In Podcast #24 two of the Trekkers (Frank & Dave) take you to St. Mary’s Falls in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Find out how a little thing like water can make BIG changes in rocks and mountains through weathering and erosion; see exactly why the Blue Ridge mountains are said to be the source of many rivers; learn how log bridges are made naturally by soil erosion, enjoy one of the major industries of the Blue Ridge Mountains--recreation, and finally, see how gravity causes water to flow downhill...and even has an effect on the Trekkers as we go cliff jumping.  Come on, let's go trekkin'! (Trouble viewing the YouTube video? Try Vimeo or direct link)

Vesuvius, Virginia, the closest town to St. Mary’s Falls, gets its name from Mount Vesuvius, the volcano in Italy that destroyed the Roman town of Pompeii in 79 AD.  The town in Virginia actually began with the Vesuvius Iron Furnace in 1828.  It was named after the famous volcano because of the heat which was required to turn raw iron ore into iron.  The iron ore was mined from the Mary Creek Mine that Frank mentioned in our podcast.  After it was heated in the furnace and turned into cast iron pigs, it was transported to Richmond by horse and wagon.  Some of it probably ended up at Tredegar Iron Works, which we visited in Podcast #2! (AI-generated image using Pixlr and the prompt: "a volcano erupting in the distance, at night, with an ancient Roman town in the foreground, photo realistic”).


This is a Google map showing the flow of water from St. Mary's Falls all the way to the Atlantic Ocean.

Use the +/- buttons in the bottom right to zoom in to where we hiked (look for the colored markers).



Here is a 360 view of St. Mary's Falls. Click and drag to look around!



This is a 3-D model of St. Mary's Falls.  You can zoom in and spin it around.

The trailhead is marked with the hiker, and the falls is marked with the red pin.

Created with 3-D Mapper.


Social Studies

VS.2 (2015) The student will demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between physical geography and the lives of the native peoples, past and present, of Virginia by

b) locating and describing Virginia’s Coastal Plain (Tidewater), Piedmont, Blue Ridge Mountains, Valley and Ridge, and Appalachian Plateau;


VS.1 (2023) The student will apply history and social science skills to explain the relationship between physical geography and the lives of Virginia’s peoples, past and present by

b. locating and describing the relative location and physical characteristics of Virginia's five geographic regions on a map; and

c. locating, identifying, and describing the impact of Virginia’s bodies of water on its history, economy, and culture.


Science

K.4 The student will investigate and understand that water is important in our daily lives and has properties. Key ideas include

a) water has many uses;

b) water can be found in many places;

c) water occurs in different phases; and

d) water flows downhill.


4.8 The student will investigate and understand that Virginia has important natural resources. Key resources include

a) watersheds and water;

b) plants and animals;

c) minerals, rocks, and ores; and

d) forests, soil, and land.


5.8 The student will investigate and understand that Earth constantly changes. Key ideas include

d) processes such as weathering, erosion, and deposition change the surface of the Earth;