DER ADLER
We are back on the trail again. Now that Mimi is back from her travels we can get out into the country and breath fresh air and cleanse our lungs of this city air. It felt very good to be back out in the country and just see what was on the other side of the mountain.
Day 1 - Gallaghan WV - Mileage 378 miles
The week is over and we survived it so all is well with the world. Mimi returned home from Ft. Erwin CA with a one night layover in Los Vegas. She has a difficult job but somebody has to do it. I never drew trips like that when I was traveling - any layovers were usually spent in an airport of in such a podunk town the sidewalks were rolled up at 1800 and shutters put on all the doors and windows.
I left my office an hour early, met Mimi at her office after taking the Metro from the Pentagon and we arrived home early. We left at 1500 which is just about a record and we missed the bulk of the rush hour and bypassed Manasses to Interstate 66 going west. The sun was still up and peaking out from behind the clouds, making the edges of the clouds shine like gold. Despite the presence of leaves it is very attractive driving towards Shanendoah Valley. We picked up Interstate 81 South west of Port Royal and maintained good speed until our stomachs started growling and it was time to seek something to eat in Staunton. We found a pizza buffet that served pizza in just about any style one can imagine including blueberry, taco and creme filling. It was weird! It certainly wasn't the best pizza I have had but it was filling.
From there it was back to the Interstate that by this time had joined with Interstate 64 from Richmond and went south for another 50 miles before I64 turned right and headed towards Charleston which is where are first hikes are in the morning. I had hoped there would have been a rest area long before we reach the West Virginia line but no such luck. This rest area is not bad except for the trucks on one side and the train tracks on the other. Once I quench my thirst with a bottle of wine I will be able to sleep through just about anything.
Day 2 - Cairo WV - Mileage 515
Great Day! Four hikes and one was a great hike in a park along a river.
We woke up early - for a weekend - and were out on the interstate before 0700. We really slept good as we were parked far enough away from the trucks that their engines running all night didn't other us. I think I heard a freight train or two but I slept soundly. After a pot of coffee and a few kind words we were ready for the world.
The drive through the remaining mountains was interesting. We could see snow standing at higher elevations and there were occasional spots in shady areas along the Interstate
There are six hikes in the Charleston West Virginia area but two are seasonal and closed the end of September. We will do them sooner or later. Charleston is the hub of at least five rivers, the largest being the Kanawha River which is a tributary of the Ohio River. Anything shipped from year could go as far north as Chicago and the Great Lakes or south to New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico. I assume the Charleston started as a entry to the West via the river and of course as a trading post for the early "mountain men." It is mountainous and easy to see the origin of the fable that all West Virginia cows walk around mountains in one direction because their legs are shorter on one side to compensate for the slope.
There are coal staging areas for miles along the river and the river has extensive barge traffic, a tug pushing eight or ten barges is normal. There are many major chemical plants along the banks as well; I suspect they also use the coal as the major raw ingredient. We crossed the river several times as we approached Charleston and then on to South Charleston, the site of our first hike.
The start point was a killer. " The Farm Table Restaurant" lived up to its name. The food was fantastic and way too much. The biscuits were the size of a large coffee saucer and laden with butter. I should sue the River Front Ramblers for the 10 pounds that I gained eating there. We had little trouble parking "Tiny" which is always a consideration even on a weekend. By the time we finishing "porking out" - Mimi had pork chops with her eggs - the sun was well up and it was sufficiently warm to hike with just a sweatshirt on. The hike was well laid out and not overly demanding. We pushed a little bit and finished in less then two hours. As I do not like town walks all that much I would have preferred to walk along the river but I can only assume that it wasn't possible to lay the trail that way because of the industry.
The next hike was at St Albans some ten miles further down the river and at the junction of the Coal River and the Kanawha. Again there was not a problem parking Tiny. We made a major deviation to the hike by walking down via the mall to the park along the Kanawha and watched the river for a while and then 3rd Street. The directions were easy to follow and it was generally a pleasant trail and one we will probably do again when we come back to do the seasonal hikes we missed.
I hadn't dawned on me that there would be seasonal hikes in this area, I always envisioned those to be in northern areas such as Michigan and Maine. It was only by chance that I noticed somebody on the AVA Walklist e-mail inquiring about Huntington because they wanted to go but couldn't contact anybody. I called Ms Maes and left a note on her voice mail and once I realized that I should have looked in Starting Point - the Volksmarcher's bible - that the information was there all the time. I do not if the Ramblers have e-mail access so I took the liberty of responding on the walk list and of course rewrote my plans for this trip. It would be wonderful if there was a computer mapping program that contained all volksmarches such as Map 'n Go have done with other recreation areas.
Next it was off to Coonskin Park to the north of Charleston. For me this was the premier hike of the day. It was entirely in the park and while it was mostly paved rather than natural trail it was till wonderful. It was most enjoyable to watch the Canadian geese in the pond and the ducks on Elk River and their frantic fight for survival. It is interesting that the global warming trend has allowed them to winter much further north than even twenty years ago. Of course I wonder what will happen if there is a cold period will the geese and other migratory birds retain the navigational skills to go further south, reproduce there and return.
The park has a par 3 golf course and it was filled with hackers attempting to force a cold ball into a wet small hole. The fairways had geese on them and I would not be surprised to hear that a golfer got chased away by an irrate bird. Would it be too much of a pun to state that "Some days you get a birdie and some days the birdie gets you."
The last hike was the capital hike and it was getting late. While the sun was still high when we started it gets dark faster down in the valleys so we almost jogged the entire trail. The capital building has a golden dome and we used this as our landmark if we felt we were at all confused. These trail did have great views of the Kanawha and the view of the dome with the setting sun behind it was well worth the effort of the hike. Again the trail was mostly city streets but it was laid out nicely and easy to follow. As it became darker and the Christmas tree decorations were turned on it was just that much more attractive. The start point was still open on return and I convinced myself that I just couldn't live any more without a new pair of hiking boots and socks to match.
It was becoming darker by this time and lights were a necessity. We drove north on Interstate 71 to Ripley and searched for a mall for Mimi to do some shopping and for me to take a practice nap. While putting my new socks away I discovered wet clothing and then that there was a leak in that region. Instead of a nap it was pull out the wet clothing and look for the leak. I still am not sure were it was but I did put duct tape along the seams of the roof paneling and when it get warmer I will use a sealant to make sure that it doesn't happen again. There wasn't significant damage to any clothing and while my snake tamer has a few spots of rust I think I can find a gunsmith to take care of that and re-blue it. If it cannot be restored I will be most unhappy as I have had this for over thirty years and it long since went out of production.
We headed for Cairo expecting to find some civilization but were totally surprised. I mean this place is well back into a small valley or "hollar" in the local vernacular. The hike is at a state park on the other side of town but it didn't look like a possible stopping spot. It is just a county road and narrow and I hope we do not run into a large truck coming the other direction.
There are no restaurants, no gas stations and only one convenience store. Fortunately they did have gasoline so we will be able to have coffee in the morning. No! We do not use gasoline rather than water to make our coffee, the gasoline is needed to run the generator that makes our coffee. I have been accused of strong coffee but even I do not go that far. We talked to the owner of the store for a while and his accent is almost indecipherable to us city folks. I didn't see any TV antennas in town and while there might be cable I sort of doubt it. I guess there must be dishes in the area. I saw no commerce at all and I doubt mining is as wide spread before coal became largely outdated by environmental restrictions and technology. Maybe during daylight we will see more.
It appears to be local law that mufflers must be taken off all vehicles and the ration of pickup trucks to cars must be at least three to one. It is deer hunting season so the are people all over the woods in search of the illusive animal who moves into town or close to the Interstate to avoid being shot. Of course it isn't hunting season without drinking beer and of course when it isn't hunting season people drink beer because there is nothing else to do. I didn't seen any micro brewery products, they are all the tried and tested Budweiser and Schlitz. One just cannot be a "Good ol' boy drinking Samuel Adams Fest Beer. It is getting late again and I am running out of philosophy to expound upon; I will close out a dream of tomorrow's hike.
Day 3 - Pre-dawn unannounced philosophical special
I woke up before the crack of dawn and since there is plenty of time to think before heading to the start point some one mile away I have time to reflect on what volksmarching is all about to me. Much of it is escape, an organized methodology of conflict avoidance or stress management. Yes, the walking is important, the health aspects are important as are collecting the events and kilometers are important, seeing other hikers is important but mostly it is for me. I do get to see scenery that most people only dream about or spend far more money. I get to see areas that are unknown to the average tourist who is dismayed that it takes thirty minutes to receive their iced martinis.
I get to see the old Burma shave commercials, the barns festooned with "chawing tobacee" commercials, the old soda fountain where it is still possible to have an ice cream float. If this only nostalgia and a sign of insipid senility? It is a return to quieter era for sure. Is it only to show my wife, a naturalized citizen, my country as I know it and away from the metropolitan intercity and urban areas or is it to show her that there is far more to the United States that living in the megalopolis that exist along the Eastern corridor from Boston to Miami.
I would like to think that while in Europe I learned to respect that sanctity of nature. Say what people want about Green Peace and other ecological political parties they do perform a very important role in assuring natural remains a renewable resource rather than "too costly" for industry to support. An example of this is the recent scare in Maryland and Virginia of Pfiesteria, the toxic microorganism that ravaged the fresh water areas along the major rivers adjacent to Chesapeake Bay. The solution seems to be for the meat processors to move to West Virginia and start contracting for local chicken while leaving the responsibility to clean the ecological disaster left behind to the growers and the state - read that tax payers - of the area. The true culprits are the corporations who reaped the profits. Will it happen in Appalachia? I leave that question to you.
Something else bothers me. We are in the middle of Appalachia, one of the poorest areas in the United States and yet something is different. I haven't seen a police car since I have been here. Every apologist that I have heard uses poverty and lack of opportunity as the justification, or at best, rationalization for the crime and dysfunctional family of the inner city. Why doesn't this hold true here? I do not claim to know the reasons why, I just ask, in my familiar role as curmudgeon, why.
Day 3 - Home - Mileage 917
We took it easy today. Through an administrative mistake the hike scheduled actually closed for the year several months ago - read that we didn't look at the book - so we just took it easy and drove back the scenic route using Route 50 all the way to Winchester Virginia before finally using Interstate 66 for the short drive to Manasses and home. The mountains are fantastic with snow bordering the roads for at least part of the time. We saw deer every where except where there was hunting.
It was only a short drive from where we spent the night to North Bend State Park where the hike should have been. All was not lost however as they did serve breakfast and we tried this. It was quite good and it was interesting to sit there and watch the deer outside while we were eating. There are two deer species in the area. The Mule deer is larger and mostly a browser. The White Tail is a grazer and eats mostly grass. These deer as not at all timid and just stared at us when we were less then ten feet away. They seem to know they are safe in the park area.
We had a pleasant surprise while at a small restaurant in Mt Storm West Virginia, I thought I detected a German accent and I introduced myself. It was a German couple coming from Titasee and we chatted for almost an hour. They are here in the states for a holiday. It is a small world sometimes. When we arrived home I re-plotted the remaining hikes and we will do them during the summer when they are all open. I know the hike at Kanawha State Park is very attractive as is the hike at North Bend State Park at Cairo. I am curious to find out when some of their scheduled hikes are so we can schedule them as well. The total distance was not that far and makes for a great weekend.
In all it was a very satisfactory weekend and a great relief from work and the D.C. area. I hope we will be able to have two more trips this year but will probably have to settle for just one.
Have a great holiday season.
Previous travels with Don:Virginia Tidewater
Manassas and Gettysburg
Links of Interest: Find Walking Events
