BrettCottrell
Brett Cottrell
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2013
- Messages
- 18
I’m a Westerner. I was born in Las Vegas (which explains a lot) and have lived in Salt Lake and Boise, Idaho, attending undergrad at Boise State. When I came back east to DC for grad school, I scoffed at the so-called mountains. More like hills.
But over the years I’ve come to appreciate the Eastern Mountains, particularly West Virginia. If there’s a flat spot in West Virginia, I’ve yet to see it. Dense deciduous forests towering over lush undergrowth. True, the mountains never really get more than about six thousand feet, but that’s not bad prominence when you’re looking down at sea level.
The campground is beautiful, and because it’s so wooded, it feels more private than it is. Plus, the national forest campgrounds out here have showers. Sheesh. Easterners have a lot to learn about camping.
Seneca Rocks sits along a branch of the Potomac River, and it’s very close to Spruce Knob (the highest point in WV) and the Dolly Sods Wilderness Area.
We took a drive to Spruce Knob to see the view, which was great, and then hiked a few miles along Seneca Creek. It was gorgeous and would be a great backpacking destination. The creek, small though it was, was chalk full of little brookies.
The next day we drove up to the Dolly Sods Wilderness. Strange place for back east, while it’s probably only about 5000 feet, it has a tundra-type feel to it. I’d love to backpack there. We took a short hike and ate blueberries that grew all along the trail.
Because the elevation is lower than out west, and the summers back east are hot enough to serve as Hell’s waiting room, we were glad that there was a great swimming hole near the campground on the Potomac. Good times.
[picasa=5s]https://picasaweb.google.com/bsubrett/SenecaRocksBackcountry#slideshow/5847951217461729058[/picasa]
But over the years I’ve come to appreciate the Eastern Mountains, particularly West Virginia. If there’s a flat spot in West Virginia, I’ve yet to see it. Dense deciduous forests towering over lush undergrowth. True, the mountains never really get more than about six thousand feet, but that’s not bad prominence when you’re looking down at sea level.
The campground is beautiful, and because it’s so wooded, it feels more private than it is. Plus, the national forest campgrounds out here have showers. Sheesh. Easterners have a lot to learn about camping.
Seneca Rocks sits along a branch of the Potomac River, and it’s very close to Spruce Knob (the highest point in WV) and the Dolly Sods Wilderness Area.
We took a drive to Spruce Knob to see the view, which was great, and then hiked a few miles along Seneca Creek. It was gorgeous and would be a great backpacking destination. The creek, small though it was, was chalk full of little brookies.
The next day we drove up to the Dolly Sods Wilderness. Strange place for back east, while it’s probably only about 5000 feet, it has a tundra-type feel to it. I’d love to backpack there. We took a short hike and ate blueberries that grew all along the trail.
Because the elevation is lower than out west, and the summers back east are hot enough to serve as Hell’s waiting room, we were glad that there was a great swimming hole near the campground on the Potomac. Good times.
[picasa=5s]https://picasaweb.google.com/bsubrett/SenecaRocksBackcountry#slideshow/5847951217461729058[/picasa]
