Read Mountain Chronicles

🚶🏽‍♀️Trail Highlights: Cold Kids, Hiking Hustlers & Unexpected Concerts

Let’s break down the chaos:

• 🌲 The trail itself was beautiful—tall trees, crunchy leaves underfoot, little pockets of sunlight slicing through the canopy like a forest spotlight. If you paused to breathe (which we did, often), it really did feel magical.

• 🥶 Athen came unprepared. Again. This is tradition at this point. He will never bring the right number of layers. He will always look surprised that a mountain isn’t climate controlled. HE BOUGIE! but like the mama bear I am, I gave him my jacket.

• 🐣 The babies? MILITANT. These kids were locked in. Little boots stomping, backpacks bouncing, not a single complaint. Meanwhile, the adults were gasping for air and mentally drafting their wills.

• 💑 The lovebirds in the group drifted ahead early on, completely unbothered, whispering sweet nothings to each other—or possibly the trees. We love romance. We also love being left behind while the couple thrives in nature. 🙃 hehe...wink wink.

• 🎶 The howling began halfway up. Someone broke into song. We still don’t know if it was an actual attempt at music or just a cry for help. Let's just say we were disturbing nature.

And somewhere in the mix, we had hikers scrolling through their phones with headphones on like they were in their own personal forest playlist. Everyone was hiking their own hike—and that’s the WondaLove way. 😌

🏞️ Buzzards Rock: A View Worth the Wheeze

Nine out of ten of us made it to the top. One tapped out and stayed behind, wrapped in dignity and resting knees. We respected that decision deeply.

The rest of us pushed through what felt like a vertical final stretch, powered by spite, trail mix, and the promise of the view.

And then… there it was.

Buzzards Rock.
The sky opened. The valley spread wide. The clouds rolled lazily over layers of mountain ridges. We stood on a jagged outcrop like we were characters in a hiking documentary—dirty shoes, big smiles, and that sparkle in your eye that only comes from oxygen deprivation. And yet somehow it was peaceful.

We took the group photo of all group photos, sunlight beaming down through bare branches. We looked like a mash-up of a North Face ad and a chaotic family reunion.

Then—because no WondaLove hike is complete without a heart-stopping moment—Christian and Athen wandered dangerously close to the edge. Like, tip-your-toes-over-the-cliff-edge close. The rest of us screamed, froze, prayed, and yelled affirmations from a safe distance.

Let’s start at the beginning, shall we?

It was a cool, crisp Saturday afternoon—blue skies, puffy clouds, and a deceptive breeze that made us think this would be a pleasant little jaunt through the woods. Foreshadowing? Absolutely. 🌬️

I (Fay) met up with Toni and her family around 2 PM for a celebratory hike in honor of her birthday. 🎉 Toni and Josh had declared this would be a “light trail.” Her words, not mine. “Me and Josh did it yesterday, it’s really not that bad,” she said with the confidence of someone about to lead us into the valley of the shadow of sore calves.

Now, let’s talk logistics. Apparently, someone got lost trying to find their way to the trailhead. Turns out, the entrance to Read Mountain Preserve is tucked away so keep that in mind should you decide to try it out.

Pssssssst...As a Geographer, I am proud to say that I had no issue finding the place. Some people are just cartographically challenged...LOL. 🙄

🎂 Toni’s Birthday Hike… aka Betrayal in the Blue Ridge

Toni sold us dreams.

She and Josh lamented about how short and simple the trail was. Straightforward they said. Breezy even. And like fools—fools with snacks and zero elevation training—we believed her.

From the moment our boots hit dirt, the trail shot up like it had something to prove. No warm-up. No easing in. Just straight incline. The kind of incline that makes you reflect on every decision that led you to that moment. And like a slow roast your anger slowly building to the one you called friend. THE BETRAYALLLLL!

We weren’t even five minutes in before someone asked, “Is it just me or is this trail… rude?” 💀

Meanwhile, Toni and her sidekick Josh was somewhere ahead acting like we were all just being dramatic. They were pretending as if there weren't kids on the hike...I mean I'm a kid at heart. 

The Way Down… When the Babies Mutinied

You’d think going down would be easier. But no.

The adrenaline was gone. The sun was slipping. The toddlers? Absolutely done. One plopped down in the middle of the trail and refused to move like he was protesting gravity itself. The adults were too tired to argue. Honestly, we all wanted to join him.

Our knees were clicking like old floorboards. Every loose rock felt personal. We slipped, we cursed, we jest and annoyed each other. But finally—FINALLY—we hit the bottom.

And when we saw the cars? Sweet mercy. It felt like arriving at the Promised Land.

🧠 Life Lessons from Read Mountain

Don’t trust Toni when she says, “it’s not that bad.”
We love her. We celebrate her. But we will never—ever—trust her trail reviews again. If Toni says “breezy,” pack electrolytes. If she says “flat,” expect a vertical climb. That sweet birthday energy masked the betrayal we were walking into.

Always bring layers. Especially if you’re Athen.
We don't know why this continues to surprise him, but Athen stays showing up to hikes like he’s going to the beach. Every. Time. Read Mountain was no exception. The higher we got, the chillier it became, and there was Athen—shivering and layered in regret.

Never underestimate a toddler with a backpack.
While the adults were huffing, puffing, and bargaining with gravity, the toddlers were basically speed-walking legends. No complaints. No water breaks. Just pure, unbothered energy. We don’t know what snacks they had in those backpacks, but clearly, it was power fuel.

Buzzards Rock is worth the pain. Barely.
The view was unreal—sky for days, mountains stacked and if you have an appreciation for rock this is the hike for you. . But whew... getting there? That was a journey. Buzzards Rock is beautiful, but she makes you earn every inch of her glory.

Group hikes = cardio + comedy + chaos.
This wasn’t just a hike. It was a full-blown sitcom. Lost cars, forest concerts, romantic tree-whispering, and trail protests from tiny humans. Between the laughter, the mini meltdowns, and the unexpected joy of surviving it all together—we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Join Us on Our Next Adventure 🚀

Thank you for joining us on this delightful journey up Read Mountain. Stay tuned for more adventures as we continue to uncover the hidden treasures of Virginia, one step at a time. 👣

With love and mistrust, Fay and Toni,

Wondalove Sisters 💕