Let’s make it a year of discovery

Richmond's wildest 100 acres are bounded on two sides by busy highways. Shopping centers encroach from the other two sides. All around this urban oasis, hustle meets bustle, and thousands of people pass by each day without any knowledge of what sits behind the forest edge.

A couple of miles of trails wind through the miniature wilderness, but on a recent trip, my wife, my dogs and I decided to forgo the path - though it is hardly well-trod - in favor of a little bushwhacking. I wanted to show her something I'd found on an earlier outing.

We followed a small creek to start. It was a cold day - never above freezing - and the creek's muddy banks yielded frozen deer tracks but no human shoe prints.

It was just a small stream, but soon we were in a tiny gorge with steep banks and small waterfalls. As we neared the park's center, the din of traffic died.

I scanned the forest, looking for signposts that would lead back to my discovery. There was one: The huge downed tree next to the trail. That led to the steep hillside covered in leaves. It was impossible to go down without slipping and sliding. We were getting warmer.

I had hoped the dogs might smell their way back to my find, but they were off chasing other scents. Finally, I found it. A little hole in the side of the hill. A fox den. My wife was duly impressed.

It was then that I settled on the framework for my 2009 monthly column series. In 2008, I visited a different Virginia state park every month and reported back with what I saw and learned. I got such a great response from readers that I wanted to do something similar again.

In the interest of variety, state parks are out this year, though I have unfinished business to attend to and write about at New River Trail and Occoneechee. Instead, I figured, with the economy in its current state, why not stay a little closer to home and save a tank or two of gas (Natural Tunnel SP was a 750-mile round trip).

The fox den got me thinking of the wild places, wild moments and wild adventures available to intrepid urban and suburban explorers in the area. That there are places in the city where a person can watch a fox pup emerge from its den in May while cars and trucks whiz by less than a mile away - and to feel so secluded doing it! - is something that never ceases to amaze me about Richmond.

So the challenge is simple, and, like last year, I'll need your help. Each month, I'll explore a different wilderness oasis in or near the city of Richmond and try to highlight the beauty and recreational possibilities that exist in these places often overlooked.

What makes Williams Island unique? Is it possible that a rumored population of bobwhite quail still lives in Bryan Park? What's the only body of water in Richmond stocked with brown and rainbow trout? And what's the best way to catch them? Which little-known city park is a mountain bikers Shangri-La? Where can you noodle for catfish in the James River?

Those are just a few off the top of my head. I'm sure you have others. If so, I'd love to hear about them. E-mail me at .

They don't have to be restricted to the city limits, but they should be in this general area. I'll announce the picks in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, keep your eyes open and let me know if you think your hidden wilderness or favorite recreation spot deserves a wider following.
Contact Andy Thompson at (804) 649-6579 or .

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