Pre-Wedding Camping Trip!

Brian and I decided to take our families on a camping trip for the Friday night before our wedding.  One of our favorite hikes is along the Appalachian Trail in Pearisburg, VA.  The trail climbs up through the forest to a long ridge line that forms the border between Virginia and West Virginia.  Where the trail reaches the ridge there is a big open field, called Rice Fields.  Apparently, someone named Rice used to graze cattle up on the ridge before it was claimed as National Park land, and the trees still haven't grown back.

So Friday afternoon everyone met at our house and we divided up tents, water, sleeping bags, and food.  All told, nineteen people and two dogs made the roughly three-mile trek up the hill.  We set up tents, ate burritos, and watched the sun set.  Then came the marshmallows, the banjo music, and the family stories.

Saturday morning we packed up early, and came back down off the mountain, ready to have a celebration!

Thanks everyone, for being so adventurous!

Here's a collection of pictures.  If you click on one, it will open them in a photo-album style so you can get a bigger view.