![]() It goes without saying that Angel's Rest makes a fine spot to enjoy lunch. Get ready to enjoy the excellent views of the Columbia Gorge you've earned. As you traverse along the spur there's just one small scramble section between you and the edge of the outcropping. Looking straight ahead will reveal the long line of tall cliffs that make up Angel's Rest. Make sure to investigate the views behind you before moving on.Ī final switchback brings the trail to the junction with the Viewpoint Spur. Just past the switchbacks is a boulder field traverse that lets you know your close to the top of the run. Ahead you'll soon reach Coopey Falls as it musically cascades over 150'.Ĭontinuing on, the trail begins to moderately steepen as it heads towards a series of tightly clustered switchbacks. This viewpoint leads into a section of close growing vegetation that creates the pleasant impression of a tunnel during the growing months. The trail is full of interesting points, like a rocky section that provides a great view of the river as it cuts across a beautiful mossy slope. The broad path soon narrows to easily manageable singletrack with a little rock mixed in. As the story continues, we learn just exactly what happened in the town's past that bound all of these characters together.The Angel's Rest Trail starts gradually through a lush forest that is dotted with wildflowers in the spring and glows with the changing color of leaves in the fall. One day, his mother is arrested for killing his father and Charlie is left in the care of Lacy Albert Coe, who is an old black man who not only cares for him but tells Charlie stories that he hopes will help the boy figure out who to be and how to live his life-to sing his own song. He is reclusive and despite their trying to steer clear of him, the boys encounter him more than once. The one barrier is the scary Korean War veteran, Hollis Thrasher, who lives on Angel's Peak. He and his friends form a small scout troop and spend lots of time exploring Angel's Peak, which rises above their small town. Charlie York is an 11 year old boy who loves the outdoors. This story, which starts in Virginia's Allegheny Mountains is no exception. Charlie loves both of his parents and his grandparents - yet his grandfather is a racist and a bigot and this confuses the young Charlie.Ī really good story with strong and likeable characters.įor some reason I love stories that take place in small towns up in the mountains. The author is very convincing in showing the rollercoaster of emotions that Charlie has to deal with. When Charlie's mother is arrested and held in the local jail, he is cared for by Lacy - a black man who was a friend of Charlie's father, yet has been the victim of racial hate in the town. This is a convincing picture of Charlie's love for both of his parents and how he struggles to make sense of what is happening to his family. Charlie was present at the time but cannot remember the details - his mother is arrested for the murder. His father was shot dead in the family home. His life has fallen apart after the death of his father. Set in the late 60s in Virginia, USA - the story revolves around 11 year old Charlie York. This debut novel contains themes of loss, grief, racial prejudice and powerful love. ![]() ![]() This is a first novel which may explain some of the rough edges but I note he has written nothing else since this was published in 2006. I liked the actual "story" I was being told once I could see clearly (and this happened long before the storyteller realised the events) and it was obvious that the setting could have been anywhere as the race relations card was of no real importance whatsoever, it just contributed to the "filler". Given that this was a story of realisation, perhaps the author intended to make the nuts and bolts hazy and to make you wonder where this was all going. Perhaps I needed a better sense of the years when the story happened or even how the major characters ended up linked to each other before the book was almost over. Perhaps I wanted more background on why this area seemed to be such a backwater when it came to race relations. At times, you feel like a waterbug, skittering over the best part of the story that, in places, seems deeply submerged. Perhaps this was intended as the story was written from the point of view of an 11 year old boy but I have read other books with a young storyteller that didn't seem so jerky and/or unexplainable. I liked this book but sometimes it felt like there was just too much "filler".parts of the story that meandered off to nowhere and just never really returned portions of the story that were veiled until it really didn't matter anymore as you had already figured out what had really happened and the character was no longer important to the story line. ![]()
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