GaliWalker
Trail Wise!
Have camera, will use.
Posts: 3,694
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Post by GaliWalker on Jun 6, 2021 10:32:56 GMT -8
Point 4659', Roaring Plains (West Virginia, 6/5/'21)I began hiking up the Flatrock Plains Trail a little after daybreak. It was quiet and cool in the lush forest. The right fork of Flatrock Run kept me company for the first two miles, after which the trail left it for a mile to switchback up a nettle filled understory. I’d worn pants and not shorts for this section alone. Roaring Plains was a sun-baked expanse, dotted here and there with azaleas, which were just shy of full bloom. I left the Roaring Plains Trail and picked up an unmaintained, and highly overgrown, offshoot to head westwards. Around 1.7mi later I picked up a side trail to roll my way over a low shoulder of Mt Porte Crayon. 0.6mi later I hit a gravel road. I took this southbound for about 0.7mi. By now my objective, a grassy hill (elevation 4,659ft), was an inviting presence to my left. I huffed and puffed my way up the steep hillside. My reward was expansive views to near and far. Haystack Knob and Green Knob were lovely green bumps that were hard to tear the eyes away from. In all I stayed up there for an hour, just rambling the grassy slopes to take pictures, before regretfully retracing my steps back to the car. Stats: 18.7mi, 3700ft gain, 10.25hrs
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jun 6, 2021 16:53:30 GMT -8
Nice! I'll be heading up that way in a couple weeks; hiking in from the Sods Picnic area (South Prong Trail) to Hidden passage and on to the unmarked trail around the rim. Plan on spending at least 3 days just knocking around and taking pictures. It'll be a lazy BP trip.
One of these days i will hike up Flatrock Plains Trail. Not many use it because of its elevation gain. One of the steepest trails in the MNF.
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GaliWalker
Trail Wise!
Have camera, will use.
Posts: 3,694
|
Post by GaliWalker on Jun 6, 2021 17:07:45 GMT -8
One of these days i will hike up Flatrock Plains Trail. Not many use it because of its elevation gain. One of the steepest trails in the MNF. It’s not that bad. The overall gain might be over 2000ft, but except for a 0.9mi part that’s steep - from 3.4 to 4.3mi - the rest is pretty mellow. You’re correct though that not many people hike it. I’ve used it many times now, and seldom see others. I was surprised to see one couple this time. I even saw a hiker on the unmaintained trail off the Roaring Plains Trail, who said he was doing a circumnavigation of Mt Porte Crayon. So, another surprise in one trip.
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