Laurel Falls

 

A morning hike to Laurel Falls

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Walls of Jericho TTA

 

Sara Pollard led 5 hikers on a beautiful trip to the Walls of Jericho. Two new hikers joined our hike -  Tammy & Jamie. There was an abundance of wildflowers and shallow streams. The hike started on the Tennessee side with a side trip to see the Blow Hole. The water was gushing out of the cave, and we enjoyed a snack break. The hike down to the Blow Hole is narrow and steep. Lora pointed out the names of wildflowers and we saw quite a few varieties. The water was deep at the "walls" creek crossing,  so Lora and Jamie were the only ones to venture across to the end. The others enjoyed lunch and watching everyone else cross the creek to the "walls". We hiked out to the Alabama trailhead. We saw lots of hikers, campers and dogs along the trail. It was a warm and beautiful day for a hike. Hikers were Jamie Madson, Lora McBride, Jane Reyling, Georganne Ross, Sara Pollard and Tammy Pomeroy.

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Big Ridge State Park

We left the New River Gorge SP West Virginia and snow to head South to Tennessee. We camped at Big Ridge SP for the night. We hiked over to see the the Gristmill that night.

The next morning we hiked the Lake View trail before heading home.

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New River Gorge National Park and Preserve

We left Restrite campground and drove 250 S. Not long after getting on 250 S we came across a detour because the road was flooded. It took us down a narrow road with water and debris all over it. We were squeezing by folks going the other way. One got close enough to rub mirrors. Because of all the rain that went through, we called back to Bear Creek campground and found that they had evacuated the campers next to the creek as the water came up. They were calling for snow in the mountains so we were glad to be heading to lower ground. We cut across and took some bigger roads.

We stopped at the visitor center for the New River Gorge NP. We did the walk to the bridge overlook and then we drove across the bridge. We set up camp at Little Beaver SP and took a hike around their lake. They have a pretty spillway at the bottom. Then we drove over to the New River Gorge NP Sandstone Area. We saw the Sandstone Falls overlook which is really cool as the falls is across the whole river. We stopped at the Brooks overlook and the historic town of Hinton by the river. Got some snow overnight.

Thursday we headed over the park again at the Grandview area. We saw the Grandview overlook and then hiked the Castle Rock trail. From there we headed to the Thurmond Historic District. There is a bunch of old buildings there to look at plus the bonus of a few waterfalls along the drive. We had a couple of trains come through while we were there. From there we headed to Babcock SP where we hiked the Island in the Sky trail, saw the natural arch, gristmill, and lake. We then took the Scenic Drive from Lansing down the gorge under the big bridge across the river and up the other side. More waterfalls. Snow falling most of the day.

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Black Water Falls West Virginia

We left Bear Creek Campground and headed South on Scenic Hwy 50 through Virginia and back into West Virginia. We set up camp at Restrite Campground just outside of Blackwater Falls SP. Nice little campground for less money. 

After setting up and eating lunch we headed to the State Park. We hiked Blackwater Falls trail, Elakala trail to the falls, and Lindy Point trail to the overlook. Lindy Point was extremely muddy and we had gale force winds at the overlook. We saw the beautiful Pendleton Falls at the Pendleton Falls Overlook. Then we went to the lake to check it out as well. Saw deer on the way out.

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Harpers Ferry

Sunday was a traveling day. We left Cooper's Rock SF and headed East through the mountains with the plan of exploring Harpers Ferry and area. We made camp at Bear Creek campground, which is a new campground only two years old. It is just out of Hedgesville West Virginia in a beautiful area and an extrememly nice owner, Steve. Lora immediately fell in love with the wildflowers. 

After setting up camp and eating lunch, we headed over to the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal NHP Cushwa Basin. We looked at the historic buildings and walked along the canal. From there we headed over to the Antietam Battlefield in time to pick up my America the Beautiful Pass just before the visitor center closed. We explored the battlefield. Time for a good evenings rest.

Monday we were off to Harpers Ferry. We rode a bus from the Visitor Center to Lower Town. We toured all the historical buildings, hiked up to St. Peter's Catholic Church, on further to Jefferson Rock, on further to the Mansion, then circled around back to town. 

We talked to a guy at the Magpie Pottery while working at the wheel. He told us a ghost story of Jennifer, girl is a daughter of one of the first families in Harpers Ferry, whose picture is in the train station. She has been haunting his store for years and a psychic told him about her.

We hiked across the bridge to Maryland where we hiked to an overlook of Harper Ferry on the Maryland Heights trail. It is a very steep trail and we earned an icecream from town for hiking up there. 

Another great day of fun!

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