Announcing the Blue Ridge Battle Buddies (BRBB) Hiking Club - The Geographical Oddity.

In searching for a BB group to join I've found myself 1.5 hours from every group established so I've decided to form the BRBB.

The BRBB area of reach I believe is Franklin, Roanoke, Eastern Floyd, Patrick, Henry, Western Pittsylvania, and possibly SW Bedford Counties (essentially the Roanoke/Smith Mountain Lake Area/south).

Obviously, our neighbors, the Appalachian BB's, the Lynchburg BB's, and the Triad(NC) BB's will pull from potentially some of the same areas, but for individuals like me, whose schedule is sometimes restricted, BRBB may provide an opportunity with less travel time.  I also hope that we can work in conjunction with our neighbors to familiarize ourselves with each other, our areas, and provide support for our fellow BB's.

One of the more challenging tasks in SWVA is finding terrain that can be rucked, with weight, that falls in line with the distance and time criteria.  The Roanoke Greenway is certainly a possibility for this as is Waid Park in FC.  Other possibilities may include Carvin's Cove, BR Parkway Trails (Smart View), Roanoke Mountain, and the D&W Trail in Henry Co, etc.

If interested just respond to the post or message me.  I already have interest from several people outside of ARF so let's get this going.

BigD18

@StarCityShooter
@Nmbmxer

Awesome, thanks for doing this! Like you stated, and I had posted in some of the other threads, some of the commuting to participate wouldve been tough with work/life schedules

Given the shape Im in currently, I guess Id be the First Aid dummy to practice on

I understand.  I'm still recovering from leg/foot surgery so it may take a while to get back into shape.  Do you know anything about the Hanging Rock Trail or any of the Carvin's Cove trails?

Nope, cant say that I do. Never been a hiker or into trails, so Im clueless in that regard.

I went on a hike with a girl once (think it was Crabtree Falls?) and it killed me. Only thing kept me going was she was wearing volley ball shorts and a tank top

I dont think the BRBB would be as enticing to look at

Three is a party...any more is gravy. Get some gents.

Also, please consider joining us for the Manassas battlefield hike on 29 Feb.

I'm down. I'm currently planning to go on the swvabb hike this Sunday.

Going to need a little more time to get in shape to be able to hang with you guys

Potential meetup/provisional hike this weekend 2/23 at Mill Mountain in Roanoke Co.  It looks to be about a 3.5-4 mile hike.  Let me know who is interested

I think the rec trail at Greenfield in Daleville would make for good qualification hikes -- please note the proximity to an elementary school! Trail is flat / gravel with several loops that would work for 3-6+ miles.

https://botetourtva.gov/recreation/documents/facil_gf_park.pdf

I want to go to the Manassas hike the following weekend and have little desire to do a hilly 6mi ruck this weekend, I could be convinced to go with out weight if anyone needs a 3rd witness for a provisional or 3rd class ruck. If it's flat I'd be more easily convinced to actually ruck ;)

That looks like a possibility.  I think maybe Greenfield, Roanoke Greenway, and Waid Park, near Rocky Mount may be the options until we can determine if allowances are being made for trial conditions (rocky, etc.) or elevation gain.

Glad to see this get going.

@rat_6 You local?

I am not local. I am in the CVBB AO.

I’m just glad to see a group starting up in your vicinity. Being able to get like minded folks together to have fun and do things has been a huge motivator for me.

Best of luck getting going. Let us know if and how we can help.

Good deal.  I'm hoping to work with the App BB's, Lynchburg BB, and the Triad BB for some combined hikes to familiarize everyone with their neighbors AO.

My curiosity is piqued.

@ewmccraw

Are you local to us? Send me a IM with your info.

The BRBB has failed to make a quorum offline. If you want to hike Sunday, please IM me or someone else in this thread  I'd hate to have someone show up alone.

I'd like to regroup and plan for a BRBB hike on Sunday (3/15) on the Roanoke Greenway starting from 13th street (at the Bennington Trailhead) and going to the bridge crossing over the Roanoke River just past Smith Park.  My estimate is that should put us slightly over 6.5 miles.  Let me know if you can make it.

@Nmbmxer
@StarCityShooter
@Amwallace78
@ewmccraw

Roanoke Greenway Map

Sounds good to me.

For those that have been asking about the BB website: https://americanpioneercorps.org/

Bump for 3/15 hike. Let's get a quorum this time!

Reach out offline. Find people local. Gun shops, outdoors stores, gyms, bars...

@Nmbmxer

I'm in still.  I had 2 funerals last week and a busy week of work/life this week.  Sorry for the slow response.