Sheltered Lands

G R E E N L A N D   G A P,  WV Nine years ago, on the last day of July, I hiked one of the east coast’s most remarkable geographies.  West Virginia’s Dolly Sods are 17,000 acres of highly-elevated chilly flatness that feel more like a Canadian province than the dramatic undulations found throughout the rest of the Mountain State.  Whenever asked about favorite hikes over my forty years of tramping, that Dolly Sods visit nine years ago always enters the discussion.   First impressions of remarkable geographies like Dolly Sods thrive in the glow of bewilderment.  Experiencing such places for the first time extracts the purest essence and builds the most robust memories.  Second impressions only serve to tarnish; dimming the glow.  If your memory bank remains full of just first impressions, a trip down memory lane will be bright and delightful.  So planning a second visit to Dolly Sods today was a questionable decision. + + +  On ...

Eidolon Preserve, Great Cacapon, West Virginia G.  C A C A P O N,  W V I stop at the intersection of Cacapon and Detour roads to take a screenshot of the driving directions.   I’m losing service quickly the further I travel from Berkeley Springs.   Several more miles of thinning mountain road lie between this intersection and the trailhead I’m aiming for on a barren mountaintop in Morgan County, West Virginia at a place called Eidolon . In Greek, Eidolon translates to image of the ideal .   Perhaps the prior owners – Louis and Marguerite Zapoleon – had me in mind when they donated this property in 1971 to The Nature Conservancy.   Their ideal was that such a beautiful property should be shared; left intact as a natural asset for future generations.   And today, I’m that future generation.   I like that the parking lot is nothing more than space for one.   And the kiosk lies hidden a few hundred yards uptrail.   If you blin...

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....