If you weren’t aware, the sycamore in front of EMoore hall is scheduled to be taken down, along with several other historical trees on campus.

On social media I’ve seen a lot of people up in arms about this, and although I am admittedly sad, these trees are unhealthy and unfortunately a danger.

In 2011 the silver maple in front of Stewart Hall fell unexpectedly, and it was very lucky that no one was injured, and no buildings were hit.

So I thought I’d point out something that I don’t think many people have noticed: the sycamore branches have support wires–and have for several years.

Here’s a one view of the tree–if you click through you can zoom in and see several other pictures I took from different angles.

And here are three different areas where you can see the bolts that the wires are strung between.

I noticed these wires years ago, which is why I was not at all surprised that the tree is coming down. Unfortunately, for all it’s age and history, the tree is becoming a danger not just to the building, but also to people who walk around this busy part of campus.

So as much as I don’t want to see the sycamore go, it’s better to take it down safely, than for one of these branches to fall.

And on a positive note, the wood from these trees is going to the Davis College to be used to make things, which is a lovely use.

And FWIW, here is the stump of one of the two trees that has already come down.

Again, if you click through you can zoom in and see the amount of rotted wood at the core.

So, hopefully this won’t many anyone feel better necessarily about the trees having to come down, but to understand why it is necessary.

Finally got out to Coopers Rock.

Location: Coopers Rock State Forest
Trail: Advanced Ski Trail
Distance: 5.2 miles
Elevation: 1518-2226 feet (773 feet)

No snow. No flowers. But there was water.

Since the fall leaf color is done anywhere within driving distance, we jumped straight into winter with a hike at Blackwater Falls.

Since I’ve been slacking on walking / hiking in recent months, we decided to take a relatively easy hike, and hiked part of the Davis Trail. This is the part of the Allegheny Trail that runs from Blackwater Falls to Cannan Valley State Park.

It was lovely.

Location: Blackwater Falls
Trail: Davis Trail / Allegheny Trail
Distance: 5.1 miles
Elevation: 3203-3669 feet (660 ft)

The eastern panhandle and the southern part of the state are the last areas to lose their leaves. As the eastern panhandle is an easier drive, that’s where we tend to head mid-November.

It was a gray day, and a past peak, although there were still trees that had some leaves.

Harpers Ferry is another place fascinating place to wander around. There is a ton of history there–and not just John Brown’s raid.

There is also some amazing beautify.

Two of my favorite spots there are ruins.

The old water-power ruins.

Wandering around old ruins (and especially finding hidden ruins in the woods) is a reminder of the impermanence of humanity. That of these man-made structures, the only things that are left are the stones our fore-bearers mortared together in an attempt to constrain nature.

And the old church.

I managed to forget to share the pictures from last week’s drive to Berkeley Springs. Neither of us wanted a long drive, but we wanted to a chance to see some leaf color, so off we went.

We went first to Cacapon SP, where a recent storm had taken down a lot of trees, so the road going up to the mountain top was closed, which was disappointing, since I’d hoped to see how the entire valley looked.

But it was still pretty.

Some nice color at the lower elevations.

Then we went to Berkeley Springs, which I always find lovely to walk around.

Beautiful!

The other places we stopped (right in the middle of our day) was Babcock State Park.

There was a decent amount of color there, although nowhere near peak.

So! Adorable!

We stopped at several state parks on Friday, two of which have some lovely river views.

We were a tad bit late for good light at Carnifex Ferry, but none-the-less it’s a lovely view of the Gauley River.

There was a bit of color, but nowhere near as much as there should have been for mid-October.

We stopped by Hawk’s Nest earlier in the day, and saw a different portion of the New River.

We also went down into the New River Gorge. They were getting ready for Bridge Day, and there wasn’t very much color, even if it was a lovely view.