New River Gorge Guide Summer/Fall 2015 by New River Gorge Adventure Guide

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SUMMER/FALL 2015

YOUR RESOURCE FOR ADVENTURE IN THE NEW AND GAULEY RIVERS AREA

Bridge Day guide

6 amazing Trails

Adventure for the 10&Under Crowd

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Bobolinks, + Downriver SUP, Greening & More

Big Love, Big Climbs

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New River Gorge Adventure Guide is a recreation guide for the beautiful natural playgrounds in and around the New River Gorge including the Gauley River and Summersville Lake area, the Bluestone River, the Meadow River, and more. It is based out of south-central West Virginia near the New River Gorge Bridge.

More than 1 million people visit the New River Gorge National River every year. They all want to know about your business. To advertise, contact gorgeguide@gmail.com 304-573-8113 NewRiverGorgeGuide.com

Publisher/Editor Cristina Opdahl Copy Editor Martha Opdahl Health/environment Editor Ginger Danz PROOFREADER Geoff Elliott Contributing Writers Amanda Ashley, Jonathan Danz, Geoff Elliott, Katie Johnson, Erin Larsen, Jim McCormac, Bryan Simon Contributing Photographers Pat Goodman, Chris Jackson, Mary Reed, Molly Wolff Advertising Send a request for a media kit to gorgeguide@gmail.com or call 304-573-8113 Ging

Copyright© 2015 by Nickelville Press, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is expressly prohibited. New River Gorge Adventure Guide P.O. Box 372; Fayetteville, WV 25840 Outdoor activities are inherently risky and participation can cause injury or loss of life. Please consult your doctor prior to beginning any workout program or sports activity. Seek out a qualified instructor. Nickelville Press, LLC will not be held responsible for your decision to play outdoors.

COVER: Jessa Goebel rips the 2nd ascent of Palingenisis, 5.12c, Diamond Point, New River Gorge. Photograph by Pat Goodman

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national retailers and specialty shops and then enjoy a tasty treat at one of our eateries! Conveniently located near hotels and attractions!

Visit shopcrossroads.com for store listings, the most up-to-date events, sales and promotions.

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Gorge Guide Summer/Fall 2015 Issue

Happenings 8. One Day to Fly Two new features are coming to Bridge Day. 8. Building Bridges A conference in creativity meets in the NRG. 9. Taking a Stand Stand Up Paddleboards in the big water. 9. Thugs, Jugs & More A new guide to bouldering in the area. 10. A Tale of Two Creeks by Mary Reed provide amazing hiking opportunities.

Two creeks of the same name

14. +Three More Photos, opposite page (clockwise from top left): nrgag, jim mccormac, nrgag, randy fisher, Gabe DeWitt, chris jackson

by Geoff Elliott, Katie Johnson, and Amanda Ashley Locals give it up on their favorite trails.

18. Born in the ’Ville from a founder of Pies & Pints

How to make your business thrive and other insights

20. Rock of Ages

by Bryan Simon Two things make climbing in the New River Gorge a world class experience.

19. A Place to Call Hub

by Paul Nelson One essential ingredient for an iconic climbing area: a campground for climbers.

20. What’s That I Hear? bobolink over hill and dale.

22. Bridge Day Beta New River Gorge Bridge.

by Cristina Opdahl On chasing the beautiful

What you need to know for the annual bash on the

24. Child’s Play

by Amanda Ashley adventures just for them.

Got a 10 and under? Here are some

26. Turning Our House Green energy efficient one small step at a time.

27. Lepidopteran Teletubby moth, quietly adorning a wall near you.

28. Be Well your breath.

by Ginger Danz Becoming

by Jim McCormac The rosy maple

by Erin Larsen The path to stress relief and good health is through

29. Event Calendar

Two triathlons, festivals galore, and plenty of challenges to inspire you into adventure.

32. The Gorge Guide Restaurant Guide

Hungry? Let us help source your next meal. Check this chart to find all the good food this area has to offer.

33. Making It

by Cindy Whitlock Two creative enterprises show that you can turn your passion into profit.

34. Where to Find It

Adventure, Cabins, Hotels, Restaurants, Stores, Camping, Services & Real Estate, all found here.

Happenings

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one day to fly at thIS yeaR’S NeW River Gorge Bridge day on october 17, BaSe jumpers will have two new features to leap from. First, a 24-foot-tall antenna will be installed on the bridge as a launching point. “The feeling of being on and jumping from an antenna structure is quite different than the platform at Bridge day,” says Mark Kissner, Bridge day’s new BaSe coordinator who is designing the antenna. “at 24 feet tall, the view from up there will be unique. and, of course, the extra altitude never hurts either.” The antenna is being built at an undisclosed location and will be unveiled at Bridge day—requests for a preview were denied. The second new BaSe jumping feature will be a long, narrow plank that organizers are calling “Walk the Plank.” It will extend 15 feet over the bridge’s edge and will be only 4 inches wide—about the width of a gymnastics balance beam. “It’s pretty easy to walk on a balance beam at ground level,” Kissner says. “But 880 feet up, it will be quite the mind game.” For more information, contact the Bridge day office, 800-927-0263, or officialbridgeday.com.

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Join Us For  CREATIVE JUICES  FUN-FILLED ARTISTIC EVENINGS WITH WINE AND FRIENDS the last Tuesday of every month

Check our website for the next Creative Juices event

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tracks: education, entrepreneurship, technology, diversity, and quality of place. a “musiccrawl,” a concert with the rocking band Qiet, a historic Fayetteville walking tour, and opt-in climbing, biking, rafting, ziplining, hiking, yoga, and art making will give the conference a good dose of New River Gorge energy. Find out more about the conference at createwv.org.

Building Bridges CReate WeSt VIRGINIa, the traveling conference of innovation and technology hits the New River Gorge this year with Create Fayetteville on Septaember 24-26. The threeday conference will include workshops covering hands-on tools and strategies for five

PhotoGRaPhS thIS PaGe : NRGaG (toP), WIKIPedIa (BottoM); oPPoSIte PaGe: RaNdy FISheR (toP), CouRteSy oF SteLLa MaSCaRI (BottoM)

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Happenings

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Stand up SuP (StaNd uP Paddle Board) paddlers continue to push the limits of running whitewater while standing. For several years, SuP paddlers have been ripping it on large waves in the NRG area such as the Big Wave on the New River dries and diagonal Waves on the Gauley River, and the surfing gets better and better. Lately, there’s been an uptick in SuPs running big whitewater as well. as paddlers spend more and more time standing up in whitewater, they are finding out that harder and hard rapids are not only possibly, but supremely fun. top area SuP paddlers Melanie Seiler and Pete Iscaro frequently run the Lower New River. Come Gauley season, look for brave souls on SuPs in the big water. They’ll be the ones doing what was once thought impossible.

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CLIMBeRS LooKING FoR problems from areas like Fern a comprehensive guide to Point, upper and Lower teays, bouldering in the New River and Casey Jones. Gorge area don’t have much “The New River Gorge longer to wait. Currently, a tends to have a good printer is churning out a new amount of hard problems,” full color, toposays Mascari. equipped manual “along with a New River Gorge wide variety of that covers B o u l d e r i n g techy, thuggy, bouldering here. compressiony, Bouldering and juggy is a subset of problems, rock climbing we have a lot that focuses on of dynamic shorter, harder climbing here. climbs without a lot of areas ropes. Boulderers just have a few spot each other V10 or doubleand place mats digit grades. We below the climbs. have more.” Climbs featured New River Gorge Bouldering by locals Micah Klinger and Stella in the guide are rated from V0 to V12. Mascari features 1,250 boulder Over 1,000 problems described in the New, Meadow, and Gauley River Gorges

Micah Klinger and Stella Mascari

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Fayetteville, WV Charleston, WV Morgantown, WV Worthington, OH Dayton, OH 219 W Maple Avenue 222 Capitol Street 1002 Suncrest Towne Centre 7227 N High Street 52 Plum St. The Greene 304.574.2200 304.342.7437 304.777.4749 614.885.7437 937.429.7437

Open Daily / Lunch & Dinner Find, follow, like and review Pies & Pints online at:

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A Tale of Two Creeks Glade Creek Trail, New River Gorge National River

...and two sets of trails By Mary Reed

View from an overlook at Babcock State Park

10 NEWRIVERGORGEGUIDE.COM

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Trails

PhotoS, oPPoSIte PaGe: ChRIS JaCKSoN (toP), doNNIe hudSPeth (BottoM); thIS PaGe: eLLIot daNZ (toP), NRGaG (BottoM)

We aRe LuCKy eNouGh to have not one Glade Creek, but two Glade Creeks in the New River Gorge area. The first is a tributary of the New River, flowing from Glade Creek Reservoir in Shady Springs down to the mighty New at Glade Creek Campground in the New River Gorge National River, a popular river put-in for the upper New. This Glade Creek trail of the New River Gorge National River is known for swimming holes and great fishing. It's a strikingly scenic hike long enough (5.6 miles one way) to immerse yourself in some wonderful backcountry. The other Glade Creek, on the north side of the New River, flows into Mann’s Creek (which eventually flows into the New River) and is famous for the picturesque Glade Creek Grist Mill at Babcock State Park. Before it reaches Mann’s, this Glade Creek carves a beautiful gorge in the boundaries of Babcock State Park that makes for great views from the Skyline trail and Island in the Sky trail (detailed on page 15).

→ →→→

New River Gorge Glade Creek, Babcock State Park

← Glade Creek, New River Gorge National River

←

A swimming hole along Glade Creek Trail

Glade Creek Trail (southern) New River Gorge National River

miles: 5.6 (one-way)

difﬁculty: moderate

Glade Creek—the one that is a tributary to the New River—is a first-rate destination in its own right. Managed as part of the National Park Service’s New River Gorge National River, Glade Creek is known among locals as a great backcountry-flavored summer destination for hiking, camping and fishing. Mountain bikes are allowed and the lower part of Glade Creek is a WV Catch & Release trout stream.

Location: Near Prince, WV Trail Options: Kate’s Falls

trail, a 0.2 mile trail from Glade to a waterfall, is a worthwhile, if strenuous, sidetrip. For the adventurous, Kate’s Plateau and Polls Plateau trails dive even deeper into the backcountry.

Facilities: Nearby campground, bathrooms at trailhead Highlights: Numerous swimming holes and cascades, scenic Glade Creek, deep backcountry

Trail Description

Finding the Trailhead From I-64 east of Beckley, take exit 124 for Beckley/eisenhower drive. turn north on uS 19 for 1.7 miles, where you will meet up with the junction for WV 41. Follow WV 41 to the right for 5.5 miles to where it takes a right turn; continue on WV 41 to mile 9.4 at Glade Creek Road. turn right onto gravel Glade Creek Road and drive 5.5 miles to the trailhead.

This fairly flat trail parallels the swiftly flowing Glade Creek, which is trout-stocked, boulder-strewn, and full of cannonballworthy swimming holes. The dense forest is full of deciduous trees as well as hemlocks and rhododendrons. add a developed campground (pit toilets and water) at the trailhead and backcountry camping where you are unlikely to see another soul, and you just may find your new favorite place to spend a summer weekend.

SuMMer/fall 2015

NEW RIVER GORGE ADVENTURE GUIDE 11

Overlooking Glade Creek, Skyline Trail, Babcock State Park

Skyline Trail Babcock State Park

miles: 2 (one-way) The Skyline is one of several trails at Babcock packed with views, thanks to Glade Creek, which runs below it in a deep valley. The state park has plenty of frontcountry infrastructure, including not only hiking trails, but developed camping, cabins, a stable, and ranger programs.

difﬁculty: moderate Location: Babcock State Park Facilities: Cabins and a camping area

are available nearby. a restroom and shelter are located close to the trailhead. Highlights: Mann’s Creek overlook; several views along the ridgeline trail

Trail Description Mann’s Creek overlook is a popular place to photograph and watch the sunset. It is also the northwest trailhead for the Skyline trail, which follows a cliﬄine through a hardwood and rhododendron forest punctuated with a number of expansive vistas over the Glade Creek valley.

NEWRIVERGORGEGUIDE.COM

ABOUT BABCOCK STATE PARK: Abutting the eastern border of New River Gorge National River, Babcock has more than 4,000 wooded acres including a small lake. Three trails are open to mountain bikes. 304-4383004; babcocksp.com

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Finding the Trailhead From the intersection of uS 19 and uS 60 north of Fayetteville, turn east on uS 60; it joins with WV 41 at mile 6.9. at mile 9.6, take a right where WV 41 splits off to the south. From the split, go 3.7 miles and enter Babcock State Park on the right. From the park entrance, take the first road on the right and drive 1.6 miles to a four-way intersection. Continue straight 0.3 mile to the Mann’s Creek Picnic area and parking. The trailhead is on the northwest side of the parking lot, marked with a sign.

PhotoS, thIS PaGe: MaRy Reed; oPPoSIte PaGe: KIM MaXWeLL (toP), NRGaG (BottoM)

→ →→

Trails

Entrance to Island in the Sky Trail, Babcock State Park

→ Island in the Sky Trail Babcock State Park

miles: 0.5 (one-way) difﬁculty: strenuous Location: Babcock State Park Trail Options: Stretch out your hike by doing Island in the Sky

trail first, then Wilderness trail across the road. Facilities: Shares parking area with the famous grist mill: restrooms and gift shop nearby. Highlights: Glade Creek overlook

Trail Description

Finding the Trailhead

toss your camera in a bag and start on the Island in the Sky trail, which gains elevation quickly (including by way of a ladder) to an overlook of Glade Creek. Start and end at the grist mill, walking by sandstone outcroppings along the way.

Follow the directions on the opposite page to Babcock State Park. From the park entrance, follow the main park road downhill to the grist mill, staying to the left of two intersections along the way. Park in the lot. Cross the bridge by foot to the grist mill. The trailhead is behind the mill.

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Directions

Ansted-Teays Connector 4 miles • moderate (one-way)

The great thing about living near the gorge is that most of us have a portal into the woods that is close to home. Living in Ansted, the popular Mill Creek Trail is my go-to amble. However, when I’m looking for more of an escape I will first head to the bottom of Mill Creek Trail

and from there take a relatively new trail. The Ansted-Teays Connector trail climbs up from Hawks Nest Lake to about mid level in the gorge. Along the way you’ll see rugged mine entrances gaping at the bottom of towering rocks. It’s hard to imagine that this secluded place was once a bustle of activity. The trail takes on several personalities as it meanders past the mines, curves into and over shaded creek beds and switches back up an old coal shale slide. It is approximately 4 miles of intermediate terrain before the trail meets the gravel road that leads either up to the bridge buttress or down to Teays Landing. —Katie Johnson

Nuttallburg Trails .3 –3.3 miles • easy-strenuous Great access and cool history make the Nuttallburg Mine and Trails my favorite afternoon family outing. I’ve spent many an afternoon chasing kids on the trails with the roar of the New River in the background. The Nuttallburg Trails are a series of trails around the former Nuttallburg Mine operation, which was preserved and stabilized in 2011 so visitors can view old foundations, a headhouse, coal conveyor, and coke ovens. A wide assortment of trails will take you around foundations from the former bustling town, the mine opening, coal processing area, and in for a good look at the conveyor. For a longer hike, hop onto the Town Loop Connector Trail to the Keeneys Creek Rail Trail, which follows the old railway line up out of the Gorge. Mountain biking is permitted on Keeneys Creek Rail Trail and the section of trail that runs from the parking area under the conveyor. —Amanda Ashley

14 NEWRIVERGORGEGUIDE.COM

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Directions To reach the riverside Town Loop Trail, take Lansing-Edmond Road (CO 5/82) off US 19, north of the Canyon Rim Visitor Center. Travel to Winona, turn right onto Keeneys Creek Road (CO 85/2). Drive 4.1 miles to the Nuttallburg parking area.

photos, this page, top to bottom: chris jackson, nrgag. opposite page: chris jackson

+3 MORE TRAILS

Locals Give it Up on Their Faves

This trail begins near the shores of Hawks Nest Lake in Hawks Nest State Park. You can take the tram, which opens July 31, down to this point (304-658-5212; hawksnestsp.com), drive to Hawks Nest Lake, or hike the Mill Creek Trail (called the Hawks Nest Rail Trail on the Hawks Nest website) to this point. Whichever you choose, the AnstedTeays Connector trail is a relatively new and unmarked trail that begins just at the bottom of the Mill Creek Trail.

Southside Junction 7 miles • easy (one-way)

the SouthSIde JuNCtIoN tRaIL doeSN’t have the views of the deep canyon most of the other trails have. It’s pretty much at the end of the road from either side so you have to want to find it. you must seek it out. It’s worth the journey. The Southside Junction trail is my go-to trail for running when I need a little level terrain in my life. West Virginia has plenty of hills to test yourself on but an easy recovery run is harder to come by. Meandering along the river, the views always inspire me as the miles slip by. With a gentle gradient I cruise up the old railroad grade splashing through puddles and detouring around a downed tree here and there. The footing depends on the day; that’s part of the adventure here. The trail doesn’t seem to get much love and that’s fine with me. I like my trails a little rough around the edges. once I make it to Thurmond, I turn and head back toward the car. I mark my progress by the riﬄes and rapids, the landmarks of old coal towns. Jump Rock riﬄe means I’ve made a good start, coke ovens on my right are a good sign, Buzzard Bend marks the end of Firecreek Pool; Surprise means I’m almost done. Get past the little flat with the nettles just past the narrow wet spot and it’s the home stretch. I look for the gate that marks the end of my run. I may be done for now, but I'll be back. —Geoff elliott

Directions head south on Route 16/Court Street out of Fayetteville. take a left on Gatewood Road. Follow Gatewood for 4.6 miles, then take a left at the sign that says Cunard. Go 1.8 miles to the parking lot for the river access point. Park here or drive the first mile of Southside trail, which is open to motor vehicles.

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Both Glade Creek trails are featured in Mary Reed's Hiking West Virginia, 2nd Ed (Falcon Guides) and in Bryan Simon's Hiking and Biking in the New River Gorge. Both books are available at local stores and the Canyon Rim Visitor’s Center.

Bryan McClung Founder

FAYETTEVILLE, WV 25840

Sales Service Apparel

Happenings restaurants and told him all about Fayetteville and why I thought a pizza place would do well there. he had grown up on Long Island working in his dad’s pizza place. he told me about his idea to open a pizza place that served really good pizza and beer and played cool music. he already had the named picked out.

Born in the ’ville

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Two Days a Week, Two Locations!

We accept Food Stamps and WIC-FMNP Coupons!

 In Fayetteville Saturday Mornings, 7:30–11:30AM

on Court Street in the parking lot of the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau  In Oak Hill Tuesdays, 4PM –7PM

at the new Farmers Market Pavilion on Virginia Street FB/FayetteCountyFarmersMarket

Pies & Pints opened on the edge of the New River Gorge in Fayetteville, West Virginia, by former raft guide Kimberly Shingledecker and Long Island native david Bailey. It redefined pizza and put Fayetteville, now an eating destination in its own right, firmly on the foodie map. Now, the rest of the country is getting a taste of what we have been enjoying for years. The 9th Pies & Pints restaurant will open this fall at The Liberty Center in Cincinnati, ohio. We recently talked with Shingledecker to hear about its humble beginnings.

What were you doing in the New River Gorge area before you started Pies & Pints? I moved to the area in 1995 to kayak and rock climb. I was a raft guide for one season and for a couple of seasons I worked at Sedona Grille and ran a small hotel before opening my first restaurant, Cathedral Cafe. So you lived the guide life for a while. yeah, I lived out of my truck for that first summer. The only (place to eat) back then was the Western Pancake house and Sedona Grille. I really thought the place needed coffee, so that’s when I started looking for a place to do a cafe/coffee shop. How did Pies & Pints come along? after 3 years of slinging coffee and pancakes I admitted to myself that I was not a morning person. I sold the cafe and moved to Salt Lake City, utah. I worked with david at one of the

And Pies was different, wasn’t it? How so? No ranch dressing, no Budweiser, and no delivery. Back then I think we also had pretty unique flavor profiles, like grapes and gorgonzola and cuban pulled pork. These days, it’s more common to see places doing more interesting toppings on pizzas. We eventually gave in to the many, many requests for Bud Light. We still don’t have ranch dressing or delivery. What was it like in the early days? Lunches were really slow. and we were seasonal. We closed during the winter for the first 2 years. dave and I would go out west to work in restaurants and then come back to open in the spring. What is the best business advice you have gotten? Somebody told me to read the book E-Myth and it changed my life. It's a book about how most people that start a business really just create a job for themselves. It has great advice about how to build a business and how to work on your business instead of in your business. The idea is that your business should run as well when you are not there as it does when you are there. Where are you now and what are you doing? I’m the vice president of marketing for Pies & Pints Management Company. It’s a role that allows me to split my time between hood River, oregon; Fayetteville; and La Ventana, Baja Mexico. I recently learned to kite board, so whenever I have free time I try to get out on the water. Let’s say you had 24 hours in the NRG area right now: what would you do? Well, if you’re a rock climber you’re going to rock climb, and paddlers are going to paddle. So I'll give you a food lover's guide to the NRG. Start your day off with pancakes at the Cathedral Cafe. These will fuel you for a nice hike. one of my favorites is the Long Point trail. Then grab some sandwiches from the Secret Sandwich Society and head out to Summersville Lake. I like to rent a pontoon boat and cruise around or go swimming at Whipoorwhill. on your way back from the lake, stop off at Smokey’s restaurant for a cocktail and to take in some of the best views of the Gorge. end your day with dinner at Pies & Pints, of course.

rock of ages what makes climbing in the nrG world class

PhotoS, thIS PaGe: Pat GoodMaN; oPPoSIte PaGe: CouRteSy oF KIM ShINGLedeCKeR

By Bryan Simon

the SouNd oF LeaVeS crunching under my feet and the smell of the eastern forest on a brisk october morning at Butcher’s Branch is the first memory I have of climbing in the New River Gorge. every time I descend into the gorge from Fayette County’s high mountain plateau it feels like an escape, an adventure, and all my other worldly concerns drop from my shoulders. It takes a unique, almost magical, place to make this happen and the climbing and climbing community here in the New River Gorge are just that special. and I am not alone in these feelings. Fayetteville and the surrounding area are continually populated by climbers from around the world who are drawn to the cliff lines of the region. So why is the New River Gorge so special? I think it boils down to two factors: the rock and the community. THE ROCK I, like a great many climbers who call the NRG home, have had the opportunity to travel and climb around the united States and the world, and while I have enjoyed climbing in every location and soaked up the virtues of each, in my mind nothing compares to the climbing found within the New River Gorge. The cliff lines of the gorge are made of

Nuttall sandstone and comprised of a high percentage of quartz, making it tough as nails and resistant to the forces of Mother Nature. From wall to wall and face to face the sandstone acts as a chameleon, constantly changing in color due to the variety of mineral deposits embedded within each formation. The variety of hues is matched only by the diversity of textures found gracing the corners, pockets, edges, jugs, and cracks that typify the area. These differences create a perfect storm of unique and thoughtful climbing that has no rival. a day, a week, a month can be spent clipping bolts, or plugging gear, or finessing your way to the top of a boulder and you will barely scratch the surface of what the area has to offer. From the popular and easily accessible crags of Bridge Buttress and Junkyard to the more adventurous destinations of Carnifex Ferry and other rarely visited and off the map crags, a person can climb until their fingers are raw and their forearms are so pumped that they are unable to grip their steering wheel or bicycle grips for the ride home. Good thing most locals do not have far to go. There are many places in the world that possess amazing rock, but few are located truly within a stones throw of your home.

SuMMer/fall 2015

Many climbing locations have roadside crags, whereas the entire New River Gorge is a roadside climbing destination. you cannot get more convenient than that! approaches measure minutes, not hours and an after work sesh is the norm, not the exception. and it does not stop at the cliff…every outdoor adventure you want to pursue, whether hiking, trail running, cycling, or paddling…is within easy reach. THE COMMUNITY We pulled into the sleepy town of Fayetteville, West Virginia and were immediately welcomed by a radically hospitable community of outdoor enthusiasts. —donnie, Patagonia Worn Wear tour While the climbing here is a treat in and of itself, it is the welcoming, enthusiastic, and inclusive climbing community that keeps people here. Though I am originally from West Virginia, my Canadian wife, deb, and I have traveled all across the united States in search of a community that shared our values, ideals, and concerns yet was populated with down-to-earth people. We wanted a place to call home and become part of a larger group of outdoorsy adventurers who shared our core beliefs. We found it here in Fayetteville.

NEW RIVER GORGE ADVENTURE GUIDE 17

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Whether at the crag, or Water Stone, or a local restaurant others will say hello, smile, and genuinely want to know how you are doing. and really, it goes beyond that. The climbing community here wants more people to join the ranks of this “radically hospitable community” and perpetuate the awesomeness that is the Fayetteville climbing scene. another element that rivals the hospitality of the ‘Ville is the enthusiasm. The perfect example of this is the New River Rendezvous. From humble beginnings, this fund-raising event for the New River alliance of Climbers (NRaC) grew to be the PaRty not to be missed in the eastern united States and to this day still has no rivals. and why was it successful? It is because of the energy and dedication of the local climbers that call the region home. The Gorge now plays host to one of only five american alpine Club Craggin’ Classics and the community’s support of this event (along with the american alpine Club campground) is yet another indication of the area’s enthusiasm for spreading the word and growing the sport. to focus on these large events without speaking to the smaller, daily interactions would be to wholly undersell the passion of the community. after all, it does not revolve around events, but rather, these gatherings are merely a larger expression of the daily psych that resides within the climbing citizens of the area. and so like the rock of the New River Gorge, the climbing tribe of Fayetteville is made up of both local and foreign deposits of wonderful people brought together and united in a common bond and love of climbing. This accumulation has created a community as tough, as diverse, and certainly as colorful as the sandstone we all love so much.

PhotoS: GaBe deWItt (toP); oPPoSIte PaGe: NRGaG

Free 12-ounce

(rock of ages continued)

A Place to Call Hub

By Paul Nelson

Many of the most iconic climbing areas in the world have equally iconic campgrounds. Yosemite’s Camp 4, Hueco Tanks’ Rock Ranch, and Miguel’s Pizza at the Red River Gorge all give visiting climbers a place to find partners, get info from locals, and trade stories with others around the campfire. Until a few years ago, the New River Gorge had Roger’s Rocky Top Retreat, located near Kaymoor Top. Roger’s was adored by climbers from all over. It was the end of an era when he finally closed down in 2011. There were still plenty of other campgrounds at the New River Gorge, but no single place for the climbing community to get together. Fortunately, the national nonprofit American Alpine Club (AAC), with the heavy involvement of local climbers, has built a new campground. In 2010, they purchased a large section of beautiful wooded land on the gorge near Ames Heights. Under the direction

of local climber Gene Kisler, we’ve seen the addition of a loop road, two stone fire rings, and forty individual campsites nestled amidst trees and boulders. By autumn of 2015, the campground will have even made the jump from “rustic” to “developed” with the completion of a showerhouse. The AAC is also becoming the cultural hub for New River climbing. It has hosted slideshows, movies, pig roasts, dance parties, and an annual fall climbing festival and fundraiser– the Craggin’ Classic, which has become the party for eastern climbers. After a day on the rocks, it is nice to grab a quick shower, kick back on the porch for a beer with friends, and eventually fall asleep to the sound of chirping frogs and wind through the trees while wondering what adventure the next day will hold in the Appalachian hills. There will be no better place to do this than the AAC. For information about the NRG AAC campground, go to americanalpineclub.org/p/new-rivergorge-campground.

What’s That I Hear?

There is a whole other world out there. You just have to know how to listen.

side of the road at the bottom of an unmowed field. Heeter warned us to be cautious when walking. Bobolinks nest on the ground, he said, so we needed to walk single file. On the bus Heeter had informed us that the landowner delays harvesting his hay every spring until the bobolinks are gone. He was willing to lose money to avoid wrecking the nests. The least we could do was to tread carefully. It had been a cold spring, which meant that we might be too early for the bobolinks this year. We walked up in a single file to see. Dawn Hewitt, managing editor of Birdwatcher’s Digest, was attending this trip on a work assignment. About halfway to the top she told me to listen. “Their song is very distinctive,” she said. “It sounds just like R2-D2.” I listened and I heard some sharp high notes. The sound was metallic, and bounced back and forth from note to note. It was very much like R2-D2. “Do you hear it?” she smiled. Others in our trip were farther ahead and as we caught up with them, a small black bird flew over our heads. It disappeared but soon another one, or the same one, rounded above us again and took a stand on a telephone line. Its R2-D2 song was unmistakable. We quickly watched him through binoculars (“bins” as our guide called them). He flew away and then returned. Soon there were two other males next to him on the telephone wire. The guides aimed spotting scopes in their direction and we took turns looking through them. When I looked through the scope, a bobolink’s beak was open and moving. The feathers on his

What do you wear to go birding? It depends on which online birding blogger you read. Some say camo if you’ve got it. Others say anything but bright colors. The most sensible advice I read the day before I was to join my first ever birding trip was to stay away from noisy clothing. That makes sense. It would scare away the birds. Unfortunately, the forecast said it would be cold and possibly rainy. What rain gear doesn’t go “swish, swish, swish” when you walk? None that I had. I woke at 5:30am and quietly dressed in black pants, a green fleece top, not too bright hopefully. I chose an umbrella instead of raincoat and a down sweater. It wasn’t noiseless, but it was softly noisy. I hoped it was OK. A lot of birders met at Burnwood pavilion that early morning, ate breakfast, and loaded up into buses and vans for different trips. By the time I had finished my oatmeal (with Gorge Guide columnist Jim McCormac, who had just gone mothing the night before, and several other prominent birders) I no longer worried about the noise I would make. My New River Birding Festival trip was the High Country offering. There were a lot of us, about 15. I now worried how on earth we would see any birds. Wouldn’t they see us coming and fly away? How can you hide a group of 15 people well enough that nature will just do its thing? You know, so we can watch it? What I was about to learn is that birds, at least songbirds in the New River Gorge that are in mating season, are busy making their own kind of racket. Many have just arrived from a long flight from down south and are so focused on staking out territory or attracting mates that they don’t

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give a hoot about a crowd of people who have come to watch them. That is good for us. It is why the Birding Festival happens in rainy April instead of later, when the birds have eggs to protect and suddenly go very, very quiet. Our bus snaked up Route 60 to the high country, a set of softly rounded mountains north of the New River Gorge Bridge that rise above the rolling plateau. We hung a left onto a narrow road. Geoff Heeter, the main guide, explaining that our number one goal that day was to see bobolinks, the star of the High Country tour. “We are going to the only known consistent bobolink breeding ground of Fayette County,” he said as the bus rumbled. “We literally go as high as we can.” Bobolinks are songbirds that seek out elevated, overgrown fields and uncut pastures and meadows. They winter in the southern interior of South America and make the 12,500-mile flight in the spring back up to North America. They are not uncommon, though their numbers are dwindling due to habitat loss. They are listed in the 2014 State of the Bird Watch List. Why is spotting bobolinks our first priority? They are infrequently seen because we don’t visit overgrown fields or meadows that often, and when we do, it’s likely not their mating season. And they are striking. In April, the males are black with a pale yellow patch at the back of their head and a white patch on their back. The bus parked on the

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A male bobolink

photo, this page: nrgag (top); wikimedia commons/cheapshot (bottom); opposite page: nrgag

By Cristina Opdahl

chest were vibrating. The oddly melodic R2-d2 sound was in the air. It’s corny, but I couldn’t help thinking: This is what it’s like to sing your heart out. Bird song is to a birdwatcher as aroma is to a wine taster: you don’t realize how important it is unless you dive into the art yourself. For birdwatchers, one almost always hears a bird before one sees it. often, the song is all you get—no sighting (but, I’m told, it still counts for your bird list if you can make a positive Id). hewitt brushes up on various birdsongs she’s likely to hear before going on a birdwatching trip. to do this, she uses apps that have flashcard-like quizzes. Some birders use mnemonic devices to recognize birdcalls, such as, “pa-chip-chip-chip… per-chicka-ree” for the american Goldfinch, or “piky-tuckytuck” for a tanager. We stayed in the bobolink field for at least an hour savoring the beautiful birds. The guides decided the males had recently arrived from South america and were busy competing for territory. occasionally I saw one fly toward the ground and disappear. Clearly, their nests were in the grass.

We spent the rest of the day searching out other beautiful songbirds, which often went like this: our lead guide heeter would ask the bus driver to pull over so he could stand outside the bus and listen for particular bird calls. Based on what he heard, we would stop to take a look. We strolled several dirt roads and spied a variety of warblers and thrushes, the guides quickly setting spotting scopes on the creatures and standing back so those of us who were hardly skilled at this sort of thing could have a good look. The hooded warbler looked like it was wearing a balaclava. a chestnut-sided warbler had wonderful reddish streaks on its sides. a green heron flew into view and was gone quickly. The “teacher teacher teacher” of the ovenbird became ingrained in my head and I concentrated hard, hoping to not forget it. We were being let in on a secret parallel universe. By a week or so later, I was strolling my yard, listening to bird songs and flipping through an identification book. a morning dove was easy to tell. a plain-looking song sparrow took some time and several mornings before I was satisfied I had it Id’d correctly. The secret parallel universe

was opening up. one amazing bird startled me on a run—its feathers looked iridescent and white speckles all over made it look extremely special. I turned out to be a common starling male in his winter coat. and then I took a weekend sailing class at a farm in the high country, not too far from where we had watched the bobolinks with delight. The class was held at a small pond set in a dip below a hill full of wavy grass. I’d brought my bins and a bird book and between sailing lessons I got a little bird watching in. on day one I identified the barn swallows with forked tails that flapped about the pond. The location reminded me of the boblink field—open, with high grass, and occasionally, I thought I heard a mechanical singsong, bouncing back and forth note to note. But the barn swallows were so plentiful that I figured it must be them. Still, on the sailing class’s last day, I took my bins and trudged up the field. The mechanical song became more pronounced. It sounded just like R2-d2. I kept going and at the top, I stood still and focused on a black bird that had flown straight from the tall grass about 40 feet away. he looked decidedly bobolink, but I couldn’t tell for sure. R2-d2 songs chimed all around me. another black bird flew within sight. I was able to focus my bins on this one: White patches on his wings, a light yellow patch on the back of his head. a bobolink! I felt like singing my heart out.

To find out more about the New River Birding Festival, go to birding-wv.com.

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Bridge Day Beta 1. Bring plenty of drinking water. 2. Plan to walk some. The bridge is 2 miles from downtown Fayetteville. 3. it’s windy on the bridge. Bring a windbreaker. 4. Get where you need to be early. new river Gorge Bridge is closed to trafﬁc from 7AM–5PM.

Friday, October 16

Saturday, October 17

5:00–9:00pm Taste of Bridge Day

9:00am–3:00pm: New River Gorge Bridge is open to pedestrians

Smokies on the Gorge, Ames Heights, WV

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2:00–5:00pm: Bridge Day Chili Cook-Oﬀ and Fall Festival Court Street, Downtown Fayetteville, WV

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new this year tWo eLeMeNtS are making their debut at Bridge day 2015: a 24-foot high antennae and a 4-inch-wide "Walk the Plank" departure point extending 15 feet over the bridge's edge. Back by popular demand this year are Big Way exits—several-jumpers-at-a-time BaSe jumps. Look also for the all Veteran Group, a stunt skydiving team leaping above the bridge from a World War II plane.

PhotoS, toP: CouRteSy oF BRIdGeWaLK; BottoM (LeFt to RIGht): PPWV, KRauSS, NRGaG

Bridge day Schedule

Five ways to Be a Part of Bridge Day MaKe youR Way past t-shirt, food and art vendors to the center of the bridge, where BaSe jumpers (parachutists who specialize in Building, antenna, Span, and earth) step off a 876-foot high platform. Most jumpers use the main platform, but keep your eye on the 15-foot balance beam “plank” and antennae— jumpers willing to put on a show will use these to get more spring for tricks.

RaPPeLLING teaMS experience the bridge with a slow and steady descent on Bridge day. Membership on a rappelling team is necessary. No experience is needed, however, to ride a highline stretching 700 feet from bridge beams over the Gorge. Contact: Bridge Walk, 304574-1300, bridgewalk.com.

descend Gradually

Stroll the Bridge

PhotoS, CouRteSy oF BRIdGe day (toP LeFt), hayNeS MaNSFIeLd (toP RIGht)

Hike to a view

Journey down under hoW do you Get to the bottom to watch the parachutes wafting down? Forget about driving yourself—the road down is closed to all vehicles but BaSe jumper shuttle buses and rafting trucks. you have 3 other options: 1. Walk the 4-mile stretch of road from uS 19 to the banks of the New River. Remember, you’ll need to walk back up. 2. For $20, you can catch a shuttle to the bottom and back up. Preregistration is required (officialbridgeday.com) and tickets can be picked up at the north or south end of the bridge. 3. For $65, you can spend a guided 2 hours down under the bridge with a down under tour. a box lunch and t-shirt are included. Prior registration also required for this (officialbridgeday.com).

BaSe Jump SeVeRaL tRaILS take you to beautiful vantage points. easiest and shortest is a boardwalk from the New River Gorge Visitors Center off u.S. 19 north of the Bridge. an accessible ramp leads to a viewing point; a closer view is found 178 steps down at the second overlook. For hikers, 1.6-mile long Long Point trail ends at a rock outcrop facing the bridge. The Bridge trail is steep and rocky, and passes under the bridge. Whatever you choose, plan ahead. The Bridge closes at 7am to all traffic.

Who aRe thoSe PeoPLe leaping 876 feet from the bridge? They are BaSe Jumpers. BaSe stands for Building, antenna, Span, and earth— all the tall things that make great platforms to jump off in this extreme sport. Registration for BaSe jumpers can be done from officialbridgeday. com. Fifty prior skydives and a Bridge day Jump Primer course are required. No experience and still want to jump? Brave beginners can sign up for one of 14 tandem BaSe jumps for a mere $1,000 (208-5469873; tandembase.com).

W E S T

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Family Travel Bouldering

child’s play

adventures for the 10-and-under crowd

By amanda ashley

The Burnwood Boulders are located right behind the pavilion at the Burnwood Ranger Station. The variety of boulders offers fun climbs for all abilities and the quick access makes this a perfect quick adventure. This is a great area for younger children, as there are no cliff drops to worry about.

Geocaching Geocaching combines hiking, orienteering, and treasure hunting and the New River Gorge has plenty of geocaches treasure cleverly stashed. Look up cache sites on the web, plug the coordinates into your GPS app, and let the treasure hunt begin. tech savvy youngsters can login and leave notes about their adventures. www.geocaching.com/play

Climbing Several NRG climbing areas offer quick access, low exposure and moderate routes that can easily be set up to top-rope. The Small Wall off Fayette Station Road and the Super Mario area at Beauty Mountain are perfect for young climbers to find good handholds and secure footing on a climb. experienced climbers can consult Mike Williams’ New River Rock Vol. 1, found at Water Stone outdoors. Novices should hire a guide service. hard Rock Climbing (304-574-0735; hardrockclimbing.com) takes kids as young as 6.

Traveling through an obstacle at Timber Trek adVeNtuReS WIth the 10 & uNdeR crowd don’t have to involve plying them with snacks or bringing the ipads to keep them happy. Plenty of NRG outings in rivers & lakes and on trails, rocks, trains, and boats will keep their attention and have them asking, “What’s next?

Interp Trail Located just North of the New River Gorge Bridge, this 1-mile loop gives young adventurers a fun jaunt through field, forest, and rhododendron groves. With plenty of shade and no cliffs, it’s a

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great summer hiking spot. More info, Canyon Rim Visitors Center: 304-574-2115; directions: newrivergorgeguide.com/hiking-trail-guide

Skipping Stones at Stonecliff The beach at Stonecliff is just upstream of the Thurmond Bridge and a great place to splash, wade, and learn to skip stones into the river. Stone Cliff trail follows the New River for 2.7 miles, allowing easy access to the river at various points along the way. nps.gov/neri/planyourvisit/ thurmond-and-cunard-area-trails.htm

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Ride and Watch Trains The renovated train station in Thurmond is a great trip, even better if your timing is right as a train rolls through town and pumps its whistle. Walk into downtown Thurmond where the train tracks still run through it, and cross Thurmond Bridge, which has a steel grid that lets you see straight down to the river (thurmondwv.org). Further afield, Mountain Rail adventures out of elkins (866-692-7632; mtn-rail.com) and Cass Scenic Railroad (304-456-4300; cassrailroad.com) offer train trips through incredibly scenic areas.

Family Travel

Mill Creek Cabins

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Beautiful and luxurious cabins in a peaceful West Virginia woodland setting → Near the → New River Gorge National River

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Navigating the Lower New by duckie

Timber Trek This aerial obstacle course lets kids test their strength and agility in the forest canopy. Because the course varies in difficulty, anyone aged 7 and older can climb, zip-line, and walk bridges and navigate other obstacles at their ability level. Adventures on the Gorge (855-923-7619; playonthegorge.com)

Adventure Lake

photos, opposite page: nrgag; this page (top to bottom): courtesy of ace adventure resort, nrgag

This spring-fed 5-acre water park is full of water slides, inflatable toys, a zip-line and the infamous BLOB. For the younger or more timid, the sand beach is great for lounging or building sand castles and a shallow, roped off area has floats and other unique water toys to entertain. Ace Adventure Resort (800-7873982; aceraft.com)

SUP (Stand Up Paddleboarding) SUP is the newest way to navigate waterways for kids. SUP boards are stable enough for young paddlers to stand and stroke along and SUPS are large enough to hold small riders. Summersville Lake has great access with over 65 miles of shoreline and clean, cool On the Arrowhead Trails water. SUP rentals are available at Summersville Lake Retreat (304872-5975; summersvillelakeretreat. com) and Ace Adventure Gear (304-574-1900; aceadventuregear.com)

Upper New River The Upper New from Prince to Thurmond or Thurmond to Cunard are great New River options for introducing kids to moving water. With mild waves and river features, little ones ages 6 and up will have plenty of excitement in a raft or ducky (inflatable kayak). You’ll find nice beaches to lunch on, where the riverbank is yours to explore. A list of Upper New rafting outfitters can be found at newrivergorgecvb.com/ see-and-do/river-rafting.

Mountain Biking A stacked loop trail system, the Arrowhead offers more than 12 miles of trails where even very young cyclists can experience single track mountain biking trails and navigate natural obstacles. The 1-mile Clovis trail is the place to let young cyclists build basic skills. Find a map at newrivergorgeguide.com/mountain-bike-trails.

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Turning Our House Green A Journey to Energy Efficiency

By Ginger Danz

I have deep “greening” roots. I was raised by Depression-era parents, so turning off lights, wearing more clothes in winter, and figuring out what you wanted before opening the fridge were just what we did in our family. This was in a small Indiana town in the 1970s. My friends and I had free rein of the neighborhood and the woods behind our house. I spent a lot of time outdoors and loved it—it was the norm, then. I didn’t know that this would be the foundation for the environmentalist I have become. Now as an adult, I have become involved in local organizations dedicated to protecting people and the environment from industrial dangers. I have done a lot of reading about energy efficiency and it boils down to one fact: we all need to consume less energy. Way less. I have read that Americans make up 5% of the world’s population but use 20% of the energy resources. I wanted to be part of the solution, not part of the problem, so when my husband and I bought a house in Fayetteville, we agreed to make it as energy efficient as possible. First we took care of the low hanging fruit. We replaced incandescent bulbs with compact florescent ones, which use about a quarter of the energy of regular bulbs. We took advantage of a free energy audit

26 NEWRIVERGORGEGUIDE.COM

from our local utility and implemented their suggestions, including weather-stripping around the windows and underneath doors. We also cleaned the coils under our refrigerator (the energy company gave us a kit to do this). Apparently, fridges become inefficient—and use more energy to keep food cool—when they get clogged with dust. We then put our TV and other electrical appliances on power strips, which allows us to disconnect them when we aren't using them. We were surprised to learn that these electrical appliances use power if they are plugged in, even when they are turned off—15% or more of the total energy used. We watched our power bill go down. I was hungry for more and I googled for some ideas. One that caught my eye was only one light on for every person in the house. There was no need to light up a whole house when each person occupies only one room. My husband and daughter got on board: it was a fun challenge, and we didn’t suffer at all. All told, our power bill shrunk by at least one third. And then came the winter of 2012. We lost power for three days during a cold snap. The temperature in our house hovered at a steady, chilly 54 degrees. We wrapped ourselves in

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comforters and ate a lot of peanut butter and jelly. In June of that same year, a massive windstorm, the infamous derecho, hit our area, knocking out our power and the power for 672,000 West Virginia residents. Everybody’s experience was a little different after the derecho, but in our house, we had no power for ten days. It was unseasonably hot and resources were scarce due to downed trees and road closures. We had no gas for the car, no ice for the cooler. Our gas grill was a lifesaver and we gorged on 30 pounds of local meat from our lukewarm freezer—eat it or lose it. There is a certain charm to living the prairie life for a bit, reading by candlelight, going to bed early, making culinary creations out of food you forgot you had in the house. Sadly, the charms wear thin pretty quickly when you’ve been softened by years of convenience. During those ten days my husband and I talked a lot about our dependence on the traditional grid system and vowed to be better prepared for future power outages. So we switched to a gas stove from an electric. We installed a solar hot water heater on our roof. And we put in a wood-burning stove as a back-up heat source. In 2014 our local green team (Fayette County Green Advisory Team) partnered with Maryland-based Community Power Network to promote a solar cooperative. A solar cooperative allows residents to gather together to buy residential solar systems, lowering overall costs. It seemed like a sign from the universe, so we joined the co-op. We were able to refinance our modest home and pay for our system outright, and we expect that it will pay for itself in about 10 years. The installers used local labor for the project, so we are supporting the local economy and reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. There have been some blips along the way and it hasn’t all gone smoothly or cost-effectively. We needed a new roof under those new panels, which added to our costs (although now we have a new roof). And we will need to keep our eye on pro-fossil fuel West Virginia policies, which might raise our monthly bills. We’ve raised our child to turn off the light in her room, and that pays our efforts forward to the next generation. We bought this system for less than the cost of a new car, and in ten years it will have paid for itself and our electricity will be free! I am convinced that anyone can do this, with less money and hassle than you might expect. For us this journey has been less about saving money than living according to our principles. It is hard to describe the joy and sense of independence we felt when we flipped the switch for the first time, but we recommend you give it a try. Ginger Danz is President of the Fayetteville Arts Coalition, a member of the Fayette County Green Advisory Team, and a Fayetteville-based artist.

photos, this page: NRGAG; opposite page: Jim mccormac

Lifestyle

Ocean’s

Nature

Massage Therapy

dozens of species. It goes without saying that one must have their excuses prepared if confronted by a ranger while loitering around an outhouse at night, camera in hand. Field trips associated with the New River Birding & Nature Festival meet at Burnwood in the gloom of predawn, and the aforementioned outhouse is often still covered with interesting moths. Many a participant has oohed and aahed over their first luna moth, or marveled at a rosy maple moth (pictured with this article). The latter resembles a lepidopteran teletubby: an exotic creature from

lepidopteran teletubby Moth rich and loving it in the nrG

By Jim Mccormac MothS aRe the daRKeR SIde of butterflies, and don’t receive near the press as their sun-loving counterparts. The differences between the two groups are slight. Both belong to the order Lepidoptera, which includes an estimated 175,000 species worldwide. In general, moths might be thought of as nocturnal butterflies, although there are exceptions as some moths do fly during the day. one certainty is that moths vastly outnumber butterflies. In West Virginia, fewer than 140 species of butterflies have been recorded. Contrast that with the 2,500 moth species estimated to occur! Just a few years ago, mothseeking was largely the domain of the serious lepidopterist. Finding moths, at least on a large scale, involves becoming one with the owls. Specialized light traps— white sheets illuminated by mercury vapor lamps or blacklights—are best for luring the quarry. Lugging the gear to remote areas rich in plant diversity is best. While serious moth hunting’s specialization limited interest, so did the lack of a user-friendly field guide for identification. This problem was solved when the Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Northeastern North america emerged in 2012. The book’s color photographs greatly aided those interested in putting names to moths, and helped break down their mystery. The ubiquity of excellent digital cameras has allowed people to capture the beauty of these insects, and now “mothing” is skyrocketing in popularity. The New River Gorge region is rich in moths. one need only visit a good nightlight in the wee hours of the night for proof. Lunas, Polyphemus moths and other giant silkmoths might be attracted, along with scores of lesser species. The sheer numbers and diversity of moths on a warm spring or summer evening can be stupefying. When the nightlights are left on at the outhouse at the Burnwood section of the New River National Park, just across u.S. 19 from the park visitor center, the moths that gather are always impressive. More than a few times I’ve seen the front wall of the outhouse liberally dotted with moths representing

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 Erin Larsen  A rosy maple moth some distant rainforest. But rosy maple moths are common in West Virginia woods, along with a host of other moths every bit as interesting. The longest lived part of moths’ four-part life cycle (egg, caterpillar, cocoon, moth) is the caterpillar phase. you don’t want to come back as a caterpillar. They are Nature’s hotdogs, and all manner of predators seek them out. Caterpillar mortality rates are often in excess of 90%, which is why the females of many moth species lay hundreds or thousands of eggs. Such prolific fecundity is necessary to ensure that some of the animals make it through the predatorial gauntlet and survive to the adult moth stage, when they can mate and reproduce. Moths and their caterpillars are an enormous part of the ecological web. Without them, many of our songbirds would go extinct, as would scores of other caterpillar-eating animals. an area such as the New River Gorge that is rich in moths will also be rich in natural resources of all kinds. The moths provide a nocturnal litmus test as to how well we are doing in protecting our environment. Jim McCormac is an Ohio-based naturalist, author of three books on wildlife, and frequent blogger at jimmccormac.blogspot.com.

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Health

Be well By erin larsen

our nervous system is the master of everything we do. every stimulus from inside and outside our bodies is integrated and elicits an appropriate response without us having to think about how to do it. our brain and spinal cord make up the central part of our nervous system. The rest make up the peripheral nervous system. The peripheral nervous system is divided into the somatic (voluntary) nervous system and the autonomic (involuntary) nervous system. It is the autonomic nervous system that regulates the function of our internal organs and controls bodily functions such as heart rate, digestion, excretion, and respiratory rate. The autonomic nervous system is divided into two parts as well: the “fight or flight” sympathetic nervous system and the “rest and digest” parasympathetic nervous system. We are constantly under stress in our busy world. even our entertainment and news is high stimulation. The result is that our sympathetic nervous system remains in overdrive. you may feel as if you are in a constant struggle to stay afloat, stuck in a “fight or flight” response. This can result in high levels of cortisol and adrenaline in your bloodstream as well as an elevated heart rate, high blood pressure and high blood sugar. These physiological responses tax your bodily systems and leave you depleted and drained. and they affect your overall health. high stress and elevated cortisol have been linked to suppression of the immune system, higher rates of cancer, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, and allergies. Normally when we have an infection in our body, white blood cells flood the area and attack the invasive cells. This is actually what cortisol is supposed to do—elicit a short (few minutes) burst of white blood cells to attack the invading cells and fight off pathogens. however, under constant stress, this response gets reversed, causing the white blood cells to stop working or sometimes even attack healthy cells. your body becomes confused as to what it is supposed to do. Imagine you are trying to concentrate and write a paper while your roommate is blaring heavy metal and playing the drums next to you. Not easy, right? This is your nervous system under stress. These days, with the flood of excess stimuli coming at us from so many directions, how can

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we mitigate our body’s natural response? how can we save our white blood cells from attacking our bodies? We can, despite it all, relax, or as I like to say, sympathize with our sympathetic nervous system. First, be sure to get good sleep. Sleep is essential. We all need a solid amount every day in order to keep our bodies functioning at an optimal level. When we sleep, our bodies rebuild and restore our cells, leaving our bodies rejuvenated. how you operate in your daily life matters as well. If you have a high stress job or life and go to bed with that stress on your mind, chances are you may suffer insomnia or toss and turn. It is vital to take some time during the day to train your body to relax. you may recognize the quickened pace of your heart rate and breath when you are under stress. This is a normal response in the short term, and the idea is to learn to relax to keep stress short term. When you find yourself in stress mode, practice the simple breathing exercise described below to calm your body and nervous system. If you have trouble sleeping, try it before bed. With practice it leads to deep relaxation. The 2:1 Breath Find a comfortable seat, preferably where your knees are lower than your hips so that your spine can stay erect and your back and hip muscles can relax. you can use blankets and/or pillows under your hips to lift them above your knees. Close your eyes and begin to pay attention to

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your breath. Count along with your inhale, then your exhale. Begin to equalize these breaths so that the counts are even, and you are taking air into every area of your lungs. This is a 1:1 breath and good training for your body as well. Start to pay attention to what happens when you exhale. The pace of your heart slightly decreases in comparison with the inhale. Now, see if you can elongate the exhale and feel your heartbeat slowing. try to inhale for a count of 3-4 and exhale for twice as long, 6-8 counts. as you practice, you may even be able to extend this time. as a start, try to take 10 of these breaths. Then, sit and notice the effects on your body. you may eventually be able to extend this breathing exercise and sit for 5 minutes. This simple exercise will have a powerful effect on your nervous system and start to bring your body back into balance and out of overdrive. you may feel like there is not enough time in your day to take care of yourself with exercise, adequate sleep, and healthy meals. Granted, these all take time and it can be hard to find it. however, next time you feel stressed or anxious, have a little sympathy for your sympathetic nervous system. take a few minutes and practice this quick and easy breathing technique. See if you can feel the immediate effects on your body. Erin Larsen is a Yoga Instructor and Certified Holistic Health Coach who helps people manage stress and find balance in their lives. Contact her at eelyoga@gmail.com or 304-640-7320.

PhotoS, oPPoSIte PaGe, CLoCKWIde FRoM toP: LeVI RoSe, teRRI ShIFFLett, CouRteSy WV dePt oF CuLtuRe aNd hIStoRy

Sympathy for the Sympathetic nerves

Event Calendar July 17-August 2 Theater: Dearly Departed Where: Fayetteville, WV

Enjoy lively community theater at the Historic Fayette Theater with this comedic play about life’s passing. 304-574-4655, historicfayettetheater.com

July 18 Cycling: Wheels of Hope Ride Where: Lewisburg, WV

Choose between 4 rides: 113 miles, 65 miles, 31 miles, or 18 miles long. All the routes are through the lush and rolling-hill countryside of the Greenbrier River Valley. Proceeds benefit the HospiceCare and local cancer survivors. wheelsofhopewv.com

July 29-August 2 Appalachian String Band Music Festival Where: Clifftop, WV

A five-day gathering of stringed instruments, the musicians who play them, and the people who love to hear them at Camp Washington Carver. wvculture. org/stringband

July 31 History: Sacagawea—History Alive! Where: Pipestem State Park

Hear a portrayal of the young Native American woman who accompanied Lewis and Clark on their arduous journey west in 1805. www. wvstateparks.com/calendar.html

August 1 Triathlon: Captain Thurmond’s New River Gorge Challenge Where: Fayetteville, WV

A 15–mile mountain bike, 7-mile kayak down the Lower New River Gorge, and 6.5-mile run back up to the top. Starting and ending in downtown Fayetteville, West Virginia. www. visitfayettevillewv.com/events

August 1 July 18 Fitness: Coalfield War Games Where: Ghent, WV

Crossfit and fitness competitions including a powerlifting bar fight, with a pig roast and live music to follow. coalfieldwargames.com

July 25 Event: Gritty Chix Mud Run Where: Ace Adventure Resort

A 5K route over wet, muddy trails and obstacles to benefit First Descents, which provides outdoor adventures for cancer survivors. aceraft.com/pages/special-events

July 26 Mountain Bike: Little Beaver Chainring Challenge Where: Little Beaver State Park

Locally famous for its technically demanding trails, the Little Beaver singletrack hosts a 7, 14, or 21-mile mountain bike race. wvmba.com

5K Run: Captain Thurmond’s Half & Half Where: Fayetteville, WV First ever 5K on the morning of Captain Thurmond's Challenge. Route travels through downtown Fayetteville and rolling grass fields of the historic Gaines Estate. www.visitfayettevillewv.com/ events

August 2 Event: Thurmond Triathlon Where: Thurmond, WV

It’s a perfect length for a first triathlon: 2-mile bike, 1.5-mile paddle, 2-mile run. Kids as young as 7 can enter. Double inflatable kayaks available free with preregistration. thurmondwv.org

August 2 Hike: Bluestone Turnpike Where: Sandstone Visitor Center A remote and beautiful 9.5 miles along the Bluestone River to

Bluestone State Park, a hike not otherwise doable without arranging your own shuttle. Preregistration is required. 304-466-0417, nps.gov/blue/planyourvisit/ranger-programs. htm

August 8 Performance: Sugar Run Band Where: Pipestem State Park

An eclectic mix of old time, bluegrass, and country music at the Pipestem Ampitheater. pipestemresort.com/special.html

August 8 King of the Gorge Fishing Tournament Where: Ace Adventure Resort

A fishing tournament for any species on any lake or stretch of water from any craft. aceraft. com/pages/special-events

August 22 Race: New River Gorgeous Trail Run Where: Ace Adventure Resort

A 5-mile walk, 8.5-mile run, or 13.1-mile run on mountain roads and singletrack trails. Follows ridgelines through deep, hardwood forests and past Gorge views. aceraft.com/ pages /special-events

August 22 Summersville Lake Lighthouse Festival Where: Summersville Lake Retreat Live music, games, prizes, and lighthouse tours in celebration of the Summersville Lake lighthouse. 888-872-5580; summersville lakeretreat.com

Sept 12 Music: Party in the Holler Where: Ace Adventure Resort A one-night music festival featuring the fabulous Wood Brothers, The Steel Drivers, and more. partyintheholler.com

Sept 12 Stargazing Train

August 22 Birding: New River Hummingbird Festival Where: Honeysuckle Hill Gardens

Only one kind of hummingbird darts around the Eastern U.S. forests—the ruby throated hummingbird, which can be found from Canada to Costa Rica. Experts convene to give presentations on this winged wonder. birding-wv.com

August 22-23 Sailing: Mountain Mama Hospice Regatta Where: Summersville Lake

August 26-30 Oak Leaf Festival Where: Oak Hill, WV

Music, crafts, quilts, and inflatables for the kids in downtown Oak Hill, West Virginia. newrivergorgecvb.com

Climbing Festival: Craggin’ Classic Where: AAC Campground

Gathering of the climbing tribe for a pig roast, demos, clinics, slide shows, and dance party. Organized by the American Alpine Club. cragginclassic. com

A 9.8–mile downstream sprint through famous Class V rapids including Pillow Rock, Lost Paddle, and Iron Ring. Classes include raft, Wildwater C1 and K1, Wavehopper, Slalom, and Playboat. gauleyrace.com

September 24-26 Create West Virginia Conference Where: Fayetteville, WV

The traveling conference of innovation and technology hits the New River Gorge. Workshops in education, entrepreneurship, technology, diversity, and quality of place and plenty of outdoor adventure. createwv.org

Sept 25-Oct 4 Theater: Haunting Julia Where: Historic Fayette Theater

Fayetteville’s lively and historic community theater features a critically acclaimed ghost story. This production is for mature audiences only. 304-574-4655; historicfayettetheater.com

Stand Up Paddling: The NRG SUP Race Where: Fayette Station

Two Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) races: the first, an attainment on flat moving water; the second, a downriver race through 3 rapids. Demos, prizes, and an after-party/awards ceremony at Rendezvous Bar, Adventures on the Gorge. nrgsuprace.com

September 18-19

September 5

Gathering: Gauley Fest Where: Summersville, WV

Farmers market, artisans market, and live music converge on Court Street at Janutolo Park. 7:30-11:30am. 304-574-1500; visitfayettevillewv.com

30 NEWRIVERGORGEGUIDE.COM

September 17-20

Whitewater: Animal Upper Gauley Race Where: Upper Gauley River

Sept 20

The 5th annual regatta on Summersville Lake to benefit Hospice of Southern West Virginia. 7-foot to 26-foot boat divisions and an opportunity to watch the race close enough to hear the crews holler. 10am. www.smsawv. org/the-mama

Shopping: Market Day Where: Fayetteville, WV

Nighttime train excursion to Spruce, WV, for star-gazing in one of the state’s most remote areas, narrated by staff from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, topped off with a campfire and s’mores. 866-692-7632; mountainrailwv.com/special-trains

September 21

A weekend-long gathering of whitewater lovers on the Gauley River to benefit American Whitewater. americanwhitewater. org/content/Wiki/aw:events_gauley

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September 26 Train: Harvest Moon Pumpkin Patch

Celebrate the Harvest season under the Harvest Moon on a train from Cass to Spruce, WV. Fall colors, pumpkins, mountain music. 866-6927632; mountainrailwv.com/special-trains Photos, a ruby throated hummingbird at the hummingbird fest (top) and adventure on the Upper Gauley River (bottom).

PhotoS, this page: courtesy new river birding festival (top), animal upper gauley race (bottom); opposite page: clayton spangler for smsg (top), nrgag (bottom)

Event Calendar

Miss an issue? October 18-31

GorGe Guide

new river

Halloween: Haunted Trail Where: Little Beaver State Park

YOUR RESOURCE FOR ADVENTURE IN THE NEW AND GAULEY RIVERS AREA

Terrific Trails a new guide + new trails

Ghosts and goblins haunt a spooky trail. 304-763-2494; littlebeaverstatepark.com

Oct 23-24; 30-31

Run: Babcock “Sticks and Stones” 15K Where: Babcock State Park

Haunted house, zombie run, and halloween party. aceraft.com

GorGe Guide

Run Around the Gorge Where: Fayetteville, WV

YOUR RESOURCE FOR ADVENTURE IN THE NEW AND GAULEY RIVERS AREA

←

NRG

THE FIELD

BouldeRiNG

Aerial Sports in the New River Gorge

comes of age

FrEE!

sUMMEr 2011

GorGe Guide

new river

←

Your resource for Adventure in the new And GAuleY rivers AreA

←

EvEnt CalEndar insidE!

HoW to BUILd aN

adVeNtUReR tEstEd sECrEts FroM tHE FiEld

locals give it Up on Favorite trails

October 17

Sample and vote for your favorite chili in downtown Fayetteville. visitfayettevillewv.com

Guide Tales STORIES FROM

WWW.NRGORGEGUIDE.COM

Sample soups, cheesecakes, jambalaya, and more created by esteemed local chefs for an annual tasting and contest. officialbridgeday.com

Festival: Chili Cook-off Where: Fayetteville, WV

EVENT CALENDAR INSIDE!

Scenic 10 Waterfalls

As much running retreat as it is race, the Run Around the Gorge covers up to 41 miles in two days over a mix of singletrack, rails to trails, country roads with massages available at the finish. runaroundthegorge.com

Cuisine: Taste of Bridge Day Where: Ames Heights, WV

October 17

SUMMER/FALL 2013

adventure

FREE!

October 16

Watch parachutists float from the New River Gorge Bridge, walk the bridge, and shop at vendors. officialbridgeday.com

emergency primer

What to do When Things go Wrong

WWW.NRGORGEGUIDE.COM

Oct 23-25

Fom the folks who bring us the Gristmill Grinder. This 15K begins at Camp Washington Carver and travels over beautiful woodland trails past Mann’s Gorge, up a Narrow Gauge Trail, past the historic Gristmill, ending at an amazing view. Prereg. is required. sticksandstonesrun.com

Festival: New River Gorge Bridge Day Where: New River Gorge Bridge

Must-do Items

Adventure

October 10

←

The best of the season’s whitewater videos face off for crash and burn, skit, and other awards. historicfayettetheater.com

New River Gorge Bucket List

new river

Contest: Whitewater Video Challenge Historic Fayette Theater

EVENT CALENDAR INSIDE!

World Class River Playspots

Haunted House Where: Ace Adv. Resort

October 7

SPRING/SUMMER 2013

adventure

FREE!

Rest day odyssey

November 14

oUr taking-it-Easy tiCk list

PHOTO BY MIKE TURNER

Run: Canary in the Cave 25+K Where: Fayetteville Town Park

Begin at the Fayetteville Town Park for a 25K run down into the Gorge past abandoned coal mines and waterfalls before making your way back up for a total elevation gain of 1,500 feet. wvmtr.org Photos: sailing on Summersville Lake in the Mountain Mama Regatta, New River Gorgeous Trail Run

FILL tHe VoId

Where to Eat after takeout, Hike out or Bike out

sUmPtUoUs sHadeCool Crags

and What to Climb there

www.nrgorgeguide.com

Articles Photographs Trail info Happenings

Found Here Newrivergorgeguide .com

SUMMER/fall 2015 NEW RIVER GORGE ADVENTURE GUIDE 31

Gorge Guide Restaurant Guide Address

Fare

The Burrito Bar 304-574-2750

Oscar White Rd. Lansing

Mexican fusion

Cathedral Café 304-574-0202

134 South Court St. Fayetteville

American

breakfast & lunch

Chetty’s Pub 888-650-1932

219 Chestnutburg Rd. Lansing

American

lunch & dinner

Country Thai Restaurant 304-900-1188

464 Ames Heights Rd. Lansing, WV 25862

Thai

Delfino’s Pizza & Ice Cream 304-469-7659

1005 East Main Street Oak Hill

Pizza & ice cream

lunch & dinner

Diogi’s 304-574-3647

186 Laurel Creek Rd. Fayetteville

Latin American

lunch & dinner

Los Vaqueros 304-469-6505

Photos, top to bottom: the decor at Los Vaqueros, peanut butter brownie terrine at Pies & Pints, the buffet at Smokey’s on the Gorge, Cathedral Cafe, and the Eleanor Salad at Secret Sandwich Society.

32 NEWRIVERGORGEGUIDE.COM

Meals

Restaurant

2027 East Main St. Oak Hill

Mexican

lunch & dinner closed Wednesdays

lunch & dinner closed Mon., Tues.

lunch & dinner closed Mondays

Mackie’s Biergarten 304-877-1879

57 Fayette Mine Rd. Fayetteville, WV

Pub fusion

lunch & dinner

Pies & Pints Pizzeria 304-574-2200

219 West Maple Ave. Fayetteville

Gourmet pizza & craft beer

lunch & dinner

Rio Grande Restaurant 304-465-5434

571 Mall Rd. Oak Hill

Mexican

lunch & dinner

Secret Sandwich Society 304-574-4777

1031/2 Keller Ave. Fayetteville

Smokey’s on the Gorge 888-650-1932

219 Chestnutburg Rd Lansing

Tudor’s Biscuit World 304-574-3820

323 N. Court St. Fayetteville

Vandal’s Kitchen 304-900-5505

129 South Court St. Fayetteville

Wild Flour Bakery 304-574-0001

105 West Maple Fayetteville

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Sandwiches, burgers and salads Gourmet buffet

lunch & dinner closed Tuesdays breakfast & dinner

Biscuits & southern fare

breakfast, lunch, & dinner

Southern classic with whole ingredients

breakfast & lunch

Bakery

breakfast & lunch closed Sun., Mon.

Art & Artisans

Making it

when hobbies turn into the good life

By cindy whitlock

Fayette County has a Montessori-based education option for preschool and elementary-aged children.

Molly Wolff WeSt VIRGINIa’S New River influenced not only Molly Wolff ’s choice of place, but her choice of professions. “Photography has always been my number one pastime and interest,” she said. While working on the New, she took images for a rafting company, upgraded her gear and quit her job. “I had not pursued it in college because so many naysayers told me I’d never make a living in photography.” Wolff proved them wrong. “Now I make my living full-time as a photographer. My work is spread out from selling landscape and artistic prints at places such as tamarack and art shows, to stock photography for corporations and publications. I also do lifestyle photography such as portraits.” “What excites me the most about photography

Wild Mountain Soap SoaP StaRted out aS a hoBBy, says Phillip Peelish. his wife, Mary, tried making soap, but the results were less than sudsy. “I surprised her, read up on what it took, ordered materials, and we made a loaf of our relax soap,” Phillip recalls. They mixed up all natural ingredients, cocoa butter, coconut oil, olive oil and Shea butter. Then they waited. “It takes three to five weeks for a bar of soap to be ready to use,” Phillip explained.

is seeking out new places, dramatic light, weather, landscapes, and textures,” Wolff continues. her favorite image? She describes her most popular photograph: a train passing over the bridge in Thurmond. “It incorporates many of the things I love in an image such as moving water, a moving train, a well-textured, rusted bridge, leading lines and interesting angles, earth tones, and a natural glow,” she says. “I took this image on an intensely cold and dreary morning. I love getting out and creating images when most people won’t.” Molly Wolﬀ ’s work can be purchased at Tamarack (304-256-6843; tamarackwv.com). You can reach her at mollywolffphotography.com.

Finally, they tested it. “When we started using it, we felt a difference right away,” he continued. Their clean skin wasn’t tight or dry and they didn’t need lotion. another appealing aspect: one bar lasted longer than commercial soaps. Family and friends were nominated as testers. When their bars were used up, they wanted more and were willing to pay. “We thought there may be something to this,” he said. “We took soap to fairs and festivals around the state. once we got proficient at making soaps, we branched into lotions, natural bug repellent, deodorant, beard oil and most recently bath bombs,” said Phillip. Last fall they took the leap and set up shop at dove’s outlet Village, which is now their creation center. “People come in all the time saying they saw us at the state fair or at tamarack.” Now offering items for wholesale to area gift shops and retail stores, Wild Mountain is launching nationally. Wild Mountain Soap products may be purchased from their shop at Dove’s Outlet Village, wildmountainsoaps.com, or from Tamarack and other retail locations.

SuMMer/fall 2015

The Montessori educational model has been shown to increase creativity, social adeptness, and problem solving abilities.

Learn More at NRGLC.org Donate at NRGLC.org

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The degree of difficulty will vary from rapid to rapid and with water level. River users should consult with an experienced river runner or ranger before attempting river running.

Much of the land within the National Park Service areas remains private property; please respect the owners’ rights.

5 Miles

Picnic area

Public river access

Campground

Primitive campsite

Restaurants, Adventure, Cabins/Hotels, Retail & Services Dixie WHERE TO FIND THEM 16

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Summersville Lake

Jodie 39

Summersville Dam 41

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Gauley Bridge

Mount Nebo

Cabins, Hotels & Camping 5. Chestnut Creek Campground 6. Country Road Cabins 7. Mill Creek Cabins 8. Quality Inn 9. Summersville Lake Retreat

Carnifex Ferry State Park

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129

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Victor

Hico Cotton Hill

30 5 2

Hawks Nest Dam 16

Ames Heights

Canyon Rim Visitor Center

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Lansing

Lookout

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Thurmond

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Plum Orchard Lake

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61 25

Restaurants & Farmer's Market 10. Dairy Queen 11. DelFino's 12. El Rio Grande 13. Fayetteville Farmer's Market 14. Gino's Pizza and Spaghetti House 15. Los Vaqueros Restaurante 16. Oak Hill Farmer's Market 17. Pies and Pints 18. Secret Sandwich Society 19. Tudor’s Biscuit World

Danese

Glen Jean

Plum Orchard Wildlife Management Area 16 31

Thayer 41

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Lick

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BECKLEY

64 77

Sandstone 16

Beaver

307

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Little Beaver Lake

Daniels

20 Glade Creek Reservoir

Services 25. Bridgeview Urgent Care 26. Fayetteville, WV CVB 27. Kula Community Yoga Studio 28. New River Gorge CVB 29. Ocean's Massage Therapy

Brooks

Shady Spring M

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Little Beaver State Park

Minden

77 64

64 77

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