WV Weekend: Wrap-up

Note: Brother Eric's recap is here. This post will likely echo many of his thoughts.

Overall

This was a fantastic weekend. We had two and a half days outdoors, the scenery was gorgeous, the weather was perfect, all the hikes were good, the campground and campsite were exceptional, and the camaraderie (as always) couldn't be beat. And most importantly for me right now, all of this cost me just one personal day from work.

The Hikes
All the hikes were good. Spruce Knob was notable for being the high point of WV, and now that we've checked it off, there's no reason to return. The Huckleberry Trail was good - not breath-taking - but a very nice ridgeline trail. The Dolly Sods *was* breath-taking, and I would gladly return there. There's a while network of trails over a very large area, and we haven't scratched the surface of what it was to offer. Seneca Rocks was a lovely little morning diversion.

The Campsite
As Eric and I both noted, our campsite was unparalleled. Yes, it was excessive to have a group campsite for the four of us, but the open space and solitude it gave us were very nice. The direct view of Seneca Rocks was just amazing. Our eyes were continually drawn there, and it looked subtly different in every light, and at different times of day. Obviously, it was more expensive than a normal campsite, but it as well worth it. I would definitely return to Seneca Shadows campground, and would insist on the same site.

My Gear
I can honestly say I need nothing. I love the gear I have, and there's nothing I'm lacking for hiking and camping. I don't even look at the ads I get from REI, Campmor and EMS. They have lovely stuff, but there's nothing that remotely tempts me. In hindsight, there was no reason for me not to bring two tents, so Eric and I could each have our own. Mine is big enough for both of us, but I sometimes worry that my tossing and turning keeps him awake.

I did forget to pack three items, which I'm noting here as reminder to myself for next time:

1. A pillow. I slept on two rolled-up t-shirts. I don't know how I didn't bring my beanbag travel pillow - but the t-shirts did the job.
2. A towel. This wasn't a surprise - I *always* forget to bring a towel, and end up drying myself with whatever I can manage. Somehow this just doesn't enter my thoughts when thinking through what I'll need.
3. A headlamp. These are *so* handy for a getting around a campsite after dark. I had one, but I seem to have lost it. I've been holding off buying another one, as I think it has to be in my house and I'll find it - but it's not turning up, so I'll have to get another one.

Rental Car
As Eric and I have both mentioned, we screwed up badly by trying to save a few dollars by renting an SUV instead of a minivan. Camping = minivan, period. Our error was thinking that only two nights camping meant we needed less space. We realize now that if we're camping for one night, that means we're bringing our camping gear, and there's the same amount of stuff whether it's for one night or two weeks. Everything worked out, but it's a lesson learned.

Final Thoughts
Another fun and successful trip. It was a great time with great friends. And I think it sets a blueprint for the kinds of trips we can try to do fairly frequently (meaning more than just once a year.) Leaving Friday night after work, having all day Saturday, all day Sunday,and part of Monday for hiking and camping - getting home Monday night and only requiring one vacation day.

WV Weekend: Monday

Note: Brother Eric's trip report for the day is here. My trip report will likely be very similar, though briefer, as six weeks have now passed. But I enjoy writing it up, so here goes.

6:51am

I'm up, after a very poor night's sleep. No reason for it, just one of those nights when sleep doesn't come - even though I was very tired when I went to bed. I finally slept for a few hours close to dawn, and feel okay. As planned, Ted was up at dawn and left, as he has to be home and working by mid-day. It looks to be yet another gorgeous day.

7:42am
We're enjoying a nice lazy morning in camp. I know I've mentioned this already (probably multiple times), but we have the most beautiful campsite, and Seneca Rocks just continues to draw the eye. You just it there and look at it...and it's subtly different in every light, and at different times in the day. I'm taking lots of iPhone pics, that I know will all look pretty much the same. Eric is taking pics with his good camera, and I'm sure they'll be so much better.

Another breakfast of Pop-tarts and Jetboil coffee. I usually think to bring a better breakfast, but I forgot to this time.

The plan for today is to hike to the top of Seneca Rocks. There's a trial at the base that leads to the top - short (3.0 miles round trip, according to Eric's guide book) but steep (1,000 feet of vertical elevation gain). We're wondering how steep that will feel. My legs feel good after two fairly-strenuous hiking days, but I'm not really in the mood for a big climb, and I know at least Eric feels the same.

Campground checkout isn't until noon, so we'll do that hike, then come back here to shower, pack up, and hit the road for home.

8:05am
Trailhead. It's a perfect sunny warm day, and we're ready to go.

8:53am
We're at the top. The hike could hardly have been easier - the trail was wide, very well maintained, and designed with switchbacks so that it didn't feel like a big climb at all. It was a constant ascent, but never felt like a grueling climb. We're on a wooden deck that clings to the side of the rocks very near the top, and the view is spectacular (and straight down, dizzying.) We're stopping to rest, drink, and enjoy the views. We can see our campsite from here - though I didn't notice this deck from camp.

9:12am

Eric and John

We've taken a lot of pics, and now we're starting back down.

10:32am
We're back at camp, very happy with this morning's little expedition. The hike down was a piece of cake,and then we stopped into the Visitor's Center, which had some interesting exhibits and topo maps of the area. We could see Spruce Knob (our Saturday hike), the Dolly Sods (our Sunday hike), and our camp at Seneca Rocks. They also had a souvenir shop, and I picked up a Seneca Rocks sticker for my guitar case.

11:33am
We're showered and packed, the car is loaded, and we're heading for home.

5:15pm
Home sweet home. Uneventful drive. It was probably an hour into the drive when we finally got back into civilization (i.e., got cell phone and internet service back.) All of our phones started dinging with messages, e-mails, etc. It's nice to be completely offline.

This was a fantastic trip, and we did a *lot* in two and a half days.

Next: final thoughts.

WV Weekend: Sunday

Note: Brother Eric's trip reports for the day are here, here, and here. My trip report will likely be very similar, though briefer, as six weeks have now passed. But I enjoy writing it up, so here goes.

8:05am
I'm up after a very good night's sleep. We thought we'd be up and going early, as most of us (basically everyone except Eric, I think it's safe to say) are naturally early risers. I was stunned to hear voices and find out it was almost 8:00. That's not a problem - we'll have ample daylight for the hike we have planned - it's just unexpected.

9:25am
We're getting ready for our hike - eating breakfast (Pop-tarts and coffee, yum), making sandwiches and packing our daypacks, and dressing for our hike. Today's plan is a short drive (30-40 min) to the Dolly Sods Wilderness area, where we'll park and do about a 10-mile hike. While I haven't researched the area in depth, I voted strongly for a Dolly Sods hike when we were planning the trip and saw we'd be near. I just know it by reputation - I've heard many people talk online about what a fantastic place it is to hike.

It's a beautiful bright sunny day and I'm feeling good. This really is an amazing campsite. The view of Seneca Rocks dominates the scene - and it's subtly different in every light. My gaze is continually drawn to it.

10:35am

Trail-head, Bear Rocks Trail, Dolly Sods Wilderness. Getting here was more of an adventure then we'd anticipated. The directions in Eric's guide book were just plain wrong.We figured it out, but it cost us some extra driving. The last few miles were hard uphill on a horribly rutted dirt and gravel. I think we'll all need a visit to the chiropractor after being bounced around like that.

The guide book describes this trail as a "vistapalooza", with not too much strenuous up and down. Sounds good to me.

12:33pm
We've found a boulder field where we can stop for lunch. It's been a great hike so far - some rolling ups and downs, but nothing too extreme (as advertised.) Sometimes we've been walking through woods, but more often we've been walking through mountain meadows with long views across the wilderness area. I'm so used to our hikes being in the woods that I didn't sunscreen this morning - and I don't think anyone did. I didn't think of it then - but I'm thinking of it now, when I can't do anything about it. The sun is directly on us, and the day has been getting hotter. Oh well.

Here, as at home, there's been a lot of rain in the past week, and sections of the trail have been sloppy - muddy with the occasional big puddle.

As we were approaching the boulder field, a group of Boy Scouts were leaving. They're on a multi-day backpacking trip, and seem to be in good spirits.

1:05pm
Lunch is over and we're ready to hike again. When we arrived at the boulders, I took off my shoes, socks, and shirt and laid them out in the sun to dry. I tore into my first ham and cheese sandwich. Then, unbelievably, we heard the new message "ding" from someone's cell phone. We've been completely offline (no cell or internet service) since yesterday morning, and I've had my phone in airplane mode - that way I could still use it as a camera without burning battery as it tried in vain to look for service.

But amazing, here in the Dolly Sods, we suddenly have service. Eric speculates that we're now at the furthest section of our hike, near the boundary of the wilderness area. There must be a cell tower in range. Whatever the case, we all have cell service for the first time in a day and a half, and it's a comical (or somewhat absurd) sight to see everyone go for their phones, checking messages, e-mails, and Facebook. My priorities were, 1) make sure there were no emergency messages from home (there weren't), 2) read and respond to very sweet Father's Day notes from two very sweet girls, and 3) post a pic to FB for wife and girls.

3:12pm
We're now following a stream, and the trail has become a mucky mess - we're basically walking through a swamp. It's a low boggy area to begin with, and the week's rains have saturated the ground. We're trying to pick our way from rock to rock and dry spot to dry spot, but there's no way to avoid getting muddy and wet. It's very slow going. Every so often you hear a groan from someone who misjudged a step and sank up to their ankle in muck. I took a false step and sank up to my calf. As my foot kept sinking, I thought for a brief moment that the bog was going to swallow me whole. I've reached the point where I'm not even looking for dry spots to step any more. My feet can't get any wetter or any muddier, so I'm just slopping through the muck. Blech.

The sun has become very hot and intense. I'm wearing my baseball cap and have my bandana tied around my neck for sun protection. The guys' faces, ears, and necks are all bright red - and I'm undoubtedly the same. I'm low on water and Gatorade, as I've been trying to drink a lot and stay hydrated on such a hot and sunny day. There are only a few miles to go, so I'm fine - but I'll admit I'm at the point where I'm ready for the hike to end.

4:10pm
Back at the car, thank goodness. The day isn't blistering hot, but the sun is just unrelenting, and our hike was mostly out in the open. We're all sunburned and are currently re-hydrating. Eric's GPS says we hiked 11.3 miles, and it took about 5.5 hours.

6:35pm
Relaxing at camp. The drive back to camp was uneventful, and we had the car's AC blasting. There's a general store just outside the campground, and we stopped there for ice and a few supplies. When we got back we showered and changed into clean clothes, and kicked back with a beer. As we did yesterday, we're doing the makeshift iPhone speaker (putting it in a bowl - it works surprisingly well.) We're taking turns picking songs. I've been playing my guitar some.

Eric has prepared us a feast. He pre-made Cincinnati chili and brought it here frozen. He cooked it up, and we're now eating it with a salad and wine. This is unimagined luxury. All food tastes better at a campsite - and really good food like this? Just wow.

10:05pm
I'm hitting the sack. It's been a good and tiring day. The hike was a good one with gorgeous views. We're sunburned, but not horribly. My legs are a little sore, but nothing serious. I feel good.

We spent the rest of the evening sitting around the campfire, listening to music, and talking. There's nothing like being at a campsite with good friends. Nite nite.

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.

WV Weekend Plans

This year's plan of small trips, rather than one big trip, continues this weekend with a trip to West Virginia. Things have been so busy here with in-laws visits and major life events that I haven't been nearly as involved in the planning as I usually am. But that's okay, the guys excel at this, and I know they'll come up with something good.

Here's what I do know. We'll gather at my house this evening - Eric and Ted in the early evening. John dropped his gear here last night, so we'll pack the rented SUV, talk over plans for hikes, and wait for John - who is attending a wedding tonight, but has promised us that he'll be here by 9pm.

When he gets here, we'll hit the road and drive to the vicinity of Winchester, VA, where we have a motel reservation. That's about a 3 hour drive, and hopefully gets us there and in bed not too long after midnight.

Saturday morning, we'll have about a two-hour drive to Seneca Shadows campground, which is where we'll be until Monday, when we'll drive home.

Normally, I would have researched the hikes in that area - but I haven't had a chance to do any of that. I'm sure there are good ones - Seneca Rocks and Spruce Knob are very close. I know Eric has researched, and I'd be shocked if John and Ted haven't too. If today is a light day at work, I'll do some Googling. If there's no time for that, I'll pick their brains tonight.

As always, I'll post a full trip report when I return.