Matt and I had the absolute pleasure of connecting with our very good friend Russ, the Winehiker, on our recent Sonoma/Napa trip. Russ kindly agreed to mosey on up to Sonoma and meet us to go on a hike. I promised Matt we would do something non-wine related on this trip, and while Russ’ hikes always end with wine, a hike would give us a good full day of non-wine activity. I am the wino in the family afterall, so it’s only fair that our vacation includes something Matt would really like to do.
We met Russ on the morning of tax day, intending to go on a hike with a 2000 foot elevation on Sugarloaf Ridge in Sonoma. That hike would have taken….well, at the rate I hike, probably 6-8 hours and I probably would have needed several packages of moleskin. I’m so woefully unequipped to hike that the only socks I own that were higher than ankle height to wear with my hiking books (amazing I have those) were Christmas socks…Russ got a chuckle out of that. So Russ took pity on me and had us hike in Annadel State Park instead, up to Ledson March. Russ said the hike ran us about 6 miles round trip, so that seemed perfect for a vacation hike…especially when it was followed by a stop at Ledson Winery and then dinner at Zin!
As usual, Russ proved to be an excellent trail guide. He’s always pointing out interesting flora and fauna, making sure you not only get a good hike in, but a lesson in the nature of the area. Plus, he puts up with me and abject fascination with various living creatures….on our first hike I was enamored by the banana slugs…on this hike, the lizards. We don’t get lizards in this part of Virginia, so I’ve rarely ever seen one in the wild. I spent much of our hike attempting to get close enough to photograph the wily critters! Following are some of the many many photos I took on our hike…next up, a review of Ledson Winery where we stopped after our hike!
Lizard!
Matt and me!
Flower we couldn't id.
Lizard 2!
Inchworm!
Russ!
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