Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 15

THE GOOD WALK
WHEN YOU
GO
THE WALK: A 6.6-mile hike for mountain and lake views,
a one-mile downtown exploration, and a two-mile roundtrip
greenway stroll.
GETTING THERE: Hungry Mother State Park is reached
from I-81 Exit 47 near Marion. Drive south on US 11 for 1.3
miles, turn right onto VA 16 and continue another 4.0 miles
into the park. The downtown exploration is along Marion's
Main Street, and the Riverwalk Trail is reached via North
Church Street from downtown.
MORE INFORMATION: " 50 Hikes in Southern Virginia "
features a detailed description of the state park hike; marionva.org
presents information about town attractions; and
hikingproject.com has a Riverwalk Trail map.
FROM FAR LEFT: " The Song of the Mountains " mural is in downtown
Marion; the Middle Fork of the Hoston River is a good fishing spot; the
Lincoln Theater is graced with elegant murals.
Appalachians!). The outing's remaining few miles followed
a meandering route along Hungry Mother Lake.
It's renowned for its abundance of bass, catfish, carp and
other aquatic species, so I was surprised when I asked an
angler drifting close to shore in his boat if he was having
any luck and he replied, " Yeah, bad luck; haven't got a
nibble yet. "
Good walk #2 was a combined history and shopping
tour of about one mile on downtown Marion's Main
Street. Interspersed with looking at the wares in Hester's
Country Store (handcrafted jewelry and barrels of oldtime
candy) and admiring the locally-produced pottery
and the delectable craftsmanship of the baked goods in
Sisters Café and Gifts, were visits to the Smyth County
Museum and a tour of the Lincoln Theater.
I am familiar with the theater from " Song of the
Mountains " broadcasts on PBS, but had no idea how
spectacular the building is. Opened in 1929, its interior
was designed to have patrons feel as if they had entered
a grand Mayan temple. However, the most outstanding
features are the six impressive murals by local artist
Lola Poston portraying scenes of early American history.
" Song of the Mountains " host Tim White has kept the
tradition alive by painting an outdoors mural depicting
the town's musical heritage across from the theater.
(White also created the musical heritage mural in Bristol,
Tennessee.)
The history lesson continued when we checked into
General Francis Marion Hotel. Although it has been renovated
with modern amenities, the entire hotel, from
the lobby's check-in desk to furnishings in the room,
harkens back to when it was built in the 1920s.
After a delightful dinner (prime rib for me and chilirubbed
wahoo for Laurie) at Waterlilly adjacent to the
hotel lobby, good walk #3 was an easy evening stroll on
the Riverwalk Trail. Just a two-minute drive from the
hotel, the one-mile greenway parallels the Middle Fork
Holston River through forest and field. The fisherman
we met on this walk was all smiles-he had caught his
limit of trout.
Three Good Walks in just one day. Thank you, Marion,
Virginia.
Find out more about Leonard's walking and hiking adventures
at habitualhiker.com.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 15
http://www.onva.org http://www.hikingproject.com http://www.habitualhiker.com
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021

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