Alvarado to Holston

My friends Jeremy and Sara were in town from Texas and wanted to see the trail. I took them down to Alvarado and we walked to the trestle over the Holston Lake. It was about 55 degrees and sunny. We took our time and enjoyed spotting some birds and listening to the river as it swept by along that part of the trail.

Being winter, the water level was way down so it looked much different with the exposed banks than the last time I was there this fall. The Middle and South forks of the Holston have their confluence at the trestle (the longest one on the VCT) and it's beautiful to look down on the swirling water. The Middle Fork carries much more sediment than the South Fork which comes from the mountains and doesn't pass through as much farmland and other developed land as the Middle Fork. Looking down, the "dirty" water and the clear mixed together and what started as a clear line dividing the two was quickly swirled into one.

We had a great time just sitting in the sun and talking for a while. Only one other person passed during our entire time on the trail. He had a garden-type tool and was going "plug hunting" down on the exposed banks (fishing plugs). He said he gathered several hundred last year.

We ended up back at the general store (Old Alvarado Station) and I was surprised to learn that it is under new management. The couple that had bought it just a couple of years ago (maybe less?) has sold out and opened a new restaurant in Damascus. According to the lady at the counter, the new owner is a writer and has some connection to the movie "Capote". She's going to be at the Academy Awards this Sunday so I'm curious to learn who from Hollywood has a local connection to Alvarado.