Gauley Mountain

Back to describing the trip in June and July, from the base camp in Marlinton we drove a short way to the Gauley Mountain Trailhead on the Highland Scenic Highway. The idea was to drive the car up the mountain, then hike as much ridgetop as we could in a day. We took the Gauley Mountain Trail to the Red Run Trail, which goes about a mile or two and intersects with the Right Fork of Tea Creek Trail. This leads back to a short connector that took us back close to the trailhead. Total distance was about 8 miles, with almost all the hike above 4000 ft. and little climbing.

With the tendency of Emo Dog to chase things, I thought this was a good idea:

Emo coming back from 28 feet on a 27 foot extensible leash.

This was a wonderful hike. It was ridgetop a lot of the way, my favorite kind of hiking. The forest at this elevation is different. There was less ground clutter, letting me see well into the surroundings. The hike was mostly shaded, and a bit cool. When we did briefly hit a sunny patch, I spent a little time watching a small snake sunning in the middle of the trail.

Once in a while, you just have to let Emo off the leash, and let a dog be a dog.

Taking a dip in the creek

I was glad I carried a map and compass, there was a bit of a confusing intersection at one point, and I found later that the bears sometimes destroy the signs. I had forgotten my little day pack with two small water bottles, and was using a $20 hydration pack from K-Mart. It worked OK, but didn't hold much more than the water and maybe a piece of fruit. 

Beauty of the forest at 4000 feet elevation

The bugs were not bad, the scenery was beautiful, this was a wonderful hike. It did feel good after the 8 miles to see this:

Back to the trailhead, Subaru on the left.

This was a typical day for us. I hike slow, even slower than Ellen, I go about 2 miles per hour. So, with a leisurely morning and breakfast, drive to the trailhead, check on gear, etc. and a nice little side trip in the Subaru after, it makes for a nice day in the forest.

Gauley Mountain was one of our main points to explore. This trailhead is off the Highland Scenic Highway, a wonderful thing in itself. Look soon for descriptions of the Cranberry Glades, Falls of Hills Creek, Laurel Creek Trail, Watoga and Beartown State Parks, the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia, the AEP RecLands in Ohio, and more bears. I hope you enjoy it, we sure did.