Spring has finally sprung here in Central Virginia - almost. The air is warming, trees are beginning to turn green, flowers are adorning just about everything you see in this leafy region. Still it was on the chilly side this morning. We were, nevertheless, determined to head a bit farther afield than our usual trip to local Ivy Creek Natural Area and seek out a little family adventure in the mountains just to our west.

We packed the family into the rig and traveled the barely twenty five minutes it takes to get from Charlottesville to the crossroads on Afton Mountain where one can turn south at mile marker zero onto the Blue Ridge Parkway or north up Skyline Drive into the Shenandoah National Park. Having a choice like this so close to home is just one of the many reasons Charlottesville is regularly listed in the top ten best places to live - so close to world-class outdoor destinations makes this hilly little region of horse farms and wineries a real choice piece of real estate.

Southward we turned onto the Blue Ridge Parkway and traveled just beyond mile-marker five to a mostly empty parking area at the trailhead for Humpback Gap Overlook. It'll be at least a forty minute hike up the trail to Humpback Rocks. And when I say up the trail, I mean, the trail climbs somewhere around 1,000 vertical feet in eight-tenths of a mile. It's a steep little hike that isn't for the faint of heart. But the reward at the other end is spectacular 360-degree views from atop some of the oldest mountains in the world. To the west is the Shenandoah Valley, to the east are the rolling hills of Virginia's piedmont, and north and south rest the ridgelines of the Blue Ridge.

We did something that we've never had the opportunity to do before when visiting this trail - we brought our two young and relatively new trail companions, four-and-a-half year old Errett and two-and-a half year old Ethan. Traveler, our border collie/lab mix, came along as she's done plenty of times in the past, and as soon as the car door opened she handed us a see-you-at-the-top nod and off she went.

We honestly didn't believe we'd actually make it to the top this time around, what with our little ones in tow, so we left our expectations on the table and simply wandered upward as far as the boys would allow. But as soon as we started the trek, both of the E's were off and running... resting, running, climbing, looking, and generally goofing their way up the trail. Nevertheless, it wasn't long before Ethan, the youngest of the two, learned that it was a lot easier going up this mountain in daddy's arm than on his own two feet. And so the trip went.

Upward we climbed, over rocks, up some stairs, through some trees, past a few trickling waterfalls and always with our eyes on the massive greenstone outcrop above. The upward effort had us all shedding layers, but at last we summited with both kids and dog in tow. The cool spring breeze blowing atop the ridge felt great and we stayed long enough to look far below to see little cars winding their way along the Parkway and to follow a hawk as it spiraled upward on a thermal into the late morning sky.

Ethan, our littlest, learned quickly while going up this trail that it's a lot easier to be carried. And that's where he insisted he stay much of the way back down. Anyone who has ever descended a fairly steep trail for at least a mile knows what I mean when I say, aching knees and jammed toes. Thanks to my thirty-pound arm weight, the pleasantry of smashing knees and toe jams was amplified accordingly.

Once at the car, we all enjoyed a quick snack before piling back into our seats for a the short drive to world-famous Crozet Pizza. Written about in just about every regional guidebook and visited by most travel writers within a 200-mile radius, Crozet Pizza is a local institution worthy of visits by such notables as Mohammad Ali, Sissy Spacek, Dave Mathews, Howie Long, and us. So in we went, found a seat in booth #5, and ordered a large cheese pizza to fill our hungry bellies.

A great day outdoors and a perfect introduction for the boys to the wonders of the mountains and the rewards of hard work.

Check out my spotted gallery for more photos of our hike to Humpback Rock.