It’s been a while since I have written anything. I’ve been just as active in my adventuring as before, but the desire to write afterwards has not really been there… which is unfortunate, because I spent three sunny days in the White Mountains, went on a forty-six mile canoe trip with some friends, and an eighty mile hike from inside Shenandoah National Park to Harper’s Ferry, WV. So without further ado… here is my latest adventure.
Dolly Sods Wilderness Area encompasses nearly 18,000 acres high up on the Alleghany Plateau in West Virginia. It was originally used by the Dahle family (hence the name Dolly) as a place for their sheep to graze. In the 1940’s the United States Army used the plateau as an artillery firing range, and in 1975 it was designated as a Wilderness Area by Congress. There have been several sweeps of the area for old shells, but they can still be found, so it is highly recommended by the Forest Service that you stick to the established trails and camping areas.
I drove up to the Wilderness on Thursday afternoon after I had finished my classes for the day. I had heard that Dolly Sods was in full bloom, and I have wanted to go there for a while so it seemed like the perfect time. I was not disappointed. To get to Dolly Sods you have to drive up Forest Road 75, a very narrow and winding dirt road up the mountains, for five miles. There were a few times when I had to back down the road to a wider area so that other vehicles coming down the mountain could pass, but it is lined with trees hanging over the road in shades of brilliant yellows and oranges so I didn’t mind, and instead took my time, drinking up the scenery.
Once I got to the parking areas at the top of the plateau my jaw dropped. I had scoured Instagram for pictures of the area beforehand, but they did not do the place justice. Everywhere I looked something was blooming. The huckleberry bushes that cover the open areas had turned shades of a deep, bright red, and you could see the trees in distant valleys bathed in red, gold and orange. I couldn’t help but think to myself that this must be nirvana.
Sunny skies, temperatures in the mid sixties and no wind created the perfect environment for hiking. I began down the Bear Rocks trail which winds its way through a vast field of huckleberry bushes and into the tree line, along with an arguing couple in front of me and a group of six teenagers and one adult behind me. This place is very popular so I didn’t expect to have it to myself with such great weather, but I decided to turn on the jets to distance myself from them and get some quality alone time with nature.
While there are no bridges over the numerous streams, there are several boardwalks over the bogs. I can only imagine that they were placed there after an accident or two. For those who don’t know, bogs have the ability of swallowing a human if they walk on it, so I was very grateful to have a little bit of human help on this trip.
After traipsing across the bogs, through the forests and several large meadows I came across a man from the Ohio River Valley who was out for the day photographing the fall foliage. We talked about the area for ten minutes, and as I was heading out to resume hiking he described a wonderful camping site to me about a half mile away. It was on a high hill in the middle of one of the meadows, and had a nice fire ring with plenty of wood to burn already stacked there.
I arrived at the spot thirty minutes before the sunset and set up camp. Having read the weather report I knew that there was to be no rain that night, so I left the rain fly off of my tent and just used the netting and frame to keep the bugs off of me. Of course, Murphy had to come calling though, and at 5 am I was awoken in a downpour. I still enjoyed the experience though; I had a great vantage point for the sunset and made a nice fire that evening.
The next morning I set out to explore more of the wilderness. After a mile of walking through the forest and some particularly wet and muddy sections of the trail, I found myself on a ridge and decided to stop for a hearty breakfast of hashbrowns, eggs, onions and peppers thanks to Mountain House.
Setting out across the ridge, I came upon a side trail that looked like it went to the edge of the ridge overlooking a valley to the north. Twenty yards down the path I happened upon the Ritz Carlton of camping sites. There was a huge fire ring, and somebody had stacked the slate rocks to form a couch overlooking the valley! I know where I will be camping next time around.
I didn’t end up doing the whole circuit that I had planned because I came across a large boulder field and couldn’t find the trail. I even walked across it and scoured the forest edge on the far side, but after an hour of searching I gave up and turned around. I was a little disappointed at first, but circumstances don’t always work out exactly how you plan, so I struck the negative thoughts from my mind and continued to enjoy the experience! On the way back I came across a little snake, maybe four inches long, and a few deer. I couldn’t identify the snake, but I enjoy observing the different creatures that inhabit the areas I’m exploring.
It felt like overnight the colors had only gotten more brilliant, or maybe my senses were heightened being alone in the wilderness. Either way, I happened across a gorgeous stand of trees on the way back, and from it the most enamoring smell was emanating.
I arrived back at the parking area at 11:50 am and made a huge cup of coffee with my Jetboil Java Press. I didn’t have to be back in Stafford until 7 pm, and I didn’t really want to leave anyways, so I decided to drive around a bit. I explored Forest Road 75 some more, driving south, and then went back down the mountain the way I came up. Once I arrived at the bottom I still had six hours to kill, so I drove west through the mountains and into the town of Davis, which proudly calls itself the highest incorporated town in West Virginia. Along the way to Davis, I drove past a Juvenile Detention Center. Very isolated, I thought it was probably the perfect place for such a facility. Once I drove by the road it was on, I couldn’t help but laugh, because it was named Forestry Camp Road. I can only imagine some of the conversations that take place about the irony of the name in relation to what it actually is.
I found a wildlife management area on the edge of town and decided to check it out. I drove three miles to the back, and stopped at a few docks that went out on the stream, and chatted with an elderly couple who were living in an RV at one of the camp sites.
At 3 pm I decided it was time to head back, but I wanted to keep exploring small towns and decided to take Old Route 55 instead of I-43, which it parallels. The old route was nothing but hills, going through small towns with 25 mph speed limits, and passing through farmlands. The small valley was all private property, so the route went up and down repeatedly over the sides of the mountains; it was so steep at times that I had to stay in third gear because I lost speed trying to use fourth gear to go up the mountains.
On I-66 I was reminded of something I try to keep in the forefront of my mind: expectations breed resentments, which lead to anger. Driving the posted speed limit on the highway seems like something one could reasonably expect, but not in Virginia. The highway is split into four lanes here, two going each way separated by a median. This particular section saw the opposite side elevated fifty feet. There had been an accident on the opposite side of the highway, and people slowed down in both lanes to 45 mph! There was nothing threatening us on the east-bound side, so I got frustrated for fifteen seconds and then reminded myself it really isn’t that big of a deal. Completely unrelated to adventuring, but I figure someone might get something good out of that!
Overall it was a very amazing trip, and I am blessed to be able to explore as much as I am. Next weekend I am meeting my mom, step dad and sister in the White Mountains of New Hampshire to check out the New England fall foliage and do some hiking, so stay tuned for more pictures!
hiking the appalachians 