Category Archives: Hiking

First Day Hike_2019

January 6, 2019 Edgewise Wendy

First Day Hike 2019

We always take a hike on the first day of each year. It seems a good start towards optimism about appreciating earths beauty, taking charge of our health, spending time with friends and just plain getting out there. The couple that usually goes with us called before we left to meet them to tell us they were fighting the flu so we ended up going alone instead. We could have stayed home but instead decided to do a hike closer to home that the three of them had done without me over Thanksgiving, while I was away at my sister’s.

We drove about an hour south and west to Star Tannery, Virginia and then onto gravel route 609 to the ridge crest and a trailhead for the Tuscarora Trail. It runs along the West Virginia / Virginia line and we were the only ones parked. Grabbing my day pack and wearing a long sleeved shirt, vest, and fleece jacket with a wool hat, we headed North up the trail.

I had my rain jacket just in case since we have had nothing but rain the whole past year, a total of 68.31 inches. That is twice our normal. Clouds were scudding by, some dark, others wispy with spots of blue showing through. It was hard to tell what the day would bring.

It did not take long to start warming up, zippers going down, hat off occasionally. The woods were fairly clear of undergrowth and lots of loose sandstone rocks made the walking careful. A breeze was blowing from the southwest and the clouds were moving fast. After about 8 tenths of a mile we came to Eagle Nest Rocks and climbed out to get a clear view of the hills and valleys of Virginia. We could see a few houses scattered in the woods below but the trees were thick enough that we could not see the road in to them. It was quiet up there with just the sighing of the wind through the trees. Jeff thought we might turn around at this point but I voted him down. It was not even worth the drive to do a hike that short. You couldn’t even call it a hike really, even if it had been uphill most of the way so far.

We kept walking along the ridge, kind of level trending towards downhill for a couple of miles, and came to some cool rock outcroppings, laurels, and views to the West Virginia side. The light kept changing, lighting up the tree trunks close by but with a backdrop of very dark clouds. The east side of the rocks would block the wind and we munched on some granola bars and sipped our water in peace.

What is That Sound

After we had walked for another mile or so, I started to hear a high pitch, swooshing sound and was trying to locate the source. Some kind of telecommunications tower was over in some young pines and the support wires were singing in the wind. There was no path to get closer so we kept on going north. More rocks, more views, mostly just quiet, peaceful woods. It was in the high 40’s and a beautiful day.

As we walked on, I started hearing more singing in a different pitch, bigger and strange. We emerged from the woods into a cleared electric right of way with giant high tension power lines running through it. One tower was bigger than the others, catching the stress of a turn in the lines and it was humming and singing from more than one place in it’s humongous self. The trail passed under the towers so we kept walking, even though I really do not like to be near those things. We could hear stray electricity sparking through the air which always makes me want to grab a fluorescent light tube to see if you really can light one up from down below with just stray power. I have to try that someday.

According to our map there was a place called the Pinnacles up ahead that we had made our goal. Actually there were a couple places nearby with the same name which was odd. We walked through more woods and could see some rocks on the next ridge but the path turned away from them and kind of meandered around looking kind of boring. We turned around after we had gone further than it should have been, passing a USGS elevation marker and then going off trail towards the rocks we had seen.

The deer obviously thought it was a good hang out spot, with droppings and flattened plants all over, but the rocks were not all that impressive. I climbed to the top of one group and got a photo of some feldspar colored rock and lichens but it turned out to be not much of a view and we headed back towards the truck.

The walk in took us 3 hours, since we stopped to check out all the rocks and views, and the return trip took only 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Not the most exciting hike, but worth doing, and a great way to spend a beautiful day outside where it did not rain on us even once.

Click the links below for more hikes and maps and such. No strings attached.

https://www.alltrails.com/explore/us/virginia/star-tannery

https://www.hikingupward.com/GWNF/EagleRock/

-Wendy lee, writing at Edgewise Woods, Gardens and Critters

Hiking

Nelson County Virginia-Spy Rock/ Crabtree Falls Hike

November 15, 2017 Edgewise Wendy

While visiting friends recently in Nelson County Virginia, I drove up Rt 56 towards Montebello at night. It is a paved road, full of curves, and once past Tyro, it climbs all the way to the top of the mountain, crosses the Blue Ridge Parkway and winds back down the west side into Raphine. As I started the climb fog pressed in around me and the headlights did little to penetrate the soup. I took it slow and was glad I was one of the few on the road.

Montebello sits below the ridge on the East side of the ridge, and the fog stopped right there. It was clear the rest of the way up. I spent the evening visiting, sipping wine, and soaking in my friends hotub followed by a nice relaxing sleep.

In the morning I had time for a hike, and was steered towards the nearby Spy Rock Trail, which intersects with the Appalachian Trail , or AT on the ridge above, and south of, Crabtree Falls.

Note: August 2020. Spy Rock is currently only accessible by hiking in about 3 miles from the AT trailhead on Meadows Lane Road, off Route 56. Meadows Lane is a long, one lane access road and is known to be rough and narrow and not suitable for regular cars, or people without back road experience. It is not passable in bad weather.

For a longer hike and no treacherous driving, you can also park and hike in from the bottom of Crabtree Falls, which is strenuous, but cooler than most places on a hot day. The falls are gorgeous and there are many along the way.

It was beginning to look like a storm was blowing in from the southwest and I was hoping to not get drenched. Three sets of people passed by heading down. It was such a beautifully comfortable Fall day.

When I got to the rock outcropping there was a woman standing there looking perplexed. She asked me if I knew the way to the top of the rock and was hoping to find her husband up there. It was not difficult to find the trail off to the left around the base and she followed me up. She was worried it was going to get dark before they managed to get back to their car, They had walked in from the top of Crabtree Falls, parking in the Meadows up top and it had taken them more than 2 hours. I suggested they walk back on my shorter route and offered to give them a ride back to their car.

The view was spectacular and the slanting light through the storm clouds intensified the colors. There was still no sign of the husband so I gave a good holler, which traveled out over the mountains ahead of me.

We walked around the bald granite rock but did not linger long with the storm clouds looking so ominous.

Back down at the rocks base we saw her husband, who had done a clockwise loop around the base, emerge from the Rhododendrons. He was glad to see us and was relieved to find there was a way to get back before dark or the storm.

Note: Unfortunately, this shorter route is now closed due to private property issues. Lawyers are involved and you do not want to go there.East of Spy Rock

We only got sprinkled on a little as we quickly hiked down the forest road and my little Honda Fit negotiated the 2 small creek crossings on the Crabtree Meadow Road with no problems. Sometimes that road is impassable without 4-wheel drive and better clearance, so I was glad it was in such good shape.

It was the tail end of a sunny evening down on the East side of the mountain and I continued towards Arrington and Freshwater Cove for my next visits of this trip. Nelson County was home to me for 12 years and it still holds me tight.

Wendy lee, writing at Edgewisewoods, Gardens and Critters

Hiking

Fall Foliage in West Virginia-October 14, 2017

October 17, 2017 Edgewise Wendy 1 Comment

Usually the leaves in Pendleton County WV reach peak fall color around October 14-21, but the whole month of September into October was so dry this year that many leaves have dried up and fallen before obtaining their normal vibrant colors. There are still pockets of color to be found though, especially in the valleys, so you still catch some color, if you don’t wait too long.

On October 14th, at Spruce Knob Lake, the usual magnificent reflections of color on the water were not to be had, but with the sky such a beautiful, clear blue and the temperature at 70 plus degrees, there were no complaints from us.

We have never seen so many folks fishing at the lake as we did this past Saturday, as we walked the easy, level trail around the lake, taking photos and enjoying the balmy weather.

I found that the lack of leaf colors caused me to look more closely at everything else as we walked.

Milkweed at East End of Spruce Knob Lake

Interesting textures and the odors of warm fall earth, still water and decaying plants became more important.

After leaving the lake we drove up the partly gravel road to Spruce Knob, the highest point in the state. We were a little sad to see that most of the trees towards the west had already lost their leaves. The wind was not bad and it was a gorgeous view of the West Virginia hills, regardless.

We followed a trail down from the lookout tower that goes through some loose rocks onto a small level meadow. The views to the east and South were excellent from there.

A few huge boulders you can climb on walked the meadow.

I thought this one looked like a lumbering short legged creature from the stone age. I did climb up and sit on top pretending it was a horse sort of thing.

There were Mountain Ash on top of the mountain, with brilliant scarlet berries, dark green Spruce trees leaning out of the constant western wind, and the wonderfully textured sandstone aggregate rocks to admire.

You can never go wrong with a trip up to Spruce Knob and the drive back down on the east side is paved. Route 33 East to Franklin has the Germany Valley overlook as another highlight.

This maple was one of the few colorful trees we saw up close and it looks great with the sumac and Germany Valley beyond.

The Potomac Valley and other lower elevations should be pretty in the next week, especially since we finally got a rain last week. Even after the leaves fall, Spruce Knob, in Pendleton County, West Virginia is a magical place to visit. (Click on the Link for photos from 2016)

-Wendy lee, writing at edgewisewoods.com

Hiking

Hiking VA-Compton Rocks

February 27, 2017 Edgewise Wendy

Shenandoah National Park-Short Hike

Compton Rocks is a cool geologic feature and a short hike off the Skyline Drive, near Front Royal Virginia. It is one of many short and sweet hikes in the Shenandoah National Park that you can do on a whim if you don’t have a lot of time.

Map source: https://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/maps.htm

Long ago volcanic activity squeezed basalt up through cracks in the earth to form these long, six sided shapes.

Columnar Joining at Compton Rocks, Va — Columnar Jointing at Compton Rocks, Va

The rocks look like giant, extruded honeycombs, baked hard. The fairly level trail comes at the rock outcropping from the top side and you follow a small path down and around to get a good view.

One way back up is to climb through the rubble slot canyon but there are easier routes.

For a good view, follow the trail back the other direction to Compton Peak and stop at the roadside pull offs to gaze over the Shenandoah Valley below. While you are out that way you could go check out Skyline Caverns back down at the base of the mountain. Both are fun places to take kids.

_Wendy lee, Writing at Edgewisewoods, Gardens and Critters

FranklinWV-OurCabin, Hiking

Hiking WV-Pike Knob

February 21, 2017 Edgewise Wendy

Pike Knob-Old Circleville/Franklin Pike

It is February 20^th, 2017 and we are not having winter. Out in the mountains of Pendleton County, West Virginia, the temperature is in the upper 60’s (F) in the valley and the 50’s where we are on Pike Knob. To get here you drive out Route 33 West from Franklin to a left on county road 18. A left branch of the road used to go through to Smiths Creek but has reverted back to being a privately maintained farm lane, even though the map we have says otherwise. The main road bears right , headed over the mountain, and was the main road between Franklin and Circleville years ago, before Route 33 was built. The road starts out narrow and graveled, until you pass the last farm gate and then it gets much rougher as it continues uphill. You will see trees posted with Nature Conservancy signs your right.

I get so peaceful when traveling on gravel roads in the West Virginia Mountains. The hillside farms with their cows, sheep, and woven wire fences feel like home to me. Farm gates beckon me and I can imagine living there, tucked away from the world. We notice numerous springs and drive through a small stream as we wind upward towards an old fire tower site on Pike Knob.

About two thirds of the way up the hill, big rocks jutting out of the road bed, caused us to park the car and walk the rest of the way up. A lone Subaru made the same decision not far below us.

As we climb, we see dark, rainy looking clouds starting to get hung up on the ridge and hope we can manage to stay dry on our hike to the 4300 foot summit. We didn’t bring our rain gear or packs on this short hike, just water bottles and cameras.

When we reach the low saddle, hanging between two knobs on the ridge, there is an intersection, where the old road bed drops down on the west side, a ridge path heads south and our trail winds to the North. The wind picks up and we can see the valley on the western side of the hill through the naked tree branches.

Sunlight moves across the valley in small patches, illuminating a barn and fields in the distance. We continue veering to the right along the ridge, noting some recent tire tracks probably from whoever recently sawed the downed trees along the way.

We come to more yellow signage from the Nature Conservancy, asking vehicles to keep out, but allowing deer hunting and hiking, as we walk along a ever narrowing path through Mountain Laurels and pines.

The trail in has not been very steep, and the temperature is warm when we are not exposed to the wind. Our jackets keep coming off and then going back on again.

Just as we reach the highest point, we see a wooden fence and a guy sitting on the ground against it. We say howdy and he tells us he has not been up here in 30 years, when he dropped off supplies for a friend who was doing a long distance ridge hike. The fire tower is gone, with only the concrete foundation posts and the 1956 USGS survey marker left and Pines have grown up in that spot so there is no longer a view. There are a bunch of cool lichens growing on the trees though.

He tells us about the great views a little further on, out on the grassy knoll we had caught a glimpse of back in the saddle. We had no idea we would be able to get out there and are excited to go.

We say goodbye and slide through the people stile in the fence, heading towards the open field, called Nelson Sods. There are no trail markers but you can follow an old roadbed depression out to the meadow if you drop down to the right a bit.

The View From Nelson Sods at Pikes Knob

The view is amazing and the clouds are scudding on by. We can see the backside of Nelson Rocks , one of the many fins of Quartzite and Tuscarora Sandstone that are seen standing edgewise on local ridges. Further in the distance, and obscured by the clouds today, is the highest point in West Virginia, Spruce Knob. Quite often, rains do not make it over that ridge to this, the North Mountain Ridge, so it tends to be much drier.

We enjoy the 360 degree views for awhile before heading back. Along the way we remember the wall of rock that was almost visible through the woods on our way up. There does not seem to be a trail that goes there so we head out cross country through the laurels and pines. It would have been easier if we were about the size of a fox. There were a few greenbriars and a lot of blueberry bushes along the way, but we finally emerged atop some gorgeous rocks with views to the southeast.

More cross country, downhill over rocks, towards the old road, and we emerged near our car. On the way down we met another vehicle turning at the farm gate and we stopped to say howdy. It was a man showing a friend the back way into his farm. He was friendly and agreed that he was lucky to live here.

The weather on the east side had cleared up and the skies were getting seriously blue as we came down the mountain.

Then we saw a Cd disk flashing in the sun a little ways up the hollow where we crossed the little stream. I had to investigate, and since it was still Nature Conservancy land, we were allowed to hike here.

There was something of a path leading to a humongous rock outcropping and it was starting to look a little cavey.

I found a shallow cave that pinched out pretty quick but it had a large entrance and a cool window.

We hiked further up the draw against the base of the rocks, checking out all the little springs and looking up at the overhanging ledges. It is so much fun to explore a place we have never seen before. I was surprised to find a little group of invasive ladybugs under a rock.

We could hear water gurgling underground that did not emerge until way down slope. At one point we found a dried up fish, tied by a string from a low branch. Bear bait? Then I found a just plain pretty rock.

Next, we found a peacock feather tied with orange baling twine. Very strange. It was warmer here and hard to believe it was February as we scrambled over rocks and once again got in the car to leave.

Coming back down the mountain we appreciated the late day sunlight hitting this cabin.

Then we felt a little sadness for the abandoned homestead in the valley. Considering it was February though, we never would have expected such a pleasant day wandering around, exploring whatever came our way. It is so nice to be able to appreciate the peace and beauty of the West Virginia mountains.

-Wendy lee MAddox, writing at Edgewisewoods, Gardens and Critters

Hiking

Raven Rock to High Rock Hike

February 6, 2017 Edgewise Wendy

On Saturday, February 4th, we were being lazy inside when I felt the need to get outside and take a walk. The temperature outside was hovering at about freezing but the air was fresh and the sky beautiful. Jeff was somewhat hesitant and slow to get a move on, but he gave in as usual when I suggested a spur of the moment hike. I wanted to go see Hagerstown’s Edgemont Reservoir which I had just been reading about online. Apparently, engineers had deemed the dam unsafe and they had drained the entire lake this past July. We had not been there in years and it was hard to imagine it without water.

We grabbed our day packs, and drove out through Boonsboro taking Rt 66 north to Rt 64 West at Cavetown. Here is where Jeff decided to go his way (the scenic route), instead of mine, so we did a big loop which followed Warner Hollow on a gravel road from the NE, arriving downstream at the reservoir and right back onto 491, not far from where we had left it.

It was shocking to see the tall drainage control tower sticking up into the air at the dam end and just a small puddle of water around it,. I’ll bet the wildlife took awhile to adjust to the new habitat.

We decided not to hike there, since we basically just saw the whole thing by car. Instead we drove out to where the Appalachian Trail crosses the road a little North of there and parked on the shoulder of the road.

The first part of the trail was steep and had stones moved into place for steps in the steepest spots. Our heart rates and heavy breathing told us we needed to hike up hills more often.

Icicles were dripping down the rocks as we came closer to Raven Rocks. They looked like cave formations, with rim stone dams and bacon draperies, except clean and clear.

The rocks were large and impressive. I liked the zipper effect where one section had broken away.

We saw a couple of people and their Irish Setter out on the rocks but it was nice and quiet. I love hiking in winter. You avoid crowds and can see through the trees to the views beyond.

We checked out the rocks for a bit and then continued our climb.

It leveled out when we reached the ridge top and walking was easy. There were glimpses of the big valley to the west but no clearings to get a good view. We came to an intersection branching off to a shelter one way and a spring in the other, but we stayed straight.

About a mile or so in we met a hiker in full pack who was wondering how far to the shelter. We were glad we didn’t have to sleep outside tonight. Little too chilly for that. We were nice and warm while hiking along at a good clip, but cooled off fast when we stopped.

We figured the next view point would be at High Rock, where we would turn around and head back. When we got there it was full of loud people and more graffiti than I have ever seen in one place. Freshly painted. There is a road that leads right to it from the North and it is a party spot. Supposedly hang gliders launch from there and I would love to see that, but I imagine that would draw a huge crowd. We stayed just long enough to get a look at the view and got out of there.

We could see the Whitetail Ski Resort, in Pennsylvania, in the distance. All the snow is man made this year. We have yet to have a decent snow and I am beginning to think we won’t get one at all. Last year we had 42 inches in one storm. A foot would be nice. We might have to go out to Blackwater Falls, West Virginia for our snow fix.

The sun was getting low in the sky as we hoofed our way back along the nice level ridge. We made good time, which also kept us warm. It was only a 6.4 mile hike. There was a whole group of folks that we met on the way back who were staying at the shelter that night. Guess they would be keeping each other warm. I was looking forward to sitting by our fire again.

-Wendy lee, writing at Edgewisewoods, Gardens and Critters

FranklinWV-OurCabin, Hiking

Reeds Creek Fish Hatchery

January 21, 2017 Edgewise Wendy 1 Comment

Weekend Board Games

For the Martin Luther King weekend we drove 3 hours out to our cabin in Pendleton County, West Virginia, taking our granddaughter Vivian with us. The weather has been so dreary for the past week, with grey, drizzly skies and temperatures stuck in the 40’s that we figured we’d mostly stay inside and play games. We had been hoping for some snow to play in. I usually prefer relaxing with a good book to board games but games geared to a six year old are easy enough to handle, in between chapters.

All day Saturday and then again on Sunday, we played board games; Community, Gathering the Garden, Snakes and Ladders, Quirkle, and Trouble. In between we all read or listened on our Kindles. I stoked the fire, tore out and rewound my old knitting, cooked and read a book but eventually the fog lifted, it stopped raining, and I had to get outside.

Wet Dry Run and a Movie

Dry Run was full of water for a change, so Vivian and I headed down the hill to check out the dam we had built last year. We had spent hours playing in the creek together, and our thrown up berm of rocks was still mostly intact. We can look forward to rebuilding the small breach when the weather turns nice in the spring. I wish the creek ran all the time but with all the limestone around here, it sinks into cave-y places pretty quick.

We kept walking down the paved road, past the big spring where the town of Franklin gets their water. This spring never dries up and there is a cement holding pond for them to draw from. The county ran 5 miles of pipe to carry this spring water into Franklin back in the 1960’s when the Hanover Shoe Factory was built out on Thorn Spring Road, and in the flood of 1985, they had to replace 5000 feet of it, as well as dig all the rock debris out of the spring.

Our place is located uphill from this spring so we collect rain from our roof into an underground cistern for our water at the cabin. So close, yet so far away… No complaints, it works fine for our needs.

Continuing on our walk, we turned onto the hardly ever used, dirt lane that leads to an old hilltop meadow. We branched off at a 4 wheel drive track , back towards our hill, and then again onto the old logging road. This scenic route is much longer, but not near as steep a climb, as our driveway. Short legs only grumbled a little. It was a pretty long walk for her. We checked out lots of cool fossil rocks on the way as we followed the zig-zagging log trails back down the steep hillside to home.

Saturday night we had introduced Vivian to the first Harry Potter Movie, which went over pretty well. She did not get too scared and we were looking forward to the second one tonight. There is no TV reception at the cabin but we enjoy watching DVD’s curled up on the couch by the wood stove. Wine and cookies work too.

Reeds Creek Fish Hatchery

Monday, after eating a yummy lunch at the Fireside Cafe in Franklin, we drove out to Reeds Creek Fish Hatchery. They grow trout to stock the lakes and rivers in West Virginia, using (and reusing) water from a huge spring. There are long, open concrete tanks set in the ground with a constant supply of cold spring water flowing through the thousands of fish. The fish are grouped by size and some of them are huge. The Golden Trout are the most fun because they are the easiest to see.

The other trout we saw were dark, with spots, but I am not sure if they were Brook, Rainbow or Brown trout. When they see you coming they all start moving fast and jumping, expecting to be fed. Notice the dark one in the above photo with his mouth wide open. Visitors are not allowed to feed or touch the fish, but the hatchery gate is open until 3:30 in the afternoon and it is fun to watch them. When their fins breach the surface it looks like a whole bunch of little sharks.

It looks like a great place to find dinner if you are a Heron or an Eagle and I don’t know how they manage to keep them out. When we were there we didn’t see any dogs or anybody to ask. They were probably out stocking the rivers.

It is too bad that no one has built an Aquaponics greenhouse using the water from this hatchery. It would be a great way to make use of the nutrient rich water before it joins the creek. It is probably too far to a market where they could sell the produce, though. Someone would have to do a lot of driving.

-Wendy lee, writing at Edgewisewoods, Gardens and Critters

Hiking

Cowans Gap State Park Hike

January 3, 2017 Edgewise Wendy

Cowans Gap State Park Hike

New Years Day- 2017

We have an annual tradition of hiking on New Years Day, usually with our friends Tom and Carla. Last year at this time we were in Perth Australia, so we missed it. This year, Tom and Carla are in Vermont, so they missed it. In reality, none of missed anything, we just happened to do it elsewhere. We can catch up with our local friends later.

When we hike alone, we plan our hikes differently than when we have people with us. We tend to do out and back or loop hikes and keep it simple when it is just us. When there are four of us we might do a longer one way hike and park a car at each end. I thought maybe we might go out to Sleepy Creek Wildlife Management Area this year, since it is not far, but Jeff got to searching for hikes on the Tuscarora Trail in Pennsylvania instead. He came up with Cowans Gap State Park, a place we have never been.

Getting There

Check out this cool interactive Map I have embedded below. You can move and zoom in on the map from right here in my blog by left clicking and using the mouse. Cal Topo is a pretty amazing mapping website. You can do all kinds of neat things on it if you start messing around. We did the red dashed trail along the ridge from the Lake to Big Mountain. South along the ridge and back by way of the valley measured 9.6 miles on our GPS unit. It took us about 5 hours.

Cowans Gap State Park is about 13 miles North of Mercersburg Pa on Route 75 and about 50 miles from our home in Shepherdstown. It took us about an hour and 20 minutes to get there. There are some large, well kept Dairy farms up that way with beautiful views of the mountains and Buchanan State Park lands

You can see the ziggy white lines of Whitetail Ski Resort off to the left as you drive north. There is no natural snow yet but it has been cold enough the last few weeks for them to make their own snow on a couple of the slopes. We had a blast a few years back snow tubing there with family.

The temperature was hovering in the low forties when we arrived at Cowans Gap at 11:30 A.M. I was surprised to see a large lake with lots of trees around it when we arrived, and better yet, there was no entrance fee. We checked out the restroom building first thing and found that were prepared for winter visitors and keep the one family restroom nicely heated and the flush toilet functional.

Cowans Gap LakeThere was ice covering about two thirds of the 42 acre lake and finely graveled pathways all the way around it. Scattered in the shade of trees, along the fore shore, there were picnic tables and sturdy CCC built pavillions, a sandy volleyball court and a few really nice horseshoe pits.

On the far side of the lake rose a densely wooded hill with lots of good fishing access. There are some steep hiking trails over there as well but we were going to do the Tuscarora Trail, on the East side.

We had packed our water bag/ day packs with lunch and all the usual stuff: cameras, GPS, compass and head lamps. I carried my rain gear as well. I do not like worrying about getting cold and wet when the weather changes and it doesn’t weigh much. I wore light long johns, a vest and fleece, gloves and my trusty Ear Bags, which I always carry in my jacket pocket.

Tuscarora Trail-South

The blazed trail started just across the road and we immediately stated climbing, it seemed like, straight up the ridge. There were switchbacks and a some large sandstone rocks in the path and we could tell that this trail gets way less traffic than the Appalachian Trail, which is a good thing. The Tuscarora Trail was actually started because people were afraid they were about to lose a big section of the AT to development, which thankfully did not happen.

We were ready for a breather by the time we reached the first little overlook on the ridge. My fleece was already off and hanging from my pack straps. Three young guys had passed us, wearing skimpy summer running shorts, the only people we saw for a good while. It does not take long to warm up when you are climbing a steep hill. I was beginning to regret my long john bottoms.

We cooled off quickly as we hiked the more level, but still very rocky, narrow ridge until we came to a huge boulder field. It seemed that giants had dumped a humongous bucket of boulders up here on the top of the mountain, just so we could ponder how in the world they got here.

The forest turned scrubby, pockmarked with stumps of trees cut for timber, as our trail merged into an old logging road.We walked through a grassy meadow with lots of open views east and west, then back into scrubby, cut over land with about 5 years of regrowth. There was a patch of Aralia spinosa, or Devils Walking Stick, which I do not come across very often.

Aralia is kind of ugly in winter, just a colony of ten foot tall, very spiny, but otherwise naked sticks. In August it will bloom with large, white, feathery pannicles and then the leaves will turn a nice burgundy and orange color in fall. Deer, bear and Cedar Waxwings like the purple berries. I realized this was the source of the seeds we had been seeing, in the weathered scat along the trail.

The walking was much easier now, practically level with no rocks. We passed a couple of trails leading back down off the ridge that we might take on the way back. Our destination was straight ahead at that pointy hill, the lookout on Big Mountain.

Big Mt Overlook

Arriving at the overlook, we looked down on Hogback Mt, and back to the North, a long, long view of valleys and hills.

To the South East we could also see a good ways. There used to be a fire tower up here but all that remains are some footers and the old outhouse pit back in the woods. There is a cell tower a few hundred feet to the south, which is the only one we can see from up here. Our walk was about 4 1/2 miles to this beautiful spot and we sat and ate lunch before heading back.

I am glad we did not know about the graveled Tower Road coming up here before we decided to hike the ridge, but if you aren’t able to walk far, you can easily drive up to the Big Mountain overlook to enjoy the same view.

Western View From Cleared Section Below Summit

I don’t much care for repeating the same hike backwards, so after walking back North on the Tuscarora Trail for a little while, we turned left onto the old Log Slide Trail, down a seriously steep, narrow gully, with ankle-breaker rocks hidden in deep leaves. Our thighs were feeling the burn of each careful step by the time we got down to a paved road. We still enjoyed it more than backtracking. We walked down the side of the road, lined with small vacation cabins, about 5 acres apart, smoke rising from a couple of the chimneys. Cameron Trail came in from the west, and quickly branched onto Plessinger Trail, which followed the creek back to the lake. Walking in the woods by a creek is always nicer than being out on a road, even a quiet one.

Cowans Gap State Park has about ten rental Cabins tucked into the woods along the creek and there are shady campsites with central restroom facilities. The Creek is clean enough for brook trout and we saw signs of beaver. Rattle Snakes can be found here , according to a sign placed by the Park’s Nature Center. Did you know that Rattle snakes grow a new rattle every time they shed their skin, and in a good year, they can shed numerous times? So counting rattles does not tell age, if you ever get close enough to count them.

On a point jutting out into the lake there is a protective concrete bulkhead that allows for handicapped access to fishing and getting in and out of your boat without tearing up the shore.

No gasoline powered boats are allowed, but you can use electric motors, which should keep the lake fairly peaceful. There was a sign board and rescue station for people planning on ice fishing or skating.

I like that they allow folks to play on the ice here in the winter. There is even an area where they monitor the ice for safe skating but it looks like you are free to go outside of it if you choose. I grew up on lakes and miss the freedom of exploring in winter from the vantage point of ice skates. Wild skating is a totally different experience than going around in circles on a rink.

The sun was getting low, the temperature dropping fast, and we were glad to be back before dark. The open water was very still, mirroring the quiet landscape. It was a good day, this first one of the new year.

Cowans Gap State Park (click link for a good website) was a refreshing surprise and a really well cared for park that I hope to return to in different seasons. With good hiking, boating, fishing and swimming, there is something here for everyone in the family.

-Wendy lee Maddox, writer

at Edgewise Woods, Gardens and Critters

Hiking

Dolly Sods Hike

November 14, 2016 Edgewise Wendy

Roaring Plains

Tom, Jeff, and I, planned a hike out in the Dolly Sods area of the Monongahela National Forest over Veterans Day weekend. My chore person had plans over the weekend too, so we backed up our trip to leaving Thursday afternoon and coming back on Saturday. The weather report was calling for it to be a wet, nasty, cold day Saturday, so we were hoping to beat the weather. The hike Jeff mapped out was about 15 miles of trails on the Roaring Plains section of the Dolly Sods Wilderness, at elevations over 4000 feet. We were hoping for some good long range views from up there and to just plain enjoy being out in the mountains.

We drove out Route 50 west of Winchester and then took Route 257 south through Wardensville and up to the newish four lane of Route 55 west. There was still some fall color scattered about on the hills and the exposed rock layers in the road cuts look folded up and scrunched like a giant blanket. The skies were an intense bright blue and the air so clear coming down the hill into Moorefield that we could easily see all the windmills way out on the ridge alongside the Mt Storm power plant. It tends to be too hazy to see that far during hot summer days, but in the fall the humidity lifts up and blows away on the wind.

We all agreed that the windmills look cool out there on the ridge and are way nicer to look at than the cloud-belching, coal fired, electric plant right next to them. Every now and then a lazy, arcing blade would catch a flashing sliver of light. It is hard to believe they are actually moving over 100 miles an hour out on the tips. Some people complain that bats and birds get killed by them, but I think the birds are smart enough that they can learn to stay away, and as long as some idiot doesn’t leave bright lights on at night, the bats should not be hanging around to eat swarming insects. I have also heard complaints about noise, but all I hear is a gentle swishing sound when I get up close to them. I think they are beautiful.

Getting off at Moorefield, we picked up Route 220 south to Franklin and stopped for dinner at the Fireside Restaurant, next to Thompson’s Motel. They have pretty good food and we like to support local business. We were too full for pie, as usual, darn it. Full dark came on while we were eating and it was cooling off fast as we got back in the car. It was going to be a cold, clear night down in the twenties.

Our cabin is just a few miles out of town and while the guys hauled in our stuff, I started a fire in the wood stove. We were going to get up early in the morning so we could drive the hour out to the Monongahela National Forest and start hiking at first light, about 7 A.M. Daylight Savings time kicked in last weekend and it would get dark by 5:30 P.M. so we were careful to pack head lamps and flashlights in our packs just in case we didn’t make it out in time.

We got up at 5A.M, made coffee, ate some oatmeal, and started driving towards Seneca Rocks on Route 33 West. There we picked up Route 28 North to Jordan Run Road, took the first left onto Forest Road 19, which is a gravel road that climbs ever upward using switchbacks. The sun rose over the hill as we traveled the last couple of miles.

We parked at the gate to Forest Road 70, which is open now for hunting season and walked back up the hill a ways to the South Prong trail head. It took us a few minutes to get used to the cold but we warmed up pretty quick.

The weather above 4000 feet can turn bad quickly, and it is always colder up there, so we all wore our long johns and packed our rain/wind gear. It pays to be prepared for bad weather, something we have all learned the hard way. We also had maps, a compass and a GPS unit. Tom had his cell phone and was receiving text messages. Jeff is a map guy and loves to plan out routes so he always gets that organized in advance. I kind of go along for the ride and sometimes try to get us sidetracked if something looks interesting. We take lots of pictures.

Roaring Plains has boggy areas, low growing Spruce, Oak, Cherry, and Birch woods, huge blueberry patches, alpine meadows and sandstone conglomerate rocks. We drove most of the way up on the forest road so our actual hike would only gain us about 800 more feet.

At first, the trail was so easy it even had some wooden boardwalks spanning the boggy parts. Then it meandered through dense Rhododendron thickets we were glad we did not have to bush wack through. It had rained some the day before but we were able to keep our feet dry by hopping rocks.

When we started, it was 35 degrees F with a stiff breeze about 25 MPH and a few darkish clouds were beginning to scud across the ridge top from the west. They were moving pretty fast and didn’t seem to want to hang around. We were glad we wore our long johns and I was appreciating my insulated Ear Pops, felt hat and fleece gloves.

We wandered around all kinds of tiny side trails trying to get to the outer rim where the long views were and had to keep checking the GPS and the map to see if we were going the right way. There were tiny pathways crisscrossing all over, so it was not real obvious which way to go, but it was all pretty.

Finally we got to a well marked spot that led out to a great view. And right then, the clouds dropped down from the sky and fog rolled in and covered it all up.

It wasn’t raining and we weren’t getting wet yet, but we could not see anything much except the ground we were walking on. Lots of blueberry bushes for the bears though.

It got foggier and foggier and was windy and cold. It didn’t look like we would be seeing anything from Roaring Plains today. We decided to bail and try again on a sunny day.

We got to a gas pipeline right-of-way and followed it back to Forest Road 70 and back to the car.

Of course, by the time we got back to the car, there were breaks in the clouds. We had hiked only 9.1 miles and there was still a half day left. We ate our lunch sitting in the car and decided to drive to Bear Rocks, up at the northern edge of Dolly Sods, in hopes of more sun and actual views over the mountains.

Bear Rocks

We drove out what has to be the straightest gravel road in West Virginia, running along the ridge line between Tucker and Grant Counties.

FR 75 -Seriously Straight, Looking South Over Dolly Sods

It was much clearer up this way. Windy as usual, and cold, only about 40 degrees F. We were glad to finally get some great views.

We could see way up the ridge, looking North out of the Wilderness Area towards Mt Storm.

Looking South. Notice the stunted, wind blown, Spruce tree with branches all on the leeward side.

Bickle Knob

Next stop was going to be back down the mountain, out Rt 33 towards Elkins to the Bickle Knob observation tower overlooking the Otter Creek Wilderness Area.

It is hard to beat a view of these beautiful, limitless West Virginia mountains.

Even on a cloudy day this is a gorgeous place. The light keeps changing as the clouds move through. Climbing down off the tower we got back on Rt 33 and headed back East towards Franklin, stopping, as always, to admire the view to the North over Germany Valley.

Back for dinner at the Fireside, I got Chicken Parmesan, which came with a mixed greens salad and a little spaghetti. It was delicious. I am somehow getting off easy on this trip and only cooking breakfasts. Back at the cabin, we stoked the fire and watched “The Great Escape” before turning in for the night.

Heading Towards Home

We woke in the morning to 30 degrees, blue skies and no sign of the forecasted bad weather. I think it had arrived a day earlier, just for us. I cooked up some bacon, eggs and grits while the guys played darts and then we packed up.

We still had to get home Saturday, and figuring on catching a few more views on the way, we decided to travel east by way of Reddish Knob and the old fire lookout. The Shenandoah Valley was hung with the usual hazy smog in the distance, but it was still pretty.

The road up to where the tower used to stand is paved but steep and barely one lane wide. When we arrived there were three guys who had ridden up on mountain bikes. Impressive. A guy with a Coon dog box on his truck arrived after. His dog had initials on his ears and looked to be enjoying the ride.

The shades of blue in the distance…

Back on the road, near Dayton, we came up on an Amish buggy.

At the Spring House Tavern, in Woodstock, Virginia, I had an enjoyable Left Handed Milk Stout and we all had the lunch size Beef Vegetable Stew over Biscuits. We had to take leftovers home with us. Seems like we have done more eating than hiking this trip.

We drove out through scenic Mill Road to Tower Road, and climbed the metal tower, for great views to the East and to the West over the winding Shenandoah River.

The sun was getting low as we came through Fort Valley on the East side of the ridge and we stopped to search for fossils at a road cut that Tom remembered from way back.

We didn’t have a hammer but we managed to find a few bi-valve fossils.

The full Moon rose over the hill as the sunset painted the forest auburn red.

It was not long before the sun was gone and night took over, with the moon throwing long shadows. Time to get home and feed the critters.

Wendy lee,

writing at Edgewisewoods, Gardens and Critters

November 14, 2016

Hiking

Spruce Knob West Virginia

October 11, 2016 Edgewise Wendy 1 Comment

For our 24th wedding anniversary we stuck with tradition and headed out to the mountains and Spruce Knob, the highest point in West Virginia. We have a cabin not too far away in the same county of Pendleton and stayed there for the long Columbus Day weekend.

The weather started out dreary, drizzly and cold and we were glad to warm up by our wood stove and the first fire of the season. A hurricane was pounding the southern states with rain and wind and we were glad to have it only bring a few heavy showers our way.

By Sunday, the skies were clear and blue with a cold, brisk wind blowing any lingering thoughts of summer far away. It was definitely Fall with all the rich smells and colors to go with it. October is such a beautiful month in the mountains.

We drove out past Franklin on Route 33 west and stopped at the Germany Valley Overlook, which is pretty no matter what time of year it is.

The road to the top of the mountain is paved these days, which has made it less of a dusty chore than it used to be. It is still narrow though, and we had to pull way to the edge to let those coming down pass by. Every now and then we glimpsed a flash of color, from a Sugar Maple or a tree harboring a bright red Virginia Creeper vine.

We drove on by the turn to the top and made our way over to Spruce Knob Lake to see how much color might be there.

It was gorgeous and the trees were further along than they had been in the valley below. It was so cold and windy that I needed to put my ear warmers and fleece on as soon as we got out of the car. We did not stay long because we wanted to get a hike in and had gotten a late start.

Backtracking towards the trail head we stopped at the campground to check it out, just because we never had . There are 42 primitive campsites-with outhouses, picnic tables and fire rings- on a one way loop in the woods. No views but still nice looking, fairly private sites.

There were only a couple of cars parked at the Allegheny trail head as we loaded our day packs and adjusted our boots.

We had hopes of finding some good views from the main Allegheny Ridge trail but were disappointed in that, and also because the gated trail had been recently traveled on by some huge vehicle that left mud and water filled ruts. It was difficult to get around some of the deep mud and I had it go over the top of my boots at one point. We decided to leave the main trail and take a side shoot instead, turning onto North Prong Trail and following it down into a quiet open valley.

Crossing the shallow creek numerous times, the trail became almost to narrow to find, through high summer weeds and amazingly thornless brambles. We eventually came out to an intersection with the Gandy Run Trail and followed that back towards our starting place. We saw hardly any wildlife and only two people the whole 3 1/2 hours we spent on the trail. Still, it was a beautiful day and much warmer and less windy down on the lower trails.

We got back in the car and drove up to the Spruce Knob viewing platform, the highest point in the state.

It was only 42 degrees F and the wind was blowing, as it always is up this high. Looking out from the top of the platform there is nothing but mountains and more mountains as far as you can see.

The Spruce trees sound like the ocean as the wind blows through them. Sometime, I hope to be up here to watch the sun set. Not today though.

Fall color is just starting and should be gorgeous in another week.

You can catch a tiny glimpse of the lake in the top left of this zoomed photo and the most color we have seen all day.

On the way down the mountain, we stopped for another great view to the East.It is always invigorating to experience Spruce Knob and we had another good day.

Back to our little cabin for dinner and warmth by the woodstove.

-wendy lee, writing at Edgewisewoods, Gardens and Critters

Travels and Hikes with a Practical Edge

Category Archives: Hiking

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First Day Hike 2019

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Nelson County Virginia-Spy Rock/ Crabtree Falls Hike

Fall Foliage in West Virginia-October 14, 2017

Hiking VA-Compton Rocks

Shenandoah National Park-Short Hike

Hiking WV-Pike Knob

Pike Knob-Old Circleville/Franklin Pike

The View From Nelson Sods at Pikes Knob

Raven Rock to High Rock Hike

Reeds Creek Fish Hatchery

Weekend Board Games

Wet Dry Run and a Movie

Reeds Creek Fish Hatchery

Cowans Gap State Park Hike

Cowans Gap State Park Hike

New Years Day- 2017

Getting There

Tuscarora Trail-South

Big Mt Overlook

Dolly Sods Hike

Roaring Plains

Bear Rocks

Bickle Knob

Heading Towards Home

Spruce Knob West Virginia

Near West Virginia and Far, Far Beyond