40: Glittering Gold
Nelson Sods, Pike Knob Preserve, WV |
C E N T R A L, W V
Location: Nelson Sods, 38° 40' 18.9" North, 79° 26' 23.6" West
To get to where I’m sitting
you’ll have to drive to the base of the highest mountains in West Virginia. Next, follow the rocky and rutted Franklin-Circleville
Pike until the road deteriorates so much that you can drive no further. The road is the long-ago abandoned route over
North Fork Mountain which now dwindles to just a footpath the further up you go. You’ll then have to find a spot to pull off where
you’re not blocking the way for others.
(Note though that the pull offs
and the others are few and far
between in this very remote locale.)
Leave your car and continue on foot up, up, and more ups until you reach
a saddle in the mountain. Veer right and
follow an old, even-more-rutted jeep trail.
More ups relentlessly ensue until you finally arrive at the peak – Pike
Knob, a 4,290 foot forested summit. You’ll
be out of breath, but you’re not done yet.
Though this preserve I’m visiting
is named after its peak, the true gem is where I currently sit: Nelson Sods a
half-mile further on. Finding this
amazing mountaintop meadow requires some off-trail instincts; there is no
path. Preparation, map skills, and a
solar compass are necessary if you plan on joining me in the single best
viewing spot I’ve ever found in the Appalachian Mountains.
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) describes
where I’m at as a place for fit hikers
seeking one of the most secluded locations in the state. When I first read about Pike, I must admit I
was a bit intimidated. Choosing to
visit in late November only added to my worries. It’s hunting season, so would I be entering a
crossfire? And just ten minutes after
setting out on foot, I heard gunshots near where I was headed.
My car’s balding tires are near
the end of their useful life, so would the rutted road leave me in the middle
of nowhere with a flat, or perhaps with a torn up undercarriage?
Fit hikers? At this elevation, was I truly fit enough to
make it up the mountain - heart troubles, quadriceps tendinitis, vertigo and
all?
Aside from all of that, the forecast
called for a high of 35 degrees… and that was for in the valley 2,000 feet
below the summit. It’s not easy getting to Nelson Sods; its elusive remoteness though,
unquestionably is one of its charms.
Another charm is its
weather. Bluntly, this mountain is the
driest spot in the Appalachians. Storm
systems marching over the state are wrung dry as they rake across Spruce Knob,
West Virginia’s highest point just to the west of Pike Knob. This orographic phenomenon has been on full
display this morning as I sit dry in the sunshine while just across the valley
Spruce Knob is shrouded in clouds. Amid
the sunshine, the knee-high rice-grass in this meadow is a sea of glittering
goldenness.
A lone bald eagles soars past,
not flapping its majestic wings even once.
It surely has no trouble spotting me in blaze-orange hat. This symbol of American prominence drifts
gracefully on updrafts unconcerned, welcoming a non-threatening visitor into
its astonishing kingdom.
The views from Nelson Sods are as
expansive as I have ever seen. Forty
years of hiking these mountains has not led to a spot more beautiful than
this. The elevated vantage point puts me
atop the world, and makes it easy to spot other iconic peaks. Draw a straight line from West Virginia’s
highest point to High Knob on the Virginia border twenty two miles to the east
and the line passes directly over Pike Knob.
Three prominent 4,000 foot high peaks lined up perfectly straight, and
all three in clear view on this brilliant day.
Before I turn and leave out after
my hours immersed in the beauty of Nelson Sods, I take a few photos with my
phone to be used as the background image for my display screen. The images will pale compared to the true
sights seen here, but they will justly serve as reminders of today’s incredible
experience.
Back in 2016, while on my sabbatical,
Mike Powell spoke to me about Pike Knob.
Mike is TNC’s stewardship director and is aptly familiar with all of the
state’s very best spots. He emphatically
told me a visit to Pike was a must-do and definitely worth the effort. It’s been a morning of overcoming doubts and surviving
demanding physical challenges but undeniably, Mike was exactly right. Pike Knob Preserve is an amazing place and has
re-set the scale by which I now judge the beauty within the Appalachian
Mountains.
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