a trail to
take lightly. I think thatpeople like the idea of of going
down. Down into the gorge, downto the bottom of the gorge, and,
you know, getting down to theriver without maybe really

(25:07):
realizing what, what they'regetting themselves into. Either,
you know, they've not made theright preparations with water
and and food or footwear, orthey're just, you know, not at
that level of experience to beable to to handle a trail like
that. So it is beautiful. It'sthe wonderful trail, but it's
it's a trail that it isextremely strenuous. You do have

(25:30):
to be cautious and prepared. Andthis is one of those trails
where you know an ounce ofprevention is going to go a long
way. Go go into this trailprepared for those people who do
go on this trail, it is what areward to be able to get down.
When you get down to the bottomof the canyon there is stunning,
you know, just kind of viewsalong the way down you're again,

(25:51):
and you you start out, youactually have to walk along the
prospectors trail for a littleless than a mile before you
reach the the beginning of thebottom of the brakes trail, and
then when you branch off down tothat, you know you you continue
on down. So as far as theelevation gain, you know you're
going about 800 foot down intothe gorge. And that's 800 foot

(26:16):
you got to come back up for forpeople who maybe haven't quite
thought that through and thinkthey're just going to knock this
trail out. It can knock them outpretty quickly, if they're not
prepared for that. You get greatviews. You're, you're down there
at the river, so you get to, youknow, you're, you're at the the
opposite end of where mostpeople get to experience the

(26:37):
park. You're at the bottom, andyou're getting views that, you
know, a large majority of thevisitors to the park are not
going to get, and it's extremelyrewarding. So you're following
along the Russell Fork River,you're still walking along some
lower Cliff lines that that aredown farther on the canyon wall.

(26:58):
And so you get just somebeautiful views and just an
experience that you know thosepeople who are at the at the top
of the park are not they're notgoing to get that same
experience

Jessica Bowser (27:08):
if you own trekking poles, like, do
yourself a favor and bring them.
Yes, you're really going to needthem. My feet were killing me at
the end of this hike. It's avery rocky terrain. You have to
watch where you're putting yourfeet all the time because you're
not just hiking on a flat trail,you are literally stepping and
practically climbing on rocksthe whole way. And that's what
makes this trail so difficultand so strenuous. When you think

(27:31):
about like a normal one milehike, this trail makes one mile
feel like three miles. It's

Tyler (27:40):
a 2.4 mile trail. You may be thinking, well, I can, I can
do 2.4 miles in in a couple ofyou know, two three hours. No,
you need to give yourself, Iwould say four to six hours,
depending on your level of ofexperience and capabilities as a
hiker. If you decide to do thistrail, this is not a trail that

(28:01):
I would suggest most people,especially you know, those who
might not be as experienced of ahikers, to not do on their own,
to make sure you've got apartner. Make sure you know the
make sure that somebody knowswhere you're at. Because you
know, there have been, you know,several instances over the years
of hikers having to be rescued,or, you know, first responders

(28:22):
kind of go down and assisthikers out. This is a trail
again, where that preparationbecomes important, but it is, it
is so worth it. I mean, ifyou're, if your hiking ability
is, you know, allows you to beable to do a trail like this.
And for those people who aremaybe just wanting to to see the
river, but you know, then that'sa reason they're considering

(28:43):
this trail. But they don't maybefeel like they are capable of
hiking this difficult of a trailto see the river. There are
other options within the park tobe able to access the river the
there's a trail outside, kind ofoutside of the park proper, down
the garden hole road called thecamp branch trail. That's, it's
a trail. It's, it's a littleless than a mile. That is

(29:05):
probably the, the easiest accessas far as hiking goes, to be
able to access the river, andyou're right at the base of the
towers. So for somebody whomaybe can't, doesn't feel, don't
feel like they can reallycomplete the bottom of the
brakes trail safely, anothertrail, like the camp branch
trail, or access in the river,maybe from the Ratliff whole day

(29:25):
use area. Those are good optionstoo. And you can still be able
to get down to the Russell ForkRiver and see that perspective
on the park. That's

Jessica Bowser (29:32):
a great point.
But for those who are up for thechallenge, this is a very
rewarding hike. Part of thetrail as it sort of parallels
grassy Creek. If you're on thetrail and you're looking down
towards the creek, there is awaterfall that you can see from
the trail. Now, you're stillquite a ways up, so you're not
going to be able to actually getto the waterfall, but it's
really beautiful to be able tosee it from so high up. The
bottom of the trail does get tothe point where grassy Creek

(29:55):
meets Russell fork, and thatarea. Is really stunning,
because you see the riverpassing by all of these high
sandstone cliffs. When I wasthere, there were wildflowers
everywhere. It was superpeaceful. I ate my lunch on a
rock next to grassy Creek, and Ireally took my time, not just
because it was difficult, butbecause I was stopping a lot to

(30:17):
take in the views, and I wasstopping a lot to take photos
because it's so stunning, andthere's just a lot to see and a
lot to take in. So I woulddefinitely recommend you give
yourself five, maybe even six,hours. I think that's how long
it took me, but I was a littleon the slower side, because I
was stopping to take a lot ofpictures. But definitely give

(30:38):
yourself plenty of time for thisone, and you will be rewarded.
It's a wonderful hike.

Tyler (30:44):
Absolutely. It's one of my favorites in the park. It's a
great if you're up for achallenge. This is a great hike.

Jessica Bowser (30:50):
Tyler, where can listeners find more information
about the individual trails atbreaks? Park.

Tyler (30:55):
So the park has a has a great website that has
information about all theirhiking trails. So brakespark.com
and you can go on there and getkind of summaries about what to
expect on each trail, how longthey are, what you know about
how long to expect, what thecolor blazes are for that trail.
So there's great informationthere. You can also find that

(31:19):
same information in paper format the Park Lodge or at the
Visitor Center. So those, thoseare the the best two resources,
either in the park or online tobe able to get more info about
what hiking opportunities areavailable at the breaks.

Jessica Bowser (31:34):
Yes, and I will drop a link to the individual
hikes from the breaks Parkwebsite in the show notes,
Tyler, let's talk about PineMountain Trail. This was a trail
that I have seen on a mapbefore, but I had no idea what
it was, and once I met you andlearned more about it, I was
truly impressed by the effortthat is going into building this

(31:56):
long distance hiking trail insouthwest Virginia. So let's,
let's dive right into the PineMountain Trail. So tell us a
little little bit about thetrail.

Tyler (32:05):
So the Pine Mountain Trail has, has been around since
2002 is kind of when it'sinception. Was it's a trail that
runs along the crest of PineMountain the the northern
terminus is actually rightthere, right just right outside
of the breaks Park in Elkhorncity, Kentucky. And then the

(32:28):
trail follows the ridge lineback Southwest and towards
Cumberland Gap. And so it's notstretched all the way to
Cumberland Gap yet, but that isthe direction that the trail is
going and, you know, it's rightthere at the park. And part of
the trail actually runs throughthe park, not the park proper,

(32:50):
but the park boundary alsoextends to the other side of the
gorge, and part of the PineMountain Trail actually runs
through some of the parkproperty. So, you know, it's
right there and really, reallyclose access to the breaks, but
it is a trail that it kind ofweaves back and forth, in and
out between Virginia andKentucky, so it's right along

(33:10):
the border. Currently, there areabout 60 miles of developed
trail, and again, with the endgoal being to get on down
towards and link up to otheranother trail down at Cumberland
Gap, National Historic Park. Andso when the trail is completed

(33:30):
in its entirety, there will beabout 120 miles worth of trail.
So it's roughly about 50%completed, but it's also a link
in what's known as the GreatEastern trail. So the Great
Eastern Trail, which is kind oflike almost a a sister trail, I
guess you could say to theAppalachian Trail. It runs from

(33:53):
Alabama to New York, so it goesthrough nine states using
existing trails that havealready been built to create
about an 1800 mile long distancetrail that kind of mirrors as
like a smaller version of theAppalachian Trail. And so a lot
of a lot of different sectionsof that trail are still in

(34:14):
progress of being built along,like the Pine Mountain Trail.
And so it's, it's a greatopportunity for somebody who is
looking for like a long distancebackpacking opportunity, but
also has great day hikingopportunities with it also,

Jessica Bowser (34:28):
yeah, I think it's interesting that this is a
link in the Great Eastern trail,because most people have heard
of the Appalachian Trail, butnot everyone has heard of the
Great Eastern trail. And likeyou said, it's almost like a
sister trail, but I have plentyof my listeners who are long
distance hikers and havecompleted the Appalachian Trail,
and then they start lookingaround for, okay, what other
long distance trails can I hike?
And then that's usually whenthey start doing research and

(34:51):
stumble across the greateasterner trail. So it's pretty
cool that this is going to be apart of that trail. And I also
think it's really neat to have.
A long distance hiking trail inthat section of Appalachia,
because it's just so beautifuldown there. I mean, I know I
keep saying that over and overagain, but you really need to
experience it, and then you'llunderstand what I mean. It's

(35:12):
really breathtaking. You and Idid hike a section of this
together recently, so it'sreally cool to see that this is
coming together. I also thinkit's important to note you
mentioned that it is within theboundaries of break center State
Park. However, it's not veryeasily accessible from that
area. Do you want to explain why

Tyler (35:32):
part of the trail does navigate through park
boundaries, that the terminus ofthe trail is not within the park
and it's not, it's not withinPark proper. Again, this is all
on the other side of the gorge,the undeveloped side of the
gorge. It's not a trail thatwould be easily accessible as
far as somebody who is, youknow, looking to spend time in

(35:55):
in, you know, breaks Parkproper. You have to go out of
the park down to Elkhorn, city,Kentucky, and then follow an
access road to the trailheaddown there. When you start from
there, you do as you're hikingalong the trail in back end up
back in park property. Theaccess point to the trail on
that end is is not within thepark. And

Jessica Bowser (36:14):
I just wanted to point that out so that people
don't think they're going tostep out of their cabin or their
campsite at breaks and get righton Pine Mountain Trail. It's
it's not quite that easy,although I believe there are
some plans in the future,potentially to create some
infrastructure that will make iteasier to access this trail,
right? Yeah,

Tyler (36:33):
I think so. I think there are plans that are being
discussed to try to make thatside of the gorge and the Pine
Mountain Trail more moreaccessible with with kind of the
park proper. So that would be,that would be something great to
see in the future, if

Jessica Bowser (36:48):
it was possible.
Yes, however, it's it does stillmean that breaks is an excellent
base camp. If you are planningto hike Pine Mountain, you've
got all the amenities that youneed within the park, there's a
restaurant in the park, there'slodging, there's other
facilities, and then you alsoare still in close proximity to
Pine Mountain Trail. It's also areally great day hike, because a

(37:08):
lot of people, they're notthrough hikers, they don't
necessarily backpack, and thatis fine, because you can still
access Pine Mountain Trail anddo some wonderful day hikes. So
Tyler, I know we're going totalk about the section of trail
that that you recommend, butbefore we get into that, do you
just maybe want to explain whyPine Mountain Trail is unique

(37:29):
compared to other long distancehiking trails?

Tyler (37:34):
Yeah. So I think for for a lot of its history, you know,
the Pine Mountain Trail is knownamongst people who live here.
But, you know, up untilrecently, people outside of the
area, it wasn't a very wellknown trail, and it's starting
to get more well known. Some ofthe some parts of the trail are
being now available on the farout app. And so it's starting to

(37:58):
get a little bit more ofattraction with hikers from from
outside the region. But one ofthe thing that that makes it
unique, if you've taken a hikealong the section of of the
Appalachian Trail, you may runinto just you know, numerous
hikers throughout the day,depending on what section you're
hiking on, you may hike on thePine Mountain Trail and not see

(38:22):
anybody else for the entire day.
You know, if you're looking fora hike with with solitude, or
just to kind of be able to getaway and be able to have a hike
just kind of on your own, thePine Mountain Trail is is a
great opportunity to do that,because it has kind of been a
hidden gem for for a lot of itshistory. And it also provides,
you know, a very good challenge.

(38:45):
I know that some people have,they've hiked the entirety of
the Appalachian Trail and thenhave hiked the Pine Mountain
Trail, and would put, you know,the level of difficulty of the
Pine Mountain Trail right upthere, or even beyond maybe what
they've experienced on theAppalachian Trail. So it
provides a great opportunity forsomebody who's looking for, like
you said, either, either maybe aday hike with some solitude or a

(39:09):
challenging backpackingopportunity. It has
opportunities for for every typeof hiker also,

Jessica Bowser (39:16):
okay, Tyler, so you and I hiked a section of
Pine Mountain Trail that I justthought was amazing. Do you want
to talk about the section thatyou would recommend for people
who are interested in doing aday hike, for like, folks who
are visiting breaks and justwant to take a drive over to
Pine Mountain for the day?

Tyler (39:34):
Yes, absolutely. The section or trail that that you
and I went on that day is one ofmy favorite areas, kind of in
the whole area. It's known asbirch knob. So it's one of the,
one of the highest points alongPine Mountain, and it is the
highest point along thatparticular stretch of trail.
It's most easily accessed fromjust outside of the town of

(39:58):
quintwood, Virginia. So you do.
Again, like you said, you kindof have to drive away from the
park just a little bit to to beable to access this. And then
when you're outside of the townof Flint wood, you access birch
knob by Forest Service road. Andso, and it's it takes a little
bit of a drive to get up there,about about 30 minutes once you
leave the town of Clint wood,but it is a beautiful area. So

(40:20):
it's kind of the the big draw tothat area is probably the
observation deck that's there.
So there's a large observationdeck where a fire tower used to
be used to stand that providesjust really great, you know, 360

(40:41):
degree views into, you know,farther out into Virginia. You
can see out towards, you know,Mount Rogers and white top. And
that direction you can look downinto Tennessee, look out into
Kentucky. And there, there areseveral other states that you
can see. Also, it's really neat.
The The tower has, you know,different markers of what states
you're looking at depending onwhich direction you're looking.

(41:03):
So it provides a just abreathtaking 360 degree Vista
for you to be able to view. Likeyou said, there's, there's a
great hiking opportunitiesthere, because it is one of the
access points to be able todrive up and access the Pine
Mountain Trail. So theobservation tower is not, you
know, part of along that trailroute, but from the parking lot,

(41:25):
you can either go up to thetower, or you can go along the
Pine Mountain Trail. So there'sa sign that takes you along the
Pine Mountain Trail. You canreally do a great day hike just
from there. And again, peoplewho aren't interested in
backpacking can can reallyexperience a lot of what the
Pine Mountain Trail has to offerjust within maybe the first

(41:47):
couple miles out the PineMountain Trail. So you you pass
one of the the shelters that thePine Mountain Trail conference
has built to provide, you know,lodging for people who are long
distance backpacking throughthere. So you kind of get to see
one of the Shelter Structures,which is really nice. You can
hike on down a little farther,and can almost get a little bit

(42:12):
of a history lesson of the areawhere you and I stopped, and
kind of hear a little bit of thehistory of the area and the
families that used to live up onthe mountain. So there's a lot
of old homesteads along theridgeline of Pine Mountain, and
can even see a remnant of ofsome of those homesteads. We you

(42:33):
and I saw part of a rusted outbed frame that's still left from
from a long time ago. And thenyou've also got, as you head
down the trail, you'll see akind of a side trail to an area
called Genie falls, which is abeautiful waterfall that is
about around half a mile down,down a side trail which is

(42:58):
pretty steep. So that's, youknow, you would want to make
sure you were prepared to dothat. But when you get down
about half a mile along thatside trail, you get to see the
beautiful Jenny falls, which isjust an awesome waterfall. So
there's a lot of options to beable to kind of take just a
short day hike and anexperienced observation tower,

(43:21):
and you can experience all thatwithout having to be a
backpacker. You can access allthat from right there, within
just the first little bit of theof the trail. From that area,

Jessica Bowser (43:32):
this is a really cool section of trail, because
there's so much to see. And do Imean, you and I, we weren't even
there that long, and we saw alot. And for anybody who's ever
driven on a Forest Service roadbefore, you probably already
know that sometimes they're notvery well maintained. And I
think the first time I drove upto birch knob, which was many
years ago, I was wondering if mylittle car was even going to

(43:55):
make it up the trail, but, butthey have made improvements to
the road, and it really wasn'tthat bad this time. It does take
longer because it is unpaved andyou're moving a little bit
slower, but it didn't, it wasn'tthat hard. I think anybody's car
would make it up, wouldn't yousay? Yeah,

Tyler (44:12):
I would think so. I'm like you, there's been many
times in the past where I'vewent up it, and it's, it's been
a little rough, but they've donea lot of great work and gravel
work on it. And so that road, asfar as forest service roads go,
it's probably one of the bettermaintained ones you're going to
find, kind of like just drivingon a gravel driveway, and it
just does take, like it takes alittle time, it's a few miles

(44:36):
back in there, but even thedrive up to it is beautiful.

Jessica Bowser (44:39):
Oh yes, absolutely. I mean, really, it's
all about the journey on thisparticular drive. So I enjoyed
that drive going up. I thinkprobably there will be people
who have heard of birch knob.
I'm sure there are folkslistening who have been up to
birch knob before. Thatobservation tower is really
awesome. You get up there andyou can see five different
states, and it's. Really cool tobe on the top of the platform

(45:00):
and to stand in front of, frontof the sign that says Ohio, and
look out into the distance andknow that that's Ohio out there.
Like it just seems crazy to me,especially maybe because I live
in Northern Virginia, but beingup there and seeing Ohio and
West Virginia, Kentucky, it'slike, wow. It helps you realize
that you are really high up, butit's just, it's so cool to see

(45:24):
all the mountains in thedistance, and it's a beautiful
sight.

Tyler (45:30):
You can really just look right down the ridgeline of Pine
Mountain. And you're basicallylooking, you know, you're
looking at the route that thePine Mountain Trail follows. So,
you know, for somebody who islong distance backpacking, that
when they get up there and maybetake a side trip to go up to the
tower, they're looking back overeither everything that they've
just hiked or everything thatthey're getting ready to hike.

(45:52):
And so you just, you get areally, really great experience
up there at just kind of lookingat the beauty of the area from
from a bird's eye view.

Jessica Bowser (46:00):
Yes, and the other thing that impressed me,
and this is going to soundsilly, but for somebody who
hikes a lot, it makes a bigdifference. There were really
nice, clean pit toilets in theparking lot,

Tyler (46:11):
yeah? And, like you, and that's, that's something for
somebody who's outside a lot,that that's a big deal. I mean,
that's something that you thinkabout. For somebody who hikes a
lot, it's a very well maintainedarea that is definitely well
worth the day trip, even ifyou're not a long distance
backpacker,

Jessica Bowser (46:27):
absolutely. So I would highly recommend, if
you're staying at breaks park,to make that drive to Clint wood
and go up to birch knob,especially it's sunset. Yes,
sunset is unreal up there, ifit's a nice day, oh my gosh. I
mean, the first time I went upthere, I went up for sunset, and
I have never seen anything sobeautiful. The colors in my

(46:48):
photos are just popping. It'samazing. Just make sure you have
a headlamp, not the flashlightin your phone. People, right?
Like, we get a real flashlightor a headlamp. You probably
won't really need it becauseyou're just coming down the
stairs. And then, you know, theparking lot is really close to
the base of the stairs that goesup the tower. But you know, just

(47:09):
to be on the safe side, alwaysbe prepared Right, exactly,
absolutely. And then from theparking lot, where the pit
toilets are, you hop right onPine Mountain Trail. I really
thought that was a beautifultrail, Tyler. I mean, I told you
and your mom as we were walkingalong that it's really gorgeous,
and I really love therhododendron too. I think
Rhododendron might be one of myfavorite native plants, and not

(47:30):
just when they're in bloom.
People get excited aboutRhododendron blooming in the
summer, but I think I appreciatethem more in the winter, when
the entire forest is brown andgray, except for these green
Rhododendron I just thinkthey're stunning, and they're
really huge on that trail.

Tyler (47:45):
Yes, yes, they are. I mean, that trail you've got, you
know, you can walk throughsections where you're just
walking through Rhododendronthickets, whether you're hiking
through bloom season that'sbeautiful, or if you're hiking
through in the off season, kindof when in the winter or late
fall or early spring, you getthat little burst of color that

(48:05):
is a nice little change of pace,instead of walking through
complete brown the whole time.
So it's a beautiful area. It'sone of my favorite places to go
hiking. I've hiked several partsof the Appalachian Trail, and
you know, the Pine MountainTrail, to me, I would pick it,
you know, any any time comparedto to the Appalachian Trail. And

(48:27):
I love the Appalachian Trail. Sothat's saying a lot for the Pine
Mountain Trail.

Jessica Bowser (48:32):
Yeah, I think I fell in love with it instantly.
It's amazing. And I also want togive props to the Pine Mountain
Trail conference for the shelterthat they built very close to
the beginning of that section oftrail. It's really nice. I mean,
they, whoever designed it, did areally nice job on it. And if
anyone has hiked the AppalachianTrail, even if you've just done

(48:54):
a day hike and gone past ashelter, you probably have a
concept of what a shelter lookslike. You know, three walls with
one side being open, usually,sometimes a fireplace. But let's
be honest, folks like thosethings are really old. They were
built a long time ago. And thisone is relatively new because it
was built recently, and it'sgreat. And the fire pit outside

(49:18):
is constructed very well, and itjust is so inviting, like it,
even if you're not a backpacker,it makes you want to spend the
night there. It

Tyler (49:25):
reminds you of, like, of a small almost, kind of like a
cabin. It's just, it's reallyneat, and it is for the type of
shelters that you expect on along distance backpacking trail,
it is definitely a step aboveand it can hold several people.
I mean, that particular shelter,there are a couple other ones
farther on down the trail, butthat one has two stories, and so

(49:46):
it can hold multiple people. Andthen, you know, along with, with
the shelters, I mean, there's,there's camping opportunities
along the trail. So it's, youknow, there's the Pine Mountain
Trail has, has a lot to offer.
And again. And it's just it'sbeen kind of this hidden gem for
so long, it's kind of startingto gain more of attraction with
with hikers from outside theregion, which is good to see.

Jessica Bowser (50:10):
Yes, and I think if you have hiked other trails
before, this is a nice change ofscenery, because as we walked
along the trail, we were seeingwildflowers all along the way. I
think I actually spotted wildazalea that were the flame
orange color. And like I askedyour mom, is that orange Azalea?
She's like, Oh, yeah, we getthose up here. I don't see those
anywhere else. So I was reallyexcited to see that. It's it's a

(50:33):
different type of landscape, andit's not what you expect to see
in other parts of Virginia.

Tyler (50:38):
Pine Mountain has a lot of different habitats that are
very unique to this area, thatyou don't find in a lot of other
areas, different plant andanimal species that are, you
know, fairly rare or uncommonfor those listeners that you
have, that are, you know, biginto into the ecology of

(50:58):
Different areas. The PineMountain area is, is a great
kind of area for just ecologicalrichness. And the Pine Mountain
Trail goes right along throughall of us. So it's really,
really just a fantastic,fantastic opportunity all the
way around,

Jessica Bowser (51:15):
where can listeners find more info about
the Pine Mountain Trail.

Tyler (51:19):
So the Pine Mountain Trail is is managed by the Pine
Mountain Trail Conference, whichis a group of volunteers that do
an excellent job in maintainingthe trail, furthering the trail
towards its goal of making itdown to Cumberland Gap, building
the shelters. And so you know,all this is done by by a group

(51:42):
of volunteers. And so, you know,mentioned that any anybody who
is looking for an organizationor group to kind of volunteer
with and get involved, the PineMountain Trail conference is a
great organization to do thatwith, because, again, this
trail, there's so many positivethings happening around it that,
you know, the more people whowant to volunteer, you know, the
better, but they do have aFacebook page, which is where,

(52:05):
you know, if you have questionsabout the trail, or, you know,
want to, want to find out, maybecurrent conditions, or something
like that, messaging the trailsFacebook page is probably the
quickest way to get a response.
And then there's a websiteavailable to be able to go and,
you know, get information aboutnot only the trail, I mean, you

(52:26):
know, the different trailheads,but the mountain in general,
talking, again, more about theecology and background of the
mountain, but where to accessthose trail heads. There's a
there's a small store where youcan kind of buy Pine Mountain
Trail merchandise. And sobetween the website and the
Facebook page, listeners,hopefully should be able to find

(52:48):
out just about anything theywant to know about the trail

Jessica Bowser (52:52):
and Tyler, I just want to say that I'm really
thankful to you, because I knowthat you are a member of the
Pine Mountain Trail conference.
So I'm thankful to you and therest of the folks who have put
their talent and their energyinto building the Pine Mountain
Trail, because trails like thiswouldn't be available without
volunteers like you and the restof the folks who have been
working on this since 2002 sothank you to you for doing that,

(53:15):
and I hope people who areListening will consider paying
it forward and volunteeringsomeplace near their home on
trails, so that we can all enjoythese trails for generations,
different

Tyler (53:27):
trails and and our outdoor areas, a lot of the
things that we're able to go outand do and enjoy would not be
possible without volunteers. SoI'm very thankful for all the
volunteers who have came and andlaid the groundwork for this
trail and have continued to helpit develop into what it is
today. There's, there's a lot ofwonderful people that have put a

(53:49):
lot of a lot of time and laborinto that, and it's truly been a
labor of love for them. So very,very thankful for

Jessica Bowser (53:54):
that. Tyler, how can listeners connect with you?

Tyler (53:57):
So the best way to get up with me, if you have any
questions about any any of thetrails we've talked about would
be at Tyler, Mark Mullen, so t,y, L, E R, M, a r, k, m, U, L,
I, N, s@gmail.com, so that wouldprobably be the best way if
anybody had any questions andwanted to reach out. Perfect

Jessica Bowser (54:17):
and of course, the websites to breaks Park and
to Pine Mountain Trailconference will also be in the
show notes, so those links willlive there. And Tyler, thank you
so much for being a guest onVirginia outdoor adventures. I
was really excited to talk abouthiking at breaks, one of my
favorite places. I encourageeverybody to get to the breaks,
because if you haven't done it,you're not doing yourself a

(54:40):
favor. Get out there andexperience the awesomeness of
the breaks, and please use it asa base camp for all of the other
amazing opportunities inAppalachia, including the Pine
Mountain Trail. So thank you,Tyler, for being a guest. Thanks

Tyler (54:53):
for having me on Jessica.
I really enjoyed it, and Ienjoyed our hikes the other day.

Jessica Bowser (54:57):
I hope to see you again soon at the breaks.
You. Thanks, yeah, absolutely.

Tyler (55:01):
Had a great time. And it was, it was a great day,
adventure

Jessica Bowser (55:05):
on adventure, on you.
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