I was a bit tired by Saturday evening. Over 3 hours of instrument flying Friday, hiking and a few hundred miles of really hard roads Saturday. CC came to the rescue and offered to drive Sunday. The morning was once again brisk as we headed to Seneca Rock. I knew the first part was going to be easy since we started on I-79.
After 20 miles we took our exit and instead of a cart path like I had enjoyed, she had a divided 4 lane highway. This continued most of the way until about 30 miles out where she got 2 lane with alternating passing lanes. All was good though, we arrived alive and I got a break from driving.
Seneca rock is a large formation that combines trails and danger. The rocks have claimed 15 lives since 1971 and they have many signs to remind you. Since I was being careful not to die of a virus, I figured that I should respect gravity too. When we arrived the sun was behind the rocks and the view was nice but not spectacular.
Frankly I was hoping to see some leaves changing. The prediction sites said we should have some at the high elevations. We were about 2 weeks early I figure with only sporadic dashes of color. I'll chalk this one up to 2020.
We did see some real mountaineers with ropes, helmets and climbing stuff strapped to them. They left the parking lot in a different direction from us timid walkers. I had come for the views and knew they had a nice 1.5 mile trail to an observation platform. I should have read a bit more.
I figured the platform would provide a better view of the rocks. Well not quite. The trail started by crossing a pretty stream before gently winding through the forest. It then started to rise and just kept going. We trudged back and forth along the face of the rock. It was nicely shaded by the trees.
The observation platform is really next to the rocks that you came to see and lets you look out as if you had climbed the rocks. In all you climb 836 feet. We enjoyed the views, talked to some fellow hikers and decided to heed the do not proceed lest you die sign. The way down was much easier. The first rule of trails is that when you head down, you will eventually have to hike up. Luckily the corollary means that the up is going to followed by down.
By the time we returned to the car we were getting hungry. Luckily there was a Subway down the road a bit and we picked up subs and drinks. We held off eating though as we were on our way to Spruce Knob. Spruce knob is the highest point in WV at 4,863 feet above sea level. Why is it called a knob? A knob is the top rounded part of a hill. For some reason they have knobs and not mountains in WV.
The drive was easy until the last 10 miles when we went to the narrow, can't quite fit 2 cars and really steep and curvy. We were soon on top and decided the first order of business was to eat. I must say it felt like we were camping. We were outside and eating. Yes, many of you will scoff but I can say that this is as close to camping as I will get.
It was cool and windy up on the knob, close to 50 degrees and we were glad we brought jackets. We did see some locals in shorts but what do they know. After eating we cleaned up and made preparations for the final ascent to the peak. It was nothing like Everest. You leave the parking lot and then walk about 700 feet across a flat trail to an observation platform.
Two flights of stairs and you have a nice mountain view. It works best to the West because trees block the East view. It's a nice view and since you can drive there, worth the effort but it seemed a bit lacking. We had a good time anyway taking selfies and admiring nature.
On the drive down we stopped at the East observation pull over which filled in the view. Then it was time to head down. By this time the Earth had rotated a bit and Seneca Rock was well lit. We stopped for some pictures and then headed back to Clarksburg.
We were sort of tired of junk food so we chose IHOP curbside pickup. They do a nice job and we were soon well fed. I started planning the flight home and for a change the forecasts all looked good with the possibility of a tailwind.
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