your hiking company

a woman veteran-owned adventure guide business

From First Landing to Master Hiker: My Virginia Trail Quest Journey

From First Landing to Master Hiker: My Virginia Trail Quest Journey

 

Over the past 11 months, I’ve hiked, wandered, and sometimes stumbled my way through Virginia’s wilderness as part of the Virginia State Parks Trail Quest. What started as a way to explore more of my new state turned into a journey of transformation. I began at First Landing State Park, and 11 months later, I stood at False Cape State Park receiving my Master Hiker recognition. Somewhere in between, I found myself not just discovering new trails but also new directions in my life.

 

The Trail Quest encourages hikers to visit all 40 of the Virginia State Parks, unlocking milestones along the way. For me, each park was more than a pin on the map. Each one told a story, asked me to slow down, and offered lessons in wildness, resilience, and connection.

 

 

First Landing State Park: Where It All Began

First Landing State Park is Virginia’s first state park and felt like the perfect place to start—where history and nature meet. It’s Virginia’s most-visited state park and the site where English colonists first landed in 1607. The park protects more than 2,800 acres of tidal marshes, maritime forests, and cypress swamps. Hiking the Bald Cypress Trail, with its knobby knees rising from the water, I felt transported into a prehistoric landscape. I live a few hours north from here and was surprised at the drastic transformation that happens in Virginia between NOVA (northern Virginia) and the south. The mix of coastal breezes, Spanish moss, and salt air made me realize how much diversity Virginia’s parks hold. 




Grayson Highlands State Park: Magic in the Mountains

If there’s one park that still makes me smile when I think about it, it’s Grayson Highlands State Park. Located near Mount Rogers, Virginia’s tallest peak, the park is known for its panoramic mountain views that feel more like the Scottish Highlands than Appalachia. Of course, the true stars are the wild ponies. They wander the balds freely, grazing on the highland grasses and often curiously approaching hikers. I’ll never forget turning the corner of the rhododendron covered trail, wind whipping around me, and seeing the ponies silhouetted against the sky—it was pure magic. Beyond the ponies, Grayson Highlands also offers some of the best hiking in the state, with access to both the Appalachian Trail and the Virginia Highlands Horse Trail.

 

Natural Tunnel State Park: Beneath the Surface

Natural Tunnel State Park was unlike anything else on the quest. The centerpiece is the massive limestone tunnel—over 850 feet long and 10 stories tall—carved by Stock Creek over thousands of years. So impressive is this natural wonder that William Jennings Bryan once called it the “Eighth Wonder of the World.” While most visitors take the chairlift down to see the tunnel or walk its scenic trails, I was drawn underground for wild caving. Crawling and squeezing through dark, muddy passages, guided only by headlamps, I felt a thrill that was equal parts adventure and discovery.

That day underground turned into something even bigger. A friend and I made a pact while deep inside the earth: we should also experience the sky together. We kept our promise at Skydive Orange in Virginia. Standing on the edge of a plane at 13,500 feet, hearts pounding, we leapt into open air. The rush of freefall, the sudden silence when the parachute opened, and the wide expanse of Virginia farmland below made it one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life. To share both extremes—crawling beneath the earth and soaring above it—with the same friend tied these adventures together in a way that felt poetic.

 

 

Skydive Orange, located in Orange, VA, is one of the largest skydiving centers on the East Coast, known for its professional instructors and breathtaking views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Whether you’re a first-time jumper or working toward your solo license, it’s the kind of place that makes leaping from a plane feel not just safe, but life-affirming.


False Cape State Park: A Remote Finish

By the time I reached False Cape State Park, I had logged countless miles and carried with me memories of every park in between. False Cape is one of the last truly wild places on Virginia’s Atlantic coast. Accessible only by foot, bike, or boat, it’s six miles of barrier beach nestled between Back Bay and the ocean. I was so lucky to be able to have some friends join me for the backpack trip to the park during the heat of August. We were all so lucky that we ended up with incredible weather. Wildlife was everywhere—deer darting through the dunes, migrating birds overhead, and plenty of evidence that there were fox in the area. The remoteness makes every step feel intentional. When I stood there for the Master Hiker ceremony, the sound of the waves crashing nearby, I knew I had ended in the most fitting place possible: a place where the wild still rules.





 

Along the way, I made a truly incredible friend—trail name Flik, inspired by the determined little ant from A Bug’s Life. Together, we logged hundreds of miles, swapping stories, laughter, and encouragement through every kind of terrain Virginia had to offer. Crossing the finish line side by side and earning our Master Hiker recognition together made the accomplishment even sweeter. The miles mattered, but the companionship mattered more. 

Life on the Trail, Life Beyond the Trail

While I was hiking my way through Virginia’s state parks, my own life was undergoing big changes too. 

I left my career in marketing and returned to teaching—a move that felt like coming home. 

I deepened my yoga journey by earning my RYT-500 certification, and I even launched this business!

The Trail Quest became a mirror of sorts: as I explored new landscapes, I was also charting new paths for myself.




The True Reward

Looking back, completing the Trail Quest and earning the Master Hiker title has been an incredible way to experience Virginia’s wilderness during my first year here. But more than the miles, more than the views, more than the ponies or the dunes, the greatest gift has been the relationships I formed along the way. Hiking partners, fellow adventurers, friends met on the trail or in ceremony—they’re the ones who turned this from a challenge into a life-changing experience.

 

The trails gave me Virginia. 

The journey gave me myself. 

But the people gave me something even more lasting: community.

✨ Resources for Your Own Adventure