Hike a Month: APRIL! Falls of Hills Creek

After visiting the town of Elkins for their annual Ramps and Rails Festival (I had enough ramps to last me all year), we took the scenic route back to Charleston, through the Monongahela National Forest. We stopped to see the Falls of Hills Creek, located in Pocahontas County near the Cranberry Mountain Nature Center.

The initial 1,700 feet of the trail, which leads to the first of the three waterfalls, is handicap accessible. After that, there are a lot of stairs. The trail is short, but, be warned... there are a lot of stairs. I walked the trail in flip-flops (not brilliant).  The whole thing is close to a mile long, and the second and third waterfalls are worth your time and effort.

I've been battling a nasty cold and needed to pick a relatively short/easy hike for May, and I'm not sure this hike actually qualified as "easy" due to the number of stairs. But it was doable, even with a little cough and a clogged up nose. I expect our May hike to be a challenging one! I grabbed some WV hiking guide books at the library today so I can pick a really good trail. Stay tuned.

February Hike a Month: Hawk's Nest Rail Trail

While we experienced temperatures below zero regularly during the month of January, February 1st somehow was a sunny 60-degree day. Even with snow still on the ground from all the wintry weather we've had, I wanted to take advantage of yesterday's warm temperatures to get my Hike a Month in for February. On the very first day of February!

We (Matt went with me) headed to Ansted, WV, just about an hour from Charleston, to hike the Hawk's Nest Rail Trail. Knowing that there would still be some snow on the ground, I didn't want to do a steep hike, and since I'm easing into this hiking thing, I'm not trying to jump into any 10 mile hikes. So I chose the 4 mile (there and back) Hawk's Nest Rail Trail as a my February hike.

While the temperatures hit 60 in sunny spots, the shadowy side of the mountain was considerably chillier. Much of the trail was snow-covered, and some of it was ice covered, with big icicles hanging down over the trail from the rocks above. I was pretty scared of these sections!

We were not adequately dressed for this trek. We were wearing tennis shoes that the snow seeped through. And poor Matt was wearing shorts and a tee-shirt, thinking he'd be okay since the temperature at the car felt so warm. I am going to ask for hiking boots for my birthday. I gotta be more prepared.

The Hawk's Nest Rail Trail follows a babbling creek and would be absolutely gorgeous during the spring and summer. We've vowed to go back when the mountain laurel is blooming. But during this February hike, the creek and waterfalls were frozen almost completely. The ice has its own kind of beauty, but I'd love to see the forest in bloom. The trail also features some historical sights; walkers can stop to see a mine tunnel used during the 1920s.

We will definitely be back to hike this flat trail with lovely scenery again. And I'm sure this won't be the only trail we'll walk on in the Ansted area--we also want to do the Hawk's Nest Overlook Trail as well as some of hikes in the New River Gorge. This wasn't the easiest trail head to find, by the way. Get directions before heading here. But going a bit out of your way for this one is well worth it. You're  sure to enjoy this relaxing, laurel-lined trail.

Incline: not much

Terrain: easy-moderate

Scenery: excellent

Hiker traffic: medium

Difficulty: 2 out of 5 (ice made it a harder walk than it would be if dry)

Highlights: railroad & mining history, waterfalls, lovely mountain stream.

Hike a Month January: Kanawha State Forest's Davis Creek Trail

Well, 2014 is here! I realized yesterday that this will be the 10 year anniversary of my high school graduation. And now I feel old and unaccomplished.

But anyway, I've resolved to do at least one hike a month in 2014, an idea I stole from a friend who completed the challenge last year. I started by hiking close to home in January, venturing 9 miles from my house to Kanawha State Forest.

Without a trail map, I was completely guessing at which trail to pick. Since I haven't hiked in more than a year, and since I was hiking alone this day, I didn't want to pick a trail that might be too difficult. I parked and started down the Davis Creek Trail, which seemed like a safe bet because it followed a creek so I couldn't get very lost.

Kanawha State Forest is nothing too spectacular. When you need to get a little fresh air, it's a fine place to go. But for the entire time I was on the 2.5 mile Davis Creek Trail, I could see the pavement road that runs through the park. There were telephone lines running along the trail. I walked past playgrounds and stopped to swing for a bit. When a person hikes here, they won't feel isolated in the wilderness--which can be considered both good and bad I guess. Anyway, I needed to get my January hike in, I had a day off work, and the weather was relatively warm and sunny. So I was thankful for the opportunity--a little hike so close to home.

It felt good to start my hike a month challenge, to commit to my 2014 resolution. The trail was muddy, really muddy, but I had good company in foster dog Fred, the birds were singing, and the sounds of the babbling Davis Creek helped to soothe my anxious psyche. I was glad to get the hiking started and I'm looking forward to February's hike! Now, to pick the trail...

Fred enjoying the great outdoors.

Davis Creek

Very  wet trail. 

Forest

Mountain State Bucket List

Inspired by an article in the Charleston Daily-Mail, I am working my way through a list of 55 Unique things to do in the Mountain State. So far, I have completed:

1. A ride on Cass Scenic Railroad.  
2. Mystify your mind at the Mystery Hole in Ansted. Don't forget to buy a bumper sticker.
3. Stop at any of the state's Tudor's Biscuit World locations at breakfast time. Order a cup of coffee and a "Mary B." (Did this on our first morning in our new home. Except we bent the rule a little because I'm a vegetarian.)
4. Jump off the New River Gorge Bridge...with a bungee cord, of course. Held every October, the annual Bridge Day festivities draw daredevils from around the world to BASE- and bungee- jump from what was once the world's longest steel single-span arch bridge. (Okay, we will never do this. It's just not gonna happen. But we watched other people jump, and that was enough for us.)
5. Catch a West Virginia Power baseball game, and maybe a fly ball, at Appalachian Power Park in Charleston.
6. Spend your Sunday evening at the West Virginia Culture Center for a recording of West Virginia Public Radio's nationally syndicated show, "Mountain Stage," then attend the after party at Charleston's Empty Glass bar to rub elbows with some of the country's biggest country, folk and indie rock acts.
7. Take the family to the West Virginia State Wildlife Center in French Creek, home to owls, bears, mountain lions, raccoons and all kinds of other mountain critters.  
8. After a long day of river rafting, nothing hits the spot like Pies and Pints a restaurant with unique pizzas and brews in Fayetteville. (Okay, we've been to Pies and Pints in Charleston. Close enough, right?)
9. Pick up some West Virginia-made crafts at the Tamarack.
10. Grab a burger and milkshake at Beckley's King Tut Drive-In. Or, better yet, order a pizza. The drive-in was the first Beckley restaurant to sell the dish, in 1957. (Well I ate fried oysters. Mmm.)
11. Get spooked at the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston, which has been featured on television shows like the Travel Channel's "Ghost Adventures" and SyFy's "Ghost Hunters." (See this post for details.)

Here are the things I want to get done before spring this year:

1. Spend a weekend with someone you love at the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs. Don't miss afternoon tea, a tradition at the historic hotel since the 1930s. The cookies are amazing.
2. Buy your mom something special at the Blenko Glass Co., in Milton. Be sure to wait around for one of the frequent glass-blowing demonstrations.
3. Head to Wheeling at Christmastime for the Festival of Lights at Oglebay Park.  
4. Celebrate the end of winter at the Lampion parade, held during Helvetia's Fasnacht festivities. It's like a Swiss version of Mardi Gras.
5. Tour the Homer Laughlin China Co. factory in Newell and pick up a set of its famous Fiestaware dishes. While you're in the neighborhood, go check out "The World's Largest Teacup" in nearby Chester.
6. Hit the slopes at Winterplace Ski Resort in Raleigh County, which features one of the largest computerized snow production systems in the nation.  
7. See where it all began, at Independence Hall in Wheeling. On June 20, 1861, Francis Pierpont was elected the first governor of the Restored government of Virginia. Two years later, that state became "West Virginia."

So by April, I should be done with 18 of the items on my list! Let's see how we do with this... 

Finding West Virginia Adventures

I'm settling in nicely in my new hometown of Charleston, West Virginia. It's a great place to live, I think. There are things I am missing about Richmond--mostly fancy grocery stores and the huge number of awesome restaurants. There's not so much of that here, but the cool thing is that there is room for growth.  And I pretty much really love my job.

We've been camping twice since we moved in six weeks ago. We've also had some great day adventures. West Virginia is seriously full of adventures, but you have to seek them out a little. Every single weekend, there's some kind of great festival or event happening in Charleston or in a nearby town. And if you're not interested in that, there's plenty of outdoorsy and cultural stuff to do. This weekend, the West Virginia Book Festival is going on, and next Saturday will be Bridge Day in Fayetteville about an hour away. There are always little small-town things going on nearby, Apple and Pumpkin harvest festivals this time of year, with parades and music and BBQ for sale. I love that these things are rarely so crowded that they become miserable. Another great thing about West Virginia.

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We camped in Audra State Park back in September. The park is situated on a small river, the East Fork River? Fork river something, can't remember. The campground is pretty nice (but not nice enough for the $20 price for a tent site, I don't think). There was a funny smell at our particular site, but I could never figure out what it might be. Some sites were very private but not on the river. We sacrificed privacy for our river spot. Here was our site and our view of the river.

It rained almost all weekend while we camped in Audra State Park. So we did a lot of indoor stuff. It turned out pretty great though. We went to a big antique mall. Had a nice meal in Weston at the Thyme Bistro. We toured the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston, WV. It was $10/person for a guided tour of one floor. And it was pretty cool. Definitely worth that 10 bucks.

The weather was finally beautiful during the last day of this trip. On the way home (sort of), we went to the West Virginia State Wildlife Center. It's like a zoo, I guess, and I do usually hate zoos. This one was pretty neat, though. Animals that are native to or that are now found in the state live here at the Wildlife Center, and you get to read about each animal at their exhibit. I saw some animals I had never seen, like coyotes and fishers. There were also deer, bears, snakes, owls, bison, elk, foxes, wolves, raccoons, hawks, and lots more. This place used to be a "game farm" where biologists would raise animals and release them back into the wild to help increase their populations, but then it became clear that animals raised in captivity would not survive well in the wild. The Wildlife Center's goals have now shifted toward education. It costs $3 per person to walk around the Wildlife Center--absolutely worth it!

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A couple weeks ago, we met my parents at Bluestone State Park for a short camping trip.  I really like this park and wish we had spent more time there. The early October weather was great, but the campground was practically empty. Bluestone Lake is beautiful. You can rent a boat to enjoy for a few hours or for the day, but we didn't have the time to during this trip. It looked like there were also some nice hiking trails in the park. So I want to go back next season. We followed the New River on the way back to Charleston, making a stop at Sandstone Falls.

And on the way home, we stopped in Beckley for a meal at King Tut Drive In. OH MY GOODNESS, SO MUCH HAPPINESS HERE! It's just so much fun to go here. It makes eating in your car feel fancy or something! The food is mostly fried, but a lot of it is "homemade." I had fried oysters! Not bad. Matt had a BBQ sandwich which he really enjoyed too. We will definitely be eating here again when we're going through Beckley. They have a website with a menu, by the way.

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Tomorrow I'll be working at the WV Book Festival for most of the day. I'm starting to get busy, which is nice. It definitely took some time for me to settle in, and Matt is requiring a little more time than I did because he's figuring out the employment scene up here. I shouldn't really speak for him, but I do think we love living in West Virginia so far.

In the Midst of a Move

What an awful, stressful week. Moving is such a bitch. I've been struggling to find a house to rent in our new hometown. And it is sad to move out of my beloved little apartment here.

But, amid the struggle to find a new place to live, we had some fun on our West Virginia trip, too. A moderate amount of fun.

We ventured to the Historic Wine Cellars Park in Dunbar, WV. This is just what the name suggests it might be. It's really creepy, damp, and cold inside the cellars. There's also a nice fishing pond through the woods.

On the way back to Richmond, we stopped at the New River Gorge Main Overlook. I'm glad we did. We saw a breathtaking view from the overlook and we got some brochures from the visitors center that have given me really good adventure ideas. We will be going back to this area fo sho.

Food things we did: ate tacos and drank plenty (BEST margaritas!) at a fun little restaurant in Charleston called The Tricky Fish; enjoyed an Indian food buffet lunch at Little India; ate at Cracker Barrel twice because it was next to our hotel; ate too much fried food at Diehl's Family Restaurant; had beer and tasty pizza at Pies and Pints.

We also explored many neighborhoods, got to know my new coworkers a little better, and killed time at the awesome Capitol Market by people watching and eating chocolate. One of my favorite parts was when we accidentally saw a greyhound race because we got lost while looking for a restaurant and ended up at a casino. The greyhounds are SO FAST, it's amazing! I've been doing a lot of research to find out more about greyhounds and racing and whether it's inhumane. Oh, AND we got covered in fleas in a nasty little rental house. Yeah! Adventures!

So I'm now relaxing with a glass of wine and a book. And hoping hard that I'll have a place to live by this time next week. Or preferably sooner!

Adventure in Pocahontas County, WV

So, it's July now? How did that happen? I feel like yesterday it was March.

Boyfriend and I took a couple days off before Memorial Day weekend to take a camping vacation to Pocahontas County, West Virginia. The drive to Seneca State Forest from Richmond is 3.5 hours and very lovely. We arrived on a Thursday evening to just a few people in the campground.

I read about this campground in The Best in Tent Camping: West Virginia by Johnny Molloy. It is a nice little campground with a small stream running through it, perfect for tent camping and rather uninviting for RV's. Each campsite has a critter-proof trashcan (which is nice) and a totally sweet stone grill. The campsites are big, and when the campground was only half-full on Thursday night, it felt a lot like camping in wilderness. The campground filled completely on Friday and Saturday nights, and though we had some obnoxious neighbors with terrible camping etiquette, they were pretty distant from us. Those neighbors would NOT have been bearable in a cramped Virginia State Park campground.

The Seneca State Forest Campground has a pit toilet, and a short drive away there are full-service bathrooms with coin showers. That was nice, because I do not care for pit toilets. The Park also has "frontier" cabins which I would LOVE to stay in some time. The cabins are on the Greenbrier River and on a small lake and provide plenty of activities for families. 
On Friday morning after breakfast, we went to the library in Webster Springs so that I could do some genealogy research. Then we went to Cass Scenic Railroad State Park for Ribs and Rails!

We had a nice train ride up to a mountain clearing, where there were picnic tables and a little picnic pavilion. For a reasonable price, we had all-you-can eat cookout fare, including pork ribs, boiled corn, potato salad, cornbread, coleslaw, baked beans... you get the idea. I don't eat pork, but there was plenty to eat even without the ribs! There was a bluegrass band, kids playing in the grass, and cold sweet tea. We had gorgeous weather and it was an awesome dinner out, West Virginia style. Seeing the company town of Cass was also interesting. The depot is on the beautiful Greenbrier River and there's an interesting little museum about the history of the town (see the picture above featuring the creepy stuffed baby bear). There's also a "company store" with knick-knacks, snacks, and train souvenirs.

The next day we went to the Cranberry Glades Botanical Area for a walk through the Cranberry Bog. This is a cool place and feels totally strange in the middle of the Appalachian Mountains. A boardwalk runs through the bog to protect the plants.

We drove to the opposite side of the county to the Gaudineer Scenic Area where we followed signs for the "virgin spruce trees." There are about 90 acres of forest here than have never been timbered. The forest feels primeval. I never knew much about spruce trees, but they're fascinating. They have shallow root systems so they can grow on top of rocks. They also are prone to falling, and you can see the shallow root system of a fallen tree in the picture below. The forest here is mossy and wild. I loved it.

We also visited Beartown State Park, which features crazy and huge rock formations. People once believed that bears lived among the rocks, but I would think monsters lived here. This park is free, and there was a handful of families on the boardwalks walking among the formations.

Other highlights during the trip included a visit to the Green Bank Telescope, the largest moving telescope in the US. We visited the science center which wasn't very exciting, but we decided not to pay for a tour. I snapped a few pictures of the telescope, but pictures cannot really illustrate how big the telescope is. Pretty neat, right in the middle of the West Virginia mountains.

We also went searching for Pocahontas County's only covered bridge. I saw Locust Creek Covered bridge on the county tourism map, which didn't really give good directions to get there. So we had a little adventure and drove up and down some country roads to look for a road with Locust Creek in the name, and we finally found it.

We had a little rain on this trip, but it didn't get us down. Matt was sick with a cold, so our tourism was of the inactive sort--no climbing mountains or swimming because I was worried about his health and afraid he might cough up a lung. I wish I had planned a little better. I thought the Monongahela National Forest would be easier to explore without much planning. Next time I'll buy a map first.

So, I also have some news to tack onto the end of this post. Big news that deserves more than a tack, really. I've been offered a job near Charleston, WV. I'll be moving there, and I'm taking my boyfriend with me, too. I hope we'll be able to have mountain adventures all the time. I am really, really excited about this next chapter in life.