Early Fall in the Sods

Bear Rocks Trail

Kerry and I hit the road on Saturday morning.  We quickly gathered up our backpacking gear and threw it in the back of the pickup truck for a weekend of wandering around in the Dolly Sods.  I was excited to get away for a long weekend after two weeks of being reimmersed in life at school.

We met Katie and Scott in Friendsville around noon.  Katie, Scott, and I were set to spend a few hours paddling the Upper Yough.  We consolidated all of our kayaking gear and headed for the put-in.  There was an early fall chill in the air.  A cold front was blowing through the area.

Mogul's New Friends

Mogul made a few new friends in the parking area.  One dog was a perfect doppelganger.  They chased sticks around while we were suiting up.  The Upper Yough was great as always.  I saw Travis Overstreet at National Falls, always great to see him.  We paddled so quickly we ended up catching up with the release bubble.  It was a slow slog to the take-out, but the beautiful day made it more than bareable.

Once we were off the river, we met up with Kerry and headed to the Riverfront Hotel for soup, salad, and delicious homemade bread.  Maggie and Jeff were sitting at the table next to us, and we all talked while we ate.

Goldenrod

We hit the road for Canaan Valley, stopping at the local Wal-Mart in Oakland to pick up a few provisions, most importantly a sleeping bag for Kerry.  We thought about hitting up the Purple Fiddle to catch the evening show, but decided to build a fire, kick back and relax; a good choice.

Amber Waves of Grain in the Dolly Sods

In the morning we geared up and headed up to the Sods.  I had never before seen so many cars on the access road.  It was so dusty we were coughing the whole way to Bear Rocks where we ditched the cars.  We decided to do  a huge loop in the northern part of the Sods, a few trails I had not done before.  The vistas and wide open plains in the first few miles were stunning.  I could not help but think how badly I wanted to go back and mountain bike the same trails.

Intersection of Bear Rocks and Raven Ridge Trails

We hiked at an unhurried pace, and took plenty of time to take it all in.  We were unsure of where were going to camp, given the incredibly large amount of people in the area.  We decided the best spots were likely taken, so we settled on a site off trail near Blackbird Knob.  It worked out perfectly.  We built a great fire, ate some backpacking meals, and wiled away the evening looking at the stars.  The cold set in as our fire wound down, and we were eager to get into our sleeping bags.

In the morning we hiked out and hit the road.  It was the perfect way to spend the weekend before the start of the school year.

Kerry Crossing the Beaver Dam

Scott and Katie near the Finish

Good company and good times.