Mountain Bound

One of the many great things about fall in NC is getting to see the mountain foliage! Now that I’m in MS3, there is more time to explore the area! Last year, we traveled to Asheville, a mere 3 hours from Durham! 

Heather Burrell, MS3

A few weeks ago, my fiancé and I traveled to Charlottesville, VA to go wine tasting and camping in Shenandoah National Park. Charlottesville is a scenic 3-4 hours from Durham. We stopped at several different wineries along the way (Democracy, Loving Cup, Jefferson, Pippin Hill), enjoying the delicious Virginia wine and beautiful mountain views! We continued on to Shenandoah National Park where we set up camp despite chilly 40 degree weather! We went on a hike around the park and got sweeping views of the valley then returned back to camp to cook over the campfire! As we were cooking, we began to realize that we were going to need a lot more firewood to cook dinner and to stay warm throughout the crisp autumn night! After dinner, we had to make s’mores, and they tasted even better sitting by the fire! We stayed warm and enjoyed wine from our visits to the vineyards earlier that day! The next day, we woke up and cooked breakfast over the fire (eggs, sausage, and potatoes!) and went on a mid-morning hike. After packing away the tent, we left the park and drove back to Charlottesville to go apple picking at Carter Mountain Orchards. After all that hard work picking apples, a visit to the orchard wasn’t complete without apple cider donuts!