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Virginia Highlands Horse Trail: A Hand-Drawn Map and Trail Friends

Published June 12, 2024

I, Bernie Harberts, did not use generative AI to write or illustrate this article. Spell check and grammar check, yes. AI, no.

Hey, I drew you a map of my first five days riding my mules Brick and Cracker up the Virginia Highlands Horse Trail.

Hand-drawn map by Long Rider Bernie Harberts of his first five days riding the Virginia Highlands Horse Trail with mules Brick and Cracker — A very rough map I sketched of my first five days riding the Virginia Highlands Horse Trail with my mules Brick and Cracker.

I sketched the map into Katie’s notebook. Her parents, RJ and Christina, invited me for supper while I was camped at Fox Creek Horse Camp. Here are some photos of our time together.

Long Rider Bernie Harberts pondering routes on the Virginia Highlands Horse Trail at Fox Creek Horse Camp — Pondering routes

Family portrait at Fox Creek Horse Camp on the Virginia Highlands Horse Trail, dog and baby stealing the show — Family portrait. It’s funny how a dog and a baby can steal the show. (Photo by Granny)

Granny at Fox Creek Horse Camp, born in Nebo, Virginia Highlands Horse Trail — Granny: she said, “I was born in Nebo. Have you ever heard of Nebo?” I said I thought I’d heard of it. It sounds like the kind of place everyone should have heard of.

Katie checking out Long Rider Bernie Harberts' hand-drawn trail map at Fox Creek Horse Camp on the Virginia Highlands Horse Trail — Katie checking out my map. I saw her writing a story in her journal about me and decided I’d draw a map of how I got from Elk Garden to Fox Creek, where we met.

Grand send-off from Fox Creek Horse Camp on the Virginia Highlands Horse Trail, mule Cracker packed with canvas water bucket — The grand send-off. Thanks for the bag of spaghetti, guys! I stowed it in my canvas water bucket (barely visible hanging at 9 o’clock of Cracker’s pack saddle).

Mules Cracker and Brick back on the Virginia Highlands Horse Trail between Fox Creek Camp and Hurricane Camp — Cracker and Brick back out on the Virginia Highlands Horse Trail (between Fox Camp and Hurricane Camp)

Read more posts from this ramble: Virginia Highlands Horse Trail — A Mule Ramble.

A few years earlier, my wife Julia and I rode a good stretch of the Virginia Highlands Horse Trail together, which became its own adventure. Julia documented that ramble on her blog Saddle Under the Stars and you can read those posts here:

More on our Virginia Highlands Horse Trail ramble.

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