I discovered Ramsey's Draft while on a short fly-fishing trip as a kid. The draft is one of the few (mostly) undisturbed native brook trout streams remaining in Virginia and is pretty far from civilization. After spending most of a day walking miles upstream and not catching anything, my Dad and I came face to face with my first timber rattlesnake. In fact, it would have been foot to face if the rattler hadn't given me a sharp warning. Afterward, we watched it move off the trail and go on its way. That event is one of the two responsible for setting me on my career path.

I've been back to the draft several times since. Pictured is one place where the flooding river scoured a barren rockpile around '96. Before the brush began to regrow, the fallen trees provided excellent shade for local rattlesnakes. I saw three or four in as many trips over the years until the brush grew tall enough to shade out the entire shoreline.

This is the kind of place where you can completely lose yourself to the wild. I miss it.