In this premiere episode of the Explore Virginia Podcast, host Lori Prima brings on guest Bill Henry of the Blue Ridge Heritage Project.

The project's vision is:

• Develop a memorial site in each of the eight counties where land was acquired to create the Shenandoah National Park; and
• Educate visitors about the lives and culture of the people who lived in the mountains through living history presentations, exhibits, and demonstrations.

In this informative episode you will learn more about the history of the project, the families who were removed from the land that is now Shenandoah National Park and how the chimney memorials came to be placed in eight counties where families called the mountains home.

You can learn more by visiting:

https://www.blueridgeheritageproject.com/

List of recommended books and other resources can be found here

Reach out to the podcast:

Loriprima@explorevirginiapodcast.com

Subscribe to the podcast at:

https://explorevirginia.buzzsprout.com/

Support the show

Connect with Hike:
Instagram: @thehikepodcast @shenandoahexplorer
Facebook: @thehikepodcast
Email: hikepodcast@gmail.com

Jen and Jess went on a Spring section hike on the Appalachian Trail in Shenandoah National Park with their friend Ziplock.

In this episode we cover each day in the park. We discuss hiking amongst the wildflowers, camping at the huts/shelters/campgrounds and resupply advice. We cover shuttles, meeting thru hikers on trail and some of their favorite views and moments together.

The waysides are a big part of the AT experience in Shenandoah. Jess highly recommends the Shenandoah turkey gobbler sandwich at the Big Meadows wayside and I can't help but recommend getting one of the famous blackberry shakes. If you find yourself hiking in Shenandoah National Park, give me a shout and I'll treat you to one.

Follow Jen:

@Jennythetrailhead & @trashcantableclub (Disney/Universal)

Follow Jess:

@pagecats

Support the show

Connect with Hike:
Instagram: @thehikepodcast @shenandoahexplorer
Facebook: @thehikepodcast
Email: hikepodcast@gmail.com

Tomcat shares three shorter thru-hikes that you can do in about 2 or 3 weeks. We chat about the Ouachita, Benton MacKaye and Allegheny Trails.

He goes over trail logistics, camp sites and set up, gear, resupply options, water carries, trail angels and trail magic and favorite parts of each thru-hike.

Listeners can find out more about these trails and more by visiting Tomcat's blog and Facebook page

You can also check out our episode on The Colorado Trail here and our interview about completing the Northeast 115 here.

Trail Info/Trail Associations:

Ouachita Trail

Benton MacKaye Trail

Allegheny Trail

Support the show

Connect with Hike:
Instagram: @thehikepodcast @shenandoahexplorer
Facebook: @thehikepodcast
Email: hikepodcast@gmail.com