First day in the Forest

Sorry, no pictures this post. The first day, we went up the gravel road Forest Service Road 24, that runs along the ridgetop of Gauley Mountain. It was a great drive. Things are different at over 4000 feet. This is a little disturbed area. The road is several miles long, with a couple other shorter roads to explore. We got out to walk a few times.

On the way back down a very healthy looking adult black bear ran across the road about 150 feet in front of us. I got to see a bear the first day! 

We were scoping out potential trails to hike, and basically in awe of the vast expanse before us. We had never had a full month to explore a large forest before. I soon realized we had enough in just 2-1/2 Ranger Districts to keep us busy for a month. We next stopped by the ranger station in Marlinton, and bought a new version of the 1987 trail guide I had bought on-line. We went to the Pocahontas Campground, which serves as a trailhead for about a 3 mile loop we hiked. Next, we went down the road to a trailhead for the Allegheny Trail, and I thought we could hike it up the mountain to connect with a ridge trail overlooking a lake. I learned what a mountain is. We crossed two glades where I wished I had worn long pants, then went up, up, and up. I kept climbing, stopping for frequent breaks. Then, we went up some more. Well, I finally realized I needed to do a little better planning, and we turned around. I estimated we gained about 700 feet elevation. 

Back to the RV for some dinner, baseball on the TV (I have the Extra Innings package), and a long, hard study of the trail guide and forest maps. Despite failing to get to the top of the mountain, we had a wonderful first day.

I hope to do a day hike with my friend Ellen tomorrow, so I will hopefully post like a real blog, instead of a history. But there is a lot more forest to tell about.