Reaching the Home Stretch

May 27,2025

It is the final week of the school year, and we just had traditional Memorial Day weekend festivities. There was a cookout with family and friends on Monday, a lovely visit with Andrew’s girlfriend Anna for the weekend, and I managed to get in day hike to a new place with Nick. The hike we took was to the Blue Ridge Tunnel near Crozet, Virginia. It was once an active railroad tunnel built to connect the ports on the coast of Virginia to the mid-western area that later became Ohio. The Blue Ridge Railroad carved and blasted the tunnel into Afton Mountain to connect Rockfish Gap with Waynesboro. Between 1850 and 1858s the tunnel was completed using the backbreaking labor of enslaved people and poorly paid Irish immigrants. After World War 2, the tunnel was closed when a new, bigger tunnel was built to accommodate wider trains. The tunnel was briefly a storage area for fuel in the cold war, but the tanks had been long abandoned when CSX gave Nelson County the land and the park service re-opened the tunnel and path as a tourist attraction.

This Saturday it was unseasonably cool and overcast. When we arrived at the Blue Ridge Tunnel Park, every spot in the parking lot was full. Multi-generational families were gearing up to hike the ½ mile to the entrance. Some were pushing strollers. Others had bikes or electric assisted bikes. The majority were on foot and were diligently double checking that all members of their party had flashlights, lanterns and a warm layer to put on in the 4273-foot tunnel. A few surly teens who truly would rather have been anywhere else, stood defiantly in short sleeves and looked glum about having to leave their technology behind for an outdoor activity with their families. We were in the small minority of older, childless couples gearing up. Nick and I brought a small lunch to enjoy in the picnic area on the other side and we each carried a sweatshirt for the expected 50-degree Fahrenheit temperatures inside the tunnel. We almost needed them outside, too, since it was only in the upper 60s outside of the tunnel. For May 25^th in Virginia, it was downright chilly!

The walk was pleasant, and the crowd of families thinned out as we got closer to the tunnel. Nick and I took time to read each historical marker and to notice the black berries and wine berries beginning to ripen along the foot path. We identified trees and looked for signs of wildlife as we hiked. We heard many birds calling to each other, but most were high in the canopy and hard to identify. Here and there we could observe outcroppings of Catoctin greenstone, the primary rock deposit that makes up the blue ridge mountains. Most places the rocks were covered with plant growth and shrubs. Where we could see them, most of the outcroppings were oxidized to a rusty greenish brown. Only in places where rainwater was seeping down the hillsides could we see hints of the deep emerald green that gives the formation its name.

At the tunnel entrance we donned our sweatshirts and turned on our lights. Some people put on rain gear because the trail was interrupted by rivulets from recent rains and water cascaded down the hillside near the archway. Headlamps were the gear of choice for some hikers. I used a lantern and felt like it was overkill when I noticed that I could see a small patch of light at the other end of the tunnel as I stepped inside. The flashlight app on my cell phone probably would have provided enough light. But there were so many little kids running around making ghost and train noises that I quickly decided it was better to be easily visible to the others in the tunnel and the lantern made avoiding the large puddles much easier.

Overall, the hike was easy and fun. We took time to notice the brick reinforced areas and the drains carved by workers more than 150 years ago. We enjoyed the refreshing, sweet smell of the rainwater. Nick and I were amused by the conversations of our fellow hikers and the small dramas that played out as kids splashed each other in puddles or older siblings tried to scare younger ones other by illuminating their faces with a flashlight held under the chin.

Our picnic was simple and enjoyable when we emerged on the western side of the tunnel. We even had live entertainment! A large family with 3 generations and 6 or 7 kids shared the picnic tables with us. The kids made a great game of “king of the mountain” with a rock dust pile next to the trail. As the two sets of parents talked among themselves, the kids got dusty and dirty and had a marvelous time. Eventually, one of the grandparents noticed that the kids were eating with dirty hands and there was an effort to get all the kids’ hands clean with wipes and hand sanitizer before they polished off their snacks.

Donning our sweatshirts again, we walked back through the tunnel. We ended up walking back more easily since many of the tourists had already left. We returned to our car to find a much smaller crowd in the parking lot. Apparently, we hit the “rush hour” for our hike and most people headed on to get lunch nearby. We did not feel compelled to follow other cars down Rt 151 to peruse the various restaurants, breweries or roadside stands. Nick and I instead opted to drive through Charlottesville on the way home to grab a bit of ice cream and to see the apartment complex where Andrew will live during his master’s program starting in August.

Walking in the damp, nearly mile long tunnel gave me a chance to mindfully focus on my senses and pay attention to my surroundings. Carefully placing one foot in front of the other is the best way forward under any circumstances, but it is especially important when there is an unfamiliar course with obstacles that are hard to see. All in all, The Blue Ridge Tunnel trip was a delightful excursion.  I appreciated the reminder to keep looking for the light at the end of the tunnel, too.