Thanks to my spin class, I was able to track my distance to the small town of Lexington, VA. With my knee feeling better, hopefully I’ll cover more ground than 145 miles.

Thanks to my limited workouts, I worried that I wouldn’t be able to log enough miles to get out of the DC area in my virtual walk to Denver challenge. Turns out I have a lot more miles than I thought. During January and February, I’ve biked and walked (along with some crawling and hopping) 145.6 miles. Not too shabby for someone with a messed up knee.

I still have 2 days left in February and I’m planning to cycle on both days and do one more short walk. That should add another 20+ miles to my journey. Plus, I hope to get the all clear from my doctor next week to start longer walks and, dare I write, begin my 5K training. Well, one can hope.

Mileage Breakdown

Lower Crabtree Falls. Image courtesy of Virginia Trail Guide.

So where am I?
First, a disclaimer: I didn’t start from downtown DC (no matter what the map says). I live about 25-30 miles outside of downtown DC.  I’m actually starting from my front door. Since I’m linking to the map, I’m not plugging my real address into the map.  Kapish?

So, I’m currently/virtually just outside a small college town the Smithsonian Magazine named one of the Top 20 Best Small Towns to Visit – Lexington, VA.

Lexington is home to Washington and Lee University and the Virginia Military Institute. The downtown area has been beautifully restored and looks much like it did in 1800.  Located in the gorgeous Shenandoah Valley in west-central Virginia, it’s surrounded by 78,000 acres of national and state parkland and local vineyards. A perfect place for any outdoor enthusiasts, you’ll find plenty of areas to fly fish, mountain-bike and ride horses.

Backpackers will love the excellent hiking trails in the nearby hills and mountains, like the awesome 3-mile hike up Crabtree Falls, a series of cascades tumbling 1,200 feet down the mountain (the highest waterfall in Virginia). In fact I think I’ll give the hike a shot this summer.

If being close to water is more your thing, the Maury River, which runs through Lexington, offers great opportunities for canoeing, kayaking and white-water rafting.

As you can imagine, it’s also a great place for you Civil War buffs (a.k.a, The Northern War of Aggression – hey this is Virginia folks!). It’s the home of Stonewall Jackson (whose house you can visit). Robert E. Lee, commander of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and president of Washington College, is buried here along with his horse. During a tour of VMI, you’ll can learn about how, in 1864, cadets from VMI marched 80+ miles north to lead a victorious charge at the Battle of New Market. Of course, a month, later the Union bombarded Lexington and burned down VMI. The rest, they say, is history.

Where Am I Headed?
With any luck, I’ll be near Kentucky’s Daniel Boon National Forest by the end of March. My knee is the key. Fingers crossed.