Babcock SP

On April 9, Cool Guy and I took quite a long drive down to Babcock State Park.  This is one of my very favorite places.  We hiked the Skyline Trail.  It is 2 miles one way.

The weather was fantastic.  If anything, it was warmer than we would have liked.

The trail starts from a cabin area and immediately goes up at a gentle grade and into a stand of rhododendrons and a lovely down falling stream, like a baby waterfall.  For the upward part, we were surrounded by giant rhododendrons most of the way with some parts of hardwood.  There were some amazing overlooks once we got to the top and leveled off.  I need to add that we just didn't have to climb very high to get way above the world.

Another really cool thing is that for the entire hike, we could hear the water rushing in the river below us.  So we had it all: view, water, sound.

At the end of the trail, we were next to the road.  There was a picnic area and the most amazing view.  We enjoyed our lunch and gazed at the mountains.  We decided to hike back the way we came, but Cool Guy went much, much faster this time, and we made it to the bottom in 25 minutes.  I'm glad we took our time getting to the top and enjoying the scenery on the way up.

Conkles Hollow

The entire family went to Conckles Hollow in Hocking Hills SP on March 25.  The weather was mild.  When we started the drive there, it was 30 degrees, and by the time we got home it had risen to about 45.  Perfect weather for hiking.

Conkles is the lesser-known treat of Hocking Hills SP, lagging behind Old Man's Cave.  Though I love OMC, the crowds turn me off.  Conckles is just as nice and has almost no one there.  When we arrived on that Friday morning, there were two other cars in the parking lot.  When we left, there were two other cars in the parking lot.

We did both the Rim Trail (2.5 mile loop) and the Gorge Trail (1 mile out and back).  We began with the Rim, deciding to go clockwise this time.  To get up to the rim, we have to climb a lot of stairs, but once at the top, it's pretty level the whole way.

What was outstanding about the rim trail this time, apart from the fantastic view was the icicles.  We could see them on the rock edges of the canyon, perhaps around a bend, and they were so long.  And then as the day began warming up, we would be lucky enough to see a mass of them crash below.  We got to witness that a few times.

At about the halfway point of the Rim, we came upon the lookout point and the waterfall.  When we had gone last summer, the waterfall was all dried up.  This time, we were lucky.  It was a lovely view across the canyon, and entrancing to watch and hear the water falling.

The opposite side of the canyon had quite a bit of ice on the trail, and that could be a little scary at times.  This side had more solid rock as the trail, and when it was a sheet of ice, it made us nervous about slipping.  There are no guard rails on the edge, and it's at least a 200 foot drop.  We walked very gingerly, and still, Cool Guy, Encyclopedia, and I each slipped once.  We were joking that Burt was next, and he said he'd save it for a big fall.

Eventually, we arrived at stairs bringing us to the floor of the canyon again.  We decided to do the Gorge Trail, which we had passed on last time here.  This trail is concrete paved and is for the enjoyment of those in wheelchairs, baby strollers, etc.  I thought it would be a boring walk, but it was wonderful.

First, there are all the microclimates.  A jungle of ferns here, a cave there, a gathering of slump rocks over there.  It was never the same look twice.  Then we reached the back of the canyon where the concrete ended and the waterfall began.  Oh, my.  This was the highlight of the trip!  Going beyond the sidewalk, onto the path that led us to the base of the waterfall, we were amidst rock overhangs, caves, ice sculptures.  It was so neat to be in the semi gloom, feeling very cold, surrounded by ice and water, and then look backward and see a fern forest behind us, like looking at two different worlds.

The boys had the best time knocking down icicles.  I mean, they were mesmerized for a very, very long time, just climbing among the rocks, finding icicles to knock down, and doing it again.

Burt was over at the foot of the waterfall and suddenly, he slipped.  It was an ice sheet he was standing on, and he went down hard.  The bigger they are, the harder they fall.  Yes, he was right, saving his fall for the grand finale.  Pained a little, but OK.  Nothing long lasting.

Cool Guy said it was the best hike ever, and Encyclopedia actually admitted to have a great time.

Kanawha State Forest, Overlook Rock Trail

Cool Guy and I went to Kanawha State Forest for the first time Feb. 7.  For a nice change, the weather was clear and warmish, after a couple of weeks of overcast skies, rain and snow.  I chose Overlook Rock Trail because it immediately involved climbing, and I figured that getting up might get us away from snow run-off.

Finding Kanawha State Forest was very easy.  I forget how easy it is to get around in Charleston.  After taking the correct exit, I only needed to follow the signs for 6 miles.  Easy peasy.

Once we got to the forest, I checked in at the station to get our VIPP cards stamped, and the ranger was very helpful to us, recommending the best way to hike the Overlook Rock loop.  We began with the hard climbing and then at the end of the hike, we got our reward in the form of a fantastic view on a large rock.

But I'll start from the beginning.  The trail was extremely well-blazed, and the trail, though narrow, was clear and easy to follow, even with leaves all over the ground.  We began by going up, up, up, though none of it involved scrambling over anything.  Just steady upward movement.  Finally at the ridge top, we had pretty level walking.  At the top, it was evident that the forest suffered quite a bit from the storm damage of last summer.  There were trees down everywhere, though none obscuring or blocking the trail.  One thing I noticed at ridge top was that thorn brambles grew thick right to the edge of the trail.  I imagine that they only get worse as the spring and summer come along, so I was glad that we were hiking this one in winter.

There were so many beautiful sights: large moss-covered rocks, little streams babbling, trees, views.  And then we came to the rock.  It was huge and gave us the most fantastic view of the hills and valleys all around.  It was hard to believe that we were in Charleston.

After having our lunch on the rock, we trekked on, almost immediately heading down.  The hike down was easy, not too steep at all.  One interesting part was that when we got to the bottom, our trail took us right up next to a stream, and with the snow melt, often the stream was in the path.  We crossed back and forth over it a few times.  We saw a few small waterfalls tumbling over rocks.  I don't know, but I'm guessing that in drier weather, these little runs are missing.

This was a short hike, on 1.5 miles, but it had everything: climb, view, water interest.

We were the only ones there.  It was so quiet and peaceful.  Definitely going again.

Canyon Rim Trail, Pipestem SP

After almost two solid months of hiking frustration, (hunting, rain, illness), the family finally got to make up for some lost time with our end of the year vacation to Pipestem SP.  As a family, we did one amazing hike.  I did two others, which I will post about later.  Our family hike was Canyon Rim Trail, and it was the best of the bunch.

We did this hike on New Year's Eve, Jan. 31, 2012.  There was a little snow on the ground, and the temperature was in the upper 30's or lower 40's, so the snow wouldn't last long.  Surprisingly, even Encyclopedia wanted to go along.

The trail is .7 mile one way and ends at a rock outcropping overlooking the Bluestone River Canyon.  The trail began downhill and continued that way the entire way to the rim of the canyon.  For us older folks, that was the hard part, going down on a steep, sometimes slippery path.  I think Burt wished at times that he had brought his walking stick.

At the end of the trail, we were on two major rock outcrops and had the most wonderful view of the valley, with the very, very blue Bluestone River at the bottom.  The sky was clear, no one was anywhere near, and it was so peaceful.

I'm glad that the beginning of the trip was downhill because I don't know if I could have gotten the boys to go all the way if we had had the climb at the outset.  As it was, the uphill to get back was strenuous.  Cool Guy needed some encouragement and coaching on just going a little more slowly, thus not needing to stop as often.  He did well.

I would definitely do this hike again, especially in the fall in order to see the leave from that viewpoint.