Dolly Sods, West Virginia (May 27, 2023)
May 28, 2023 15:25:25 GMT -8
rebeccad, burntfoot, and 3 more like this
Post by GaliWalker on May 28, 2023 15:25:25 GMT -8
Dolly Sods - northwest quadrant (May 27. 2023)
I went back to Dolly Sods yesterday, a perineal favorite location for me to hike in. I can't remember if I've done this particular loop before, although I was familiar with all the trails involved. With a semi-repeat trip like this, I'm always looking for a wrinkle or two. This time, my aim was to do some early morning photography amongst the rock outcrops on the aptly named Rocky Ridge Trail. This meant that I needed to be up by 1:15am and out of the house by 1:45am.
I began my hike a little before 5am. A half an hour later, about where the approach road-walk transitioned to the 'proper' Rocky Ridge Trail, I was able to switch the headlamp off. I began to see some nice color in the sky, but I needed to remain focused on my initial plan, so kept on hiking. By sunrise I was still well short of the rock outcrops that I wanted to feature. Thankfully, by the time I reached them the light was still nice. The first one, which is the best of the three in my opinion, was a bit sub-optimally lit, so I visited the other two first, before backtracking (by which time the sun was a bit higher and not directly in the frame). I took my time, because this was what I was here for after all.
The rest of the circuit had me heading along the Raven Ridge, first eastwards and then southwards into the heart of Dolly Sods.
Eastwards on the Raven Ridge Trail (selfie)
Southwards on the Raven Ridge Trail (selfie)
In the early morning hours, it had been a bit chilly due to the cool temperatures and windy conditions. It was perfect hiking weather by the time I was done with the Raven Ridge Trail and had picked up the Upper Red Creek Trail. This section can be quite muddy, but the recent spate of dry weather had things nice and manageable. In fact, I had never seen it less muddy/boggy. Marveling at my good fortune, I traded the Upper Red Creek Trail for the Red Creek Trail, and dropped down to The Forks, where a couple of branches of Red Creek come together in a complex of cascading water.
The Forks
To close my loop I took the Breathed Mountain Trail back up to the Raven Ridge Trail, and then hung a left to walk the final bit to the car, the part which I'd earlier tackled in the dark.
Stats: 12.75mi, ~2000ft gain, 8.5hrs
I went back to Dolly Sods yesterday, a perineal favorite location for me to hike in. I can't remember if I've done this particular loop before, although I was familiar with all the trails involved. With a semi-repeat trip like this, I'm always looking for a wrinkle or two. This time, my aim was to do some early morning photography amongst the rock outcrops on the aptly named Rocky Ridge Trail. This meant that I needed to be up by 1:15am and out of the house by 1:45am.
I began my hike a little before 5am. A half an hour later, about where the approach road-walk transitioned to the 'proper' Rocky Ridge Trail, I was able to switch the headlamp off. I began to see some nice color in the sky, but I needed to remain focused on my initial plan, so kept on hiking. By sunrise I was still well short of the rock outcrops that I wanted to feature. Thankfully, by the time I reached them the light was still nice. The first one, which is the best of the three in my opinion, was a bit sub-optimally lit, so I visited the other two first, before backtracking (by which time the sun was a bit higher and not directly in the frame). I took my time, because this was what I was here for after all.
The rest of the circuit had me heading along the Raven Ridge, first eastwards and then southwards into the heart of Dolly Sods.
Eastwards on the Raven Ridge Trail (selfie)
Southwards on the Raven Ridge Trail (selfie)
In the early morning hours, it had been a bit chilly due to the cool temperatures and windy conditions. It was perfect hiking weather by the time I was done with the Raven Ridge Trail and had picked up the Upper Red Creek Trail. This section can be quite muddy, but the recent spate of dry weather had things nice and manageable. In fact, I had never seen it less muddy/boggy. Marveling at my good fortune, I traded the Upper Red Creek Trail for the Red Creek Trail, and dropped down to The Forks, where a couple of branches of Red Creek come together in a complex of cascading water.
The Forks
To close my loop I took the Breathed Mountain Trail back up to the Raven Ridge Trail, and then hung a left to walk the final bit to the car, the part which I'd earlier tackled in the dark.
Stats: 12.75mi, ~2000ft gain, 8.5hrs
