Imagine a hot summer day. A man is running along this roadway. A thunderous storm began to darken the sky and drops were getting larger. Only a short distance back to his truck. Suddenly, every hair on his body literally stood straight up. his skin began to tingle and knowing what was about to occur he sped into a sprint. Only a second or two passed when a thunderous clap of a lightning strike could be felt and heard. The tree, just 30 feet behind him burst into a flaming torch and it blew the whole tree-top up and away to land another 20 feet in front of him. It actually smelled like burning wood. That man was I. Will Ketchum
We now call it "The Lightning Tree" This hair-raising event occurred around 1980. For over ten years the broken, burnt tree cracked and fell in apparent death. However, nature has a way with the Phoenix. From somewhere within, a small sprout pushed it's way up, growing from of the thought to be dead stump. Today what you see is the base of the original tree with the new tree maturing from the little sprout.
~~~Park At The Gate - But Don't Block It~~~ Note: This cache location has been approved by Virginia State Park Authorities.