Escape the craziness and embrace the slow down!
Book a hiking tour with the White Crow!
www.whitecrowtours.com
Book a hiking tour with the White Crow!
www.whitecrowtours.com
|
I really have loved guiding student, private and group tours this season. I've meet hundreds, near a thousand, students and teachers from California, to Florida, to Massachusetts and to and from beyond the Atlantic and Pacific... I encourage fun, inspiration, and posing for the camera. Group photo's are a favorite of mine and I love getting people and groups to step out and pose for the camera. There are many different ways this can be done. There is the Crow, the Crazy, and my favorite, the Hulkamania pose. Here is a small sample of the awesomeness that I have had the joy to lead... When you come on tour with the White Crow, make sure to pose for the camera!  Ventured out to Shenandoah National Park yesterday, and I was happy to find that the trails are in excellent condition. The sky was a perfect shade of blue and the air was crisp. Below is a picture of me at Hawksbill Summit, the highest summit in the park. I'm getting photo bombed by Old Rag Mountain :-)  Took a picture here (below) of Stony Man Mountain through my binoculars. The old man is looking forward to a lush green Shenandoah Valley, soon to be here!  The sweet, tangy smell of mulch laid outside our home is the sure sign that the outdoor season has arrived. Okay, so it's suppose to snow tomorrow. Whatever, Spring is here! I saw it in the faces of the student groups I trekked through the Washington D.C. streets this past week. I look at my calendar and anticipate the memories to be made as I venture folks along the sprouting trials of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I'm ready. Are you? April is afoot, the Cherry Blossom are soon to bloom, and the vistas of Shenandoah that are now barren and grey, will soon turn to rolling peaks and lush greenery of awesome! I am happy. This is what the season brings. Promises of connection and exposure , to what we all are born to appreciate... The great mother of nature.
Let's get outdoors. Let's hike. Get out there and bask in the glory of what it means to be alive! www.whitecrowtours.com Tino The season is about to start...
The chill of winter has begun to subside... The dark hours of daylight savings time have past... and, The White Crow is stretching out the wings, unfurling the feathers, and getting ready to soar.  May the year behind, be one of lore; May the year ahead, be filled with more... From White Crow Tours, have a safe and Happy New Year. 
With the final weekend before Christmas upon us, I want to thank all that have engaged, interacted and explored with me as I've moved, sometimes slowly, towards making White Crow Adventure Tours a reality. It all started in my kitchen 9 months ago, as I started imagining what my logo would/could look like. A wild flood of imagery, experiences, impressions and hope ran through me, and the three birds of my logo, flying over Old Rag Mountain, were born. This first season started off slow, and each week was a rollercoaster, but when August came around tours were being booked, folks were discovering what White Crow Tours was all about, and the fortitude to keep the dream alive had been fortified. New tours will start in April 0f 2015, and will include options to visit Washington, D.C. as part of your tour. For those of you that do not know, I am now a licensed Washington, D.C. tour guide and have recently be accepted into The Guild of Professional Tour Guides of Washington, DC. The guild has been a great resource so far, and I encourage those of you visiting D.C. to use them, but of course, use White Crow Tours as your preferred guide :-) Merry Christmas to all of you and your families, or if you do not celebrate Christmas, Happy Holidays to you and your family. I would like to share with you this song of Christmas, my favorite song of Christmas, and quite possibly the most magnificent song of Christmas. Enjoy...  This is me! Hey there, you! Yeah, you! The one who is about to take advantage of one of life's greatest gifts, HIKING! If you've made it here you're quite possibly looking for some trail information for Shenandoah National Park. Well, I got the goods for you! If you have any questions about any of the following hikes, or perhaps other hikes, feel free to drop me an email: whitecrowtours@gmail.com
Happy Trails... Note: Round trip hikes proceed to a destination and return by the same route. Circuit hikes begin and end at the same point without retracing steps. Stony Man Mountain Summit (4,010 ft) Type of hike: Round Trip Features: Spectacular views of Massanutten Mountain, the Shenandoah Valley, the Allegheny Mountains, New Market Gap, Skyline Drive, and Skyland Resort Trailhead: Stony Man Trail parking lot Estimated length of hike: 1.6 miles Estimated total elevation gain: 350 feet Recommendation: Great hike for children. Keep an eye out for Peregrine Falcons! Hawksbill Mountain Summit (4,051ft) Type of hike: Circuit Features: Spectacular view of Massanutten Mountain, the Shenandoah Valley, the Allegheny Mountains, Old Rag Mountain, the Virginia Piedmont and Skyline Drive Trailhead: Upper Hawksbill Trail parking lot Estimated length of hike: 2.1 miles Estimated total elevation gain: 525 feet Recommendation: A little more difficult than Stony Man, but still manageable for children. Highest summit in the park! 360 degree view! Rose River Falls (67ft)/Dark Hollow Falls (70ft) Type of hike: Circuit Features: Two waterfalls, dozens of pools, cascades and miniature falls, swimming holes, and the Cave family cemetery (still in use) Trailhead: Fishers Gap overlook parking lot Estimated length of hike: 4.3 miles Estimated total elevation gain: 1,045 feet Recommendation: A few steep climbs, best for those of moderate hiking experience. One of the most serene trails in the park! Mary’s Rock Summit (3,514 ft) Type of hike: Round Trip Features: Spectacular views of Massanutten Mountain, the Shenandoah Valley, the Allegheny Mountains, the Virginia Piedmont, Skyline Drive and the Thornton Gap entrance to the park Trailhead: Panorama upper parking lot Estimated length of hike: 3.7 miles Estimated total elevation gain: 1,200 feet Recommendation: No real steep sections, and an easy transition from hikes such as Stony Man and Hawksbill. Bouldering opportunities at the peak! 360 degree view! White Oak Canyon/Cedar Run Type of hike: Circuit Features: Two canyon hikes combined to make a circuit hike; 8 waterfalls (the tallest is 86ft high), dozens of pools, cascades, and miniature falls, swimming holes, and a natural granite waterslide Trailhead: White Oak Canyon parking lot (park boundary) Estimated length of hike: 8.0 miles Estimated total elevation gain: 2,500 feet Recommendation: Bring lots of water. Very Strenuous hike. The waterslide is so much fun! Old Rag Mountain Summit (3,291 ft) Type of hike: Circuit Features: Arguably the best mountain summit in the park, Large granite boulders, Spectacular views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Virginia Piedmont, and challenging rock scramble to get to the top Trailhead: Old Rag parking lot (park boundary) Estimated length of hike: 8.8 miles Estimated total elevation gain: 2,500 feet Recommendation: Bring lots of water. Very Strenuous hike with lots of people on the trail. The rock scramble is challenging but is a lot of fun. Best 360 degree view in the park! |
The White Crow Blog
Archives
March 2020
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed
