High Lands (#116 & #117)

Upper Shavers Fork Preserve, Cheat Bridge, WV

On a road hidden from cell service, deep in West Virginia, I pull over to photograph the abandoned Cheat Bridge train depot with its weathered walls surrounded by Black-eyed Susans.  As I step out, a deep chill of mountain air greets me.  

 

I’ve climbed nearly 4,000 feet in elevation since leaving in the dark from my home this morning.  In another half mile, after finishing up this photography sidebar, I plan to meet John Hedges at a swinging bridge which crosses the Upper Shavers Fork.  We’ll both be wearing jackets to ward off the chill.  

But that is my goal.

I’m between jobs.  In a week I’ll embark upon a new career after 39 years at a prior one.  A few days directing my attention firmly on nature is the respite I need before that new career kicks off.  And because it's midsummer, I deliberately headed west into the high country, where cooler temperatures would feel especially good.

A few minutes later, John and I connect at the base of the bridge where we chat about the property I’m about to cross over onto.  Ninety-six acres owned by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) follows the Upper Shavers Fork - one of the highest elevated rivers in the eastern United States - an environment which fosters rare species like red spruce trees, flying squirrels, northern goshawks, and the Cheat River salamander.  This small property is part of a mosaic of protected land nearby that these boreal and endemic species need to survive.

Once across the bridge, the trail downstream is hidden under a profusion of lovely ferns.  In an oddly beautiful way, it's a fun challenge to follow.  Occasional trail markers tacked to trees right the way.  It fizzles in a spot essentially surrounded by a bog.  I turn around and head for the upstream trail which John says is much longer… and easier to follow.

It wends beside the river through dark rhododendron thickets and more ferns, over wetlands, and ends beneath two massive hemlocks beside a small waterfall.  Under the towering trees and amid the gentle trickle of water, I sit for a while and take it all in.  And here, an unexpected fascination commences.  

I spot a glistening mushroom - a sticky-capped variation.  The stickiness is a shield, helping it survive drier times.  I’m now looking down for other interesting things in the understory and soon find myself crawling and using the ground to steady my camera for upclose shots of unusual flora.  It’s a time of understory glory beneath massive hemlocks.  

Later, as I’m heading back toward the bridge, I stop along the banks of the Upper Shavers Fork where funneled cool breezes whoosh past.  It feels great and I stay in place for a long time taking more pictures of whatever the understory offers me..  I’m finding the longer I stay at this property the fonder I become.  

The Upper Shavers Fork has welcomed me, and it’s a great kick off to giving nature my full attention for the next few days.  

Blue Grass Valley

But the real surprise of the day was still ahead; not at another preserve, but in the valley where I would spend the night.  

The route to Upper Shavers passes through Monterey, Virginia - a place regionally famous for its incredible beauty, pristine nature, sparse population, and high elevation.  Ten miles north of Monterey, and one mountain ridge further west, is the tiny dot of a town called Blue Grass, and just outside of that dot is the Chestnut Cottage - my home the next two nights.  

When I entered the Blue Grass Valley on my return from Upper Shavers, I immediately questioned Monterey’s accolades which pale in comparison to its neighbor one ridge further west.  I had discovered an even more beautiful, more pristine, more sparsely populated, and higher elevated place that I can confidently declare the prettiest spot in the state.  

Adding to the charm is that Highland is the least-populated county in Virginia, which means you can drive as slow as you want and are compelled to wave to the very few cars you pass.  Adding even more charm is this: one of the valley’s most prominent farms is known as Dividing Waters which contains a barn where rain off one slope drains into the Potomac River watershed, and to the James River from the other.  

It’s been a potent day - leaving home early, visiting Upper Shavers, enjoying a nice dinner in Monterey - and now I’m back at the cottage creaking in a rocking chair on the porch with a warm cigar, bourbon on ice, and the setting sun.  It’s incredibly relaxing.  The view down the valley is brilliantly clear and expansive.  

Doves, woodpeckers, and hummingbirds flock to a nearby feeder.

Cattle moo and sheep bleat gently from nearby fields. 

Deer wander freely among the livestock.

Light breezes rustle through the back yard’s chestnut tree.

A few cars pass and wave, driven by lucky ones living in paradise.

Blue sky gives way to twinkling stars.  

Temperature begins its descent.

I’m enraptured.

This valley’s peacefulness has engulfed me.  

Roaring Springs Preserve, Blue Grass, VA

Yesterday was so amazing that I awoke today with guard up, knowing that a letdown, even with a marquee adventure on tap, was possible.  And that adventure had some real ups and downs…

Blair Smyth and I meet in Blue Grass Mercantile and hop in his truck.  We climb up and out of the Blue Grass Valley to the top of the surrounding ridge marking the boundary of Roaring Springs Preserve - a property recently donated to TNC by Fitz Gary.  Descending half way down the other side we veer onto what looks more like a footpath than a road.  Blair’s truck bounces over many ruts as we drop to the valley floor.  

From here, on foot we head up again to see the property’s most iconic feature - an outflow cave.  It’s a deep gash in the mountain from which water flows and tumbles down to Straight Fork in the valley below.  It’s a tough hike starting through a dense, steep meadow so thick the vines seem to grab our boots with each step.  Up and up we go.  A level deer trail gives us a few steps of respite, but the final ascent is diabolically steep and gaspy.

Suddenly, around a sharp bend in the ravine, we reach the cave.  The intense effort to reach this unique geographic anomaly has paid off.   It’s like nothing I’ve seen in over 40 years of mountain trekking.  The spillway this outflow cave creates is as impressive as the cave itself.  A mossy, splashy stream falling so steep it’s nearly waterfall-like in its fast glide down the hill.  Caves are places of mystery.  What lurks inside?  Like Venus flytraps, they tempt entry.  But today’s abbreviated tour will not include entry; however, Blair does share a few stories of his time inside the cave.  He shares that not long ago, he was fortunate to lead TNC’s president up this steep hill to the cave’s entrance, and she too struggled with her footing.

Knowing there’s much more to see at Roaring Springs, we stumble back down to Blair’s truck, then back up and down the mountain again to where the road crosses the creek at the Hippie House, as it's known.  

When Fitz bought the property in the 1970’s, it was a place to enjoy life’s pleasures.  Now though, the house is tired and worn, as is an outhouse nearby which sits under towering maples - the largest I’ve ever seen.  We walk the short trails around the Hippie House and get glimpses of the beaver dams.  This valley where Fitz and friends used to play is quite peaceful and full of natural beauty.  

Next, we’re heading up again to the other side of the valley where we hike down to an Appalachian bog. Surrounding this bog are rare Red Spruce trees that normally grow in locations much further north, but Highland County’s elevation brings natural surprises like this.

With that, Blair’s highlight tour of an amazing property and our three-hour conversation comes to an end.  A few more ups and downs bring us back to the Blue Grass Mercantile where we met this morning.  The elevation changes during this tour have been dizzying, but have brought a true understanding of the intensity of this property’s unique geography.  I gift Blair with some Richmond honey and bread, a mere pittance compared to what he has given me today.  

I return later in the afternoon to Fitz's valley home, walk the trails again, then sit for a long time on his porch. I'm all alone on this nearly 2,000-acre property.  With Blair, there was nearly constant discussion—fabulous Q&A about an amazing property.  I learned so much from Blair, a tremendous host.

But now I'm alone. Contemplative and still, I'm letting the property do the talking... and I'm fascinated by what it has to say.

High Land’s Last Gift

For dinner, I whipped up a simple pot of red beans and rice and enjoyed it from the porch of the Chestnut Cottage.  It was a final dose of deep relaxation.  And maybe because of that relaxation, I didn’t need much sleep.  I woke up this morning at 3:00 feeling fully refreshed.  Glancing outside, I was expecting darkness, of course, but it seemed especially dark in the pre-dawn hours.

I grab a jacket, step out into the 47 degree darkness, and there it is - The Milky Way.  With the nearly full moon now on the other side of earth, and with no clouds, stars have come out from hiding.  Highland County is one of the best dark sky locations on the entire east coast - a Bortle Class 2 - and tonight I understand exactly what that means.  It’s a final gift from the high lands, and an amazing wrap up to this focused time over the past few days in which I’ve been directing my attention firmly on nature. 

LEARN MORE ABOUT THESE TNC PROPERTIES HERE:

Upper Shavers Fork Preserve

Roaring Springs