“Get ready,” Andy told me as I sat in my pajamas on the sofa. It was 4:30 p.m. on a Thursday. My plans were as I appeared: to relax in my sleepwear after a long day at work. He, however, thought differently. “When I get back from walking the cat, we are going on a hike.”
“But I already changed.” My mind was made up to not do anything. Mainly anything strenuous. “And I’m exhausted.”
“L. Be ready when I come back or I’m hiking without you” and the door closed. I huffed then looked out the window. The sun was setting, and I had been pleading with him for months to hike a sunset trail. Plus, I rationalized, one thought was definite: Andy was not going on a hike without me.
“Fine,” I told him, though he was gone so I walked towards our bedroom to change.
Being that it was a Thursday, we didn’t have hours to drive to the mountains to find our sunset walk. However, we had saved this urban James River hike for a quick weekday venture. Here’s more on this Belle Isle trail:
- Almost six-mile circuit
- Fifty-five-foot elevation gain
- One of Five difficulty rating
As we did before when we hiked the James River, we decided to add additional miles by walking up a portion of the Riverfront Canal to Brown’s Island then crossing onto Belle Isle. This added five-point-four miles.
Starting around the same place as before, we walked parallel to the canal and under the train tracks.
Knowing the river was even higher than when we walked before, we knew the pipeline would be uncrossable so we opted to head past the areas with murals instead.
Soon, we arrived to Brown’s Island . . .
where the sun dripped lower with burning bright orange rays.
Racing towards the sun as it dropped behind the trees, we made it to the suspension bridge as pinks, purples, oranges, and yellows burst into the sky.
Meanwhile, the city’s lights turned on, appearing more as fireflies near the buildings.
But we were greedy, striding towards the sun to absorb its final, fading rays.
Belle Isle is known for many reasons. It is 54 acres and is the largest island on the James River. Here, people enjoy the park by hiking its trails and swimming, canoeing, kayaking, paddle boarding, and white water rafting in its waters. The island offers more than this though — It found its way onto the National Register of Historic Places in 1995 due to being one of the most historic sites in Richmond. Here’s more on the history . . .
Virginian Indians once called this area home until explorers arrived. This happened in 1607 when the first explorer was Captain John Smith. Then in 1676, William Byrd II purchased the islands and called it “the broad rock island.” While Byrd is important because he would become Richmond’s founder, he sold Belle Isle in 1776, which allowed it to become one of the city’s first industrial centers. There, a nail factor came in 1814 then a full-scale ironworks.
Looking at the ironworks, an iron milling factory and an iron foundry set up here, producing thick armor plating for protection and cannons for weapons. In fact, more than half of the cannon used by the Confederate army were cast in Richmond.
Most interestingly, Belle Isle once was a crowded Civil War prison camp — and not just a prison camp but one of the most notorious in the South. Signs tell of how few people were able to escape. Instead, many perished: About 1,000 Union soldiers died due to starvation, disease, and infection. Today, what is left are the remains of Confederate gun structures.
Along with this, it has a granite quarry pit. The pit is 19-feet deep and home to sunfish, catfish, and bass, along with turtles such as the yellow bellied River Cooters. However, in the 19th and 20th centuries, this site is where prison workers cut and hoisted granite blocks from the pit . . . that is until the workers accidentally hit an area of rock that cracked in two places and caused river water to continuously flood in. After that, the quarry pit was abandoned and instead became a quarry pond.
The edge of the river, though, is where we dipped at every change to catch the vibrant rays.
The approaching darkness allowed us to play with the contrast of light.
Soon, seconds after this picture was taken, the area was black and Andy and I were left in darkness. Walking hand-in-hand and wishing we had headlamps for our hike back, the outing left me desiring. It feel short, too quick — like the setting sun, which burst in color then sank into the water. Andy and I were walking quickly, rounding the bend in the Belle Isle trail so that the city lights of Richmond — this powerful, building city — slowly rose from the ground, from the water. The moment felt powerful, welcoming, safe.
As we crossed the suspension bridge, leaving Belle Isle, Andy’s face came into view — illuminated, warm, and happy. I squeezed his hand, and he turned to me and smiled then we continued on our path home.
Hi Bezzy. Another excellent Blog ! And the photography really backs up the story ! Best wishes, Midad xx