We were meant to be hiking Saturday, and had planned on either Stonewall Lake State Park or Holly River State Park.

Once we were driving south, we remembered that this is the weekend of the Jackson’s Mill Jubilee, so we thought we’d do a hike a Stonewall Lake and then head back towards Jackson’s Mill. However, there was an entrance fee at Stonewall Lake, so we decided to pass, and take a drive instead.

We finally visited Burnsville Dam and Recreation Area, which was… fine.

But we discovered a small park, Mill Falls, which was beautiful.

No hiking, but we had a gorgeous wander.

We went with my aunt and uncle on a “hike” to view Pendleton Run Falls.

I use the term hike very loosely, because as the book I have on waterfalls puts it “cuss, fall, root grab, and butt slide your way down to the creek” and they are totally serious. The park actually removed the warning sign from the top of the trail, perhaps realizing that its existence pointed out this “path” to people who were badly prepared for the risks.

Here’s the path of 0.45 mile hike we took with three kids 6 and under, so there was a fair amount of wandering back and forth.

Here is the path going down to Pendelton Run Falls #4

I’m pretty sure the GPS lost signal more than once.

The average grade was 23% and there were a couple places that were very exciting. On the way back up I folded up my hiking stick, stuck it in my bag, and scrambled grabbing rocks and roots since that felt a whole lot more secure.

Seriously, don’t attempt this unless you are in good shape and unafraid of doing foolish things.

Location: Blackwater Falls
Trail: Pendleton Run Falls #4
Distance: 0.8 miles (down and back up)
Elevation: 2763-3132 feet

Here’s what you get for all that work.

Pretty, but to be honest, Elakala Falls is prettier with less danger.

Since we spent so much time with small people, we ended up driving out Canaan Loop Road to hike Table Rock Trail (we’d looked into hiking it from Lindy Point, but didn’t have enough time for a long hike).

Table Rock is very muddy, but the view is gorgeous.

Location: Canaan Mountain Backcountry
Trail: Table Rock Trail
Distance: 2.3 miles (out and back)
Elevation: 3391-3497 feet

Note, it hadn’t rained in awhile; when it’s been wet, these are generally giant muddy puddles.

Here’s a panorama for you!

And a look at one part of the view.

We hiked three places in the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge: The Freeland Boardwalk, The Beall Trail South, and what I think was the Camp 70 loop

The Freeland Boardwalk is highly recommend for kids–there is a brochure that tells you about different areas on the boardwalk. A pretty good diversity of habitats, including and attempt to regrow Balsam Fir.

Location: Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge
Trails: Freeland Boardwalk, Beall Trail South, Camp 70 Trail (?)
Distance: 0.45, 2.2, ?
Elevation: 3243-3262, 3217-3421, ?

Freeland Boardwalk

Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge

So this year’s birthday gifts to the small people in my life were hiking backpacks.

So what do you need for a hiking backpack?

First a foremost, a good backpack: 4-6, 7-9 (Smaller is better, since it will keep them from making it too heavy to carry comfortably.)
At least one water bottle
Naturalist notebook with pencil and a sharpie (use a sharpie to mark a ruler on the inside cover so Things Can Be Measured)
Emergency whistle
Lip balm
Flashlight
Magnifying glass (simple, more complex)
Compass (simpler, nicer)
A bandana or a pack towel
Trail mix or dried fruit (and chocolate milk and a pepperoni roll for a longer hike)
A first aid kit
Used ziploc bags for your trash (or trash you find on the trail)
Perhaps a pair of binoculars, or a pocket knife or matches, or a shovel, or a thermometer
Maps of your trails (Blackwater Falls, Canaan Valley)

And of course, nature books:
Trees, Leaves & Bark
Wildflowers, Blooms & Blossoms
Berries, Nuts, And Seeds
Caterpillars, Bugs and Butterflies
Birds, Nests & Eggs
Tracks, Scats and Signs

Then you go have adventures!

We hiked / walked a lot around Blackwater Falls, and there were lots of areas that were great for kids–rocks to climb and leap off and lots of water to play in.

The best places to play in the water were Elekala Falls (the water was low–higher water with a faster flow might not be recommended for smaller kids), and a stream just past Lindy Point–park at the Lindy Point trail head, and continue down the road that says it’s for 4×4 vehicles only. You’ll soon come to a stream.

Stop and play.

Location: Blackwater Falls State Park
Trails: Elekala Falls, Cannan Loop “Road”, Balanced Rock Trail

We took some of the kids up to Dolly Sods, where the blueberries were in fruit.

We didn’t hike much, and blueberry pancakes were made for breakfast the next day (I didn’t get any!)

I just got back from a lovely vacation with extended family–and as many as 14 kids under 9. Which was AWESOME. Because none of those kids belong to me!

I encouraged the kids of hike, and we had two lovely hikes at Canaan Valley SP. These trails were chosen specifically because they were friendly for younger kids–the youngest hiker was 4 1/2, but an under 3 walked a good deal of these trails as well.

Location: Canaan Valley SP
Trails: Blackwater Trail, Deer & Abe Run Trails
Distance: 0.8, 1.7 miles
Elevation: 3265-3307, 3260-3363 feet

I didn’t take a lot of pictures, since I was enjoying hiking with the kids.

In addition to seeing how high the lake was, we took the opportunity to do some hiking in the Summersville Lake WMA. I don’t have a link to a trail map, because I can’t find one. The only reason I knew about it at all is because one of my hiking books mentioned trails there, and had directions how to get there.

It’s a relatively easy hike, and the the view at the end is gorgeous.

Location: Summersville Lake WMA
Trail: Long Point Trail
Distance: 4.0 miles
Elevation: 1797-1991 feet

To get there, head towards Summersville Airport. The Long Point trailhead is just past the airport.

Here is the gpx map of the Long Point trail hike at Summersville Lake WMA.

We had lunch at Fran’s Family Restaurant and Cafe, which was as delicious as it was inexpensive. (607 Main St, Summersville, WV 26651)

Sumemrsville Lake was created to keep the Gauley River from flooding everything on it’s path south of Summersville. It–and the other dams in the area with heavy rain–succeeded in their tasks.

“Basically we impound that water in our dam,” Schray said. “If you look at Summersville specifically, the elevation that resulted from this event is the second highest in its history. We stored almost 42 feet of water and we store that water till the downstream stages drop below the damage levels.”

He said they started to see those lower, normal levels on Saturday which led to the release of water at Summersville and Sutton. The controlled release allows the dam to slowly get back to normal levels, so the corp can be ready in case of another weather event.

Here are some pictures taken at Summersville Lake just over a week after the flooding, with comparison pictures if I had them.

Summersville Lake viewing Long Point, July 2016

Summersville Lake viewing Long Point, October 2013 (winter water levels)

Summersville Lake at the Dam, July 2016

Summersville Lake at the Dam, October 2013 (winter water levels)

Gauley River at Carnifex Ferry, July 2016

Gauley River at Carnifex Ferry, May 2015

Water pouring from the dam into the Gauley

Long Point at Summersville Lake. If you zoom in you can see the mud on the trees where the water was.

These pictures of the lake were taken from the car as we drove across the dam.

If you would like to donate to flood relief, please check these links.

I’ve been–like everyone else in the state I suppose–thinking about the flooding that devastated so many lives on Friday.

As you know, Michael and I have been trying to visit all the state parks and forests, and in doing so we’ve driven through so many of these areas in the past two years.

Last week we were in Richwood. We drove past houses that seemed hadn’t seen better days for a couple decades. Shop front after closed shop front. Roads that were in need to repair–like all the roads in the state.

These small towns were already struggling to survive, what will this horrible destruction do to them now?

While the Cherry River has receded and the streams of water coming off the hillsides have resided Friday, many in Richwood were concerned that it was only the beginning of their problems.

Both of the towns remaining stores where people could shop for food had been destroyed. The Rite Aid and Dollar General stores, next to the Richwood Fire Hall, had been submerged in more than three feet of water.

(from the Charleston Gazette Mail)

That’s correct. The only local place for people to get groceries was a dollar general and a Rite Aid. It’s not uncommon in this state for people to have to drive 30 to 60 minutes to get to an actual grocery store. (See: Food Deserts)

Go here and here and here and here.

Look closely at the pictures of the cars and homes destroyed. So many of the people whose homes and vehicles were destroyed were already living on the edge, how many will be pushed right over the edge after this? How much do you think insurance gives you for a 10 or 15 year old vehicle–the only way you had to get a job? Enough for a new car? Certainly not. If your house was already in need to repair, how much do you think the insurance is going to give you, for a home in an area with already low property values?

With so many businesses destroyed, what will these people do for employment?

So many roads that were already in bad shape were destroyed. And I do mean destroyed.

In so many of these towns, if a road is destroyed, you can’t just go a couple blocks around to get to your location. You have to go miles and miles down roads–some gravel–to get to where you are going. And if you’ve never driven down a lot of gravel roads, five miles can take you half an hour or longer–probably longer with likely flood damage.

We’ve got all this damage in already struggling areas, in a state where we were barely able to pass a budget because there simply is no money.

So, just how is all this going to be fixed? How can you rebuild businesses when roads are destroyed? How can you rebuild homes when jobs are few and far between? How can you even move when your insurance settlement is unlikely to be enough to get you a good start somewhere else?

I love my state, but I worry how much more we can take.

Doesn’t mean we won’t keep on trying, but all of this breaks my heart as I worry about all those who lost their homes and jobs and vehicles–and family members.

We’ll go on, because we’re a proud and stubborn people and we love our state more than you can imagine, but it’d be nice if someone would cut us a break.

If you would like to donate to flood relief, please check these links.

Every time we go to Cranberry Glades, I say, “we really need to come back here and hike more” so Saturday we finally did.

It was a gorgeous hike, and we ARE going to go back and hike more. We actually had a hike where we didn’t see anyone else the whole hike (although there were other people in the area, mostly visiting the Nature Center and driving along the Highland Scenic Highway).

Location: Cranberry Wilderness
Trail: Forks of Cranberry Trail
Distance: 6.1 miles
Elevation: 4190-4684 feet (0.2% grade)

Looking out over the Cranberry Wilderness.

A section of the Forks of the Cranberry Trail.

Elephant Rocks

If you’re looking for some solitude that you can’t always find at other state and national parks/forests, I highly recommend visiting the Cranberry Wilderness.

—-

I’m going to start adding another bit here, which is where we stopped to eat (if we enjoyed our meal). This is both for anyone visiting the area looking for a place to eat, AND for us, so we stop having the discussion, “What was that place we stopped to eat around here? I really liked it.”

Dinner:
Mumsey’s Iron Skillet
761 Richwood Rd
Richwood, WV 26261
8:00 AM – 8:00 PM

I had the Southern Fried Chicken and it was very delicious.

To escape the cicadas, we headed south to the New River Gorge area, which is free of this brood. It was hot, but it was good to be outdoors, and to not be bombarded by cicadas.

We chose the southern terminus for our hike which we shan’t do again, as we had trouble getting out, since the road was steep and narrow, with loose gravel in the steepest parts. (We’ll head to the north terminus next time.)

The hike itself was very easy, as it is an abandoned railroad bed, and beautiful, since it is along Glade Creek.

Location: New River Gorge
Trails: Glade Creek, Kates Falls Trails
Distance: 5.3 miles (partial)
Elevation: 1853 – 2145 feet (1% grade)

Here is the I64 bridge that goes over Glade Creek near the start of the trail.

Saturday we hiked Coopers Rock, which we hadn’t done since March (because of traveling and rain).

It was hot, and we could hear the cicadas, but interestingly they weren’t at the lower elevations, just the higher elevations.

Location: Coopers Rock
Trails: Rhododendron, Mont Chateau, Ridge, Rock City Trails
Distance: 4.1 miles
Elevation: 1459-2069 feet

Rhododendron Trail: 6.7% grade
Mont Chateau Trail: 1.4 % grade
Ridge Trail: 7.1% grade
Rock City Trail: 2.8% grade

New trees down up the creek from Mont Chateau trail