WV Weekend: Saturday

Note: Brother Eric's trip reports for the day are here and here. My trip report will likely be very similar (if not near-identical.) But I enjoy writing it up, so here goes.

6:25am
I'm awake and slept well. Actually, I've been drifting in and out of sleep for the past hour or so, but now I'm ready to get up. Eric is also up, and we'll shower quickly and get ready to go.

8:40am
We're packed and on the road. Eric and I got ready quickly. John and Ted weren't ready as quickly, so Eric and I ran across the street for gas and ice (and also got a geocache.) The guys were ready when we got back, so we availed ourselves of the Comfort Inn's complimentary breakfast - eggs, sausage, bagel, and a yogurt for me.

It's a beautiful sunny perfect day, which is the forecast for the next few days - and fingers crossed that that's how it turns out. Driving configuration is the same as last night - Eric and I in the rented SUV, John and Ted following in Ted's car. Google Maps says it's a two hour drive to the campsite - but we're not stopping there first, we're driving another 40 minutes to Spruce Knob, where we'll hike.

11:28am

View from Spruce Knob

Arrived at Spruce Knob. This is the high point of West Virginia, which I think gives me four high points. Two were significant hikes (Mt. Marcy in NY and Harney Peak in SD), but the other two you basically drive to the top (Clingman's Dome in TN, and here - in both cases walking a short distance from the parking lot.) The drive here was very pretty - for most of the last hour, we followed a river through wooded and rocky country. We passed Seneca Rocks (near our campground), then climbed significantly. We lost cell phone and internet connectivity long before Seneca Rocks, and I don't think we'll get it back until Monday (on the drive home.)

The actual high point is a lookout tower a quarter mile away. We're making sandwiches now and getting ready to hike, after our morning's drive. We'll walk to the lookout tower, then come back here and hike a portion of the Huckleberry Trail. It's brightly sunny, cool, and breezy. Pretty much perfect hiking weather.

11:56am
The lookout tower gave us a spectacular vista of the surrounding country. Then we returned to the parking area, and it took us a few minutes to find the start of the Huckleberry Trail. Now we've found it and are starting our hike.

We'll be doing an out-and-back. We'd rather do a loop, but there were no convenient options. So we'll hike out until we decide to turn around, and then hike back. Eric's guidebook says the trail will basically follow the ridge line, so there should be good scenery. Off we go.

12:54pm
Lunch stop. It's a perfect day for hiking, and as we hoped, it's a beautiful ridge line trail. One humorous note - early in the hike, I bent over, and the seat of my pants ripped from stem to stern. They were old hiking pants, and I guess they'd just worn out (the size of my waistline hasn't changed. :-)) So I have more air conditioning than I'd planned.

1:35pm
Lunch is over and we're ready to hike. I brought one sandwich with me, and I'm wishing I'd had a second. But I have trail mix and am good. We sat in a meadow just off the trail with a nice vista overlooking the surrounding forests and ridge lines.

2:07pm
We've decided to turn around. The trail started descending off the ridge line, and any elevation lost from this point will have to be regained. We've done just short of 5 miles, so that will make it about a 10 mile day. I feel good and my legs feel good.

3:44pm

Campsite, Seneca Shadows campground

Back at the trailhead. That was a great hike. It's still a beautiful day. We're changing out of sweaty clothes, drinking water and Gatorade, and getting ready for the drive back to our campground.

5:25pm
We've checked in at the Seneca Shadows campground, found our site, and set up camp. We burst out laughing when we saw our site - it's a group campsite, meant for a boy scout troupe or a family reunion. We have 3 tents and 4 people, but the site could easily accommodate 15 tents and 50 people. But once the jokes died down, we realize it's a fantastic spot. We have a direct view of Seneca Rocks itself, and it's a truly gorgeous vista. We're isolated, we're near the bathhouse - it's great. We thought it seemed pricey for a campsite - now we know why.

John and Ted each have solo tents, and Eric and I are bunking together in my big tent (well, big enough for the two of us and our air mattresses.)

7:05pm

Seneca Rocks from our campsite

We've been sitting around talking, and just watching Seneca Rocks. It looks different as the sun gets lower in the sky and the light hits it from different angles. I played my travel guitar for a while, and I'm so glad to be able to bring it on these trips. I'd be happy to go off alone and play without bothering anyone, but the guys seem to like hearing it. Eric is starting dinner, and Little Feat is playing on the iPod. Life is good.

9:05pm
Eric cooked steaks, which were delicious. It's hard to believe we could be out here eating so well. Not to mention wine, which is hitting the spot. There's still a little bit of daylight left. We have a blazing campfire going, and we're sitting by the fire, talking and listening to music.

10:15pm
I'm beat, and we're all hitting the sack. Nite nite.

WV Weekend: Friday

Note: Brother Eric's trip report is here. My trip report will likely be very similar (if not near-identical.) But I enjoy writing it up, so here goes.

7:35pm
Ted arrived at my house shortly after 7:00, and Eric rolled in soon after that. I finished most of my packing this afternoon, having a small duffel of clothes and toiletries, and a large duffel of my tent (that Eric and I will share), sleeping bag, air mattress, and various camp supplies. I also have two fold-up camp chairs (Ted needs one), a large cooler, and my travel guitar (which I'd like to bring, but obviously isn't a necessity and can be left out if there isn't room.)

John is attending a wedding, and has promised us that he'll arrive here by 9pm.

The original plan was for us all to pile into the rented SUV with our gear and go. That changed today when Ted had work issues, where he had to be home for a phone call on Monday. After a flurry of texts and IM's, we decided that he would drive separately as far as Winchester, VA - then we'd all take the SUV into WV tomorrow, returning him to his car early Monday. The rest of us would then do a day-hike on Monday around Winchester or Harper's Ferry before heading home.

8:03pm
We laid out all the gear in the driveway, and it immediately became painfully obvious that we had no chance of fitting everything in the SUV. We realize the flaw in our thinking. The next size rental car above our "standard SUV" is a minivan - *tons* of space, but also significantly more expensive. We figured that since we were only camping for two nights, that an SUV would be fine. The flaw is that whether you're camping for one night or 10, there's a base amount of stuff you need - and it's a significant amount.

As Ted was already driving as far as Winchester, he's now driving the whole way. This is unfortunate - the camaraderie, discussions, and musical choices on the drives are part of the fun. But there's no way to do this in one car. On the bright side, taking a second car means that we now have plenty of room - so my travel guitar is coming.

8:45pm
We're on the road. John arrived around 8:15, way earlier than expected. He changed out of his nice clothes, we finished loading, and off we go. I'm riding with Eric, and John is riding with Ted. It's a very nice and relieved feeling to actually be on the road after the last-minute changes and uncertainty.

11:48pm
Arrival, Comfort Inn, Winchester, VA. Smooth sailing and an easy drive on the PA Turnpike and I-81. Satellite radio is nice. Not nice enough that I'm willing to pay for it, but nice enough that I enjoy it when in a rental car. We've reserved two rooms - again, Eric and I, John and Ted.

12:30-ish
We watched the L.A. Kings win the Stanley Cup in overtime, and now it's lights out. We're planning to be up at 6:30 or 7:00. Nite nite.