North Fork Mountain traverse (West Virginia, 4/10/'16)
Apr 11, 2016 19:16:10 GMT -8
rwtb123 likes this
Post by GaliWalker on Apr 11, 2016 19:16:10 GMT -8
North Fork Mountain traverse (West Virginia - April 10, 2016)
Stats:
- Distance (including side trips): 25.1mi
- Elevation gain (including side trips): 3,150ft
- Elevation loss (including side trips): 5,580ft
- Number of people seen on the hike: 0
- Hiking/photography time: 11.5hr
- Trip time (house to house): 19.5hr
North Fork Mountain is located in West Virginia's Monongahela National Forest. The mountain snakes its way from south to north in a sinuous, up and down ridge. The ridge is studded with rock spires and outcrops, which afford gorgeous sweeping views of cascading mountains and idyllic valleys. The ~25mi trail that traverses the ridge makes for, in my opinion, the finest hike in the mid-Atlantic.
I made my first foray on North Fork Mountain 6.5yrs ago and fell in love with it. While I've returned to hike sections of the ridge on multiple trips, I hadn't hiked the entire 24.7mi end-end. Furthermore, there was a 10mi section in the middle of the ridge which I'd never visited. The holdup was caused by having to set up a car shuttle, to ferry me between the south and north trailheads. This past Sunday I finally bit the bullet and arranged a shuttle with Eagle's Nest Outfitters for the cost of $85.
I left a chilly Pittsburgh at 2:15am. The temperature dipped to 4°F on the drive over, but was a more comfortable 19°F when I reached the north trailhead of North Fork Mountain. I picked up the gentleman from Eagle's Nest Outfitters who was to assist me on the car shuttle, and then drove over to the south trailhead. Here, I got out while my companion took my car back to the north trailhead, where it would await my arrival.
It was 6:30am as I started my hike. A hint of color in the sky held the promise of a beautiful morning. The trail was completely covered by 2-4in of fresh untouched snow, courtesy of the unseasonably late snowstorm that had engulfed the mid-Atlantic the day before. However, the snow was light and powdery, and little to no hindrance. There was the occasional 1-2ft deep snowdrift to fight through, but thankfully there weren't too many of them.
The hike was rewarding almost from the start. Views of snowy mountains in the distance and down into Germany valley began 0.5mi into the walk. The best view from this section came at the 7.2mi mark, right after a particularly stiff climb to the top of an outcrop. A social trail led off to my left, taking me to a great view overlooking the southern portion of the ridgeline which I'd just walked over.
A mile later I ran into a spate of 2ft deep snowdrifts, at a hillock laced with huge boulders. I knew that a spur trail to the Seneca Rocks overlook was supposed to lead off from near here, but picked this one moment to lose the trail. By the time I'd regained the trail I was past the hill. Thankfully, a bit further along I was able to make my way to an overlook with a view of Seneca Rocks, although I wasn't sure if this was the viewpoint I'd originally been searching for.
A couple of miles later I'd reached the highest point of the hike, decorated with a Radio Tower. Here, I met up with a gravel road (FR79), which I endured for the next 2mi. Also, around this part the snow covering the trail disappeared, for seemingly no reason at all.
Back on regular trail but without the snowy conditions I began to make somewhat faster travel. 'Unfortunately', scenic viewpoints kept distracting me. The best of these were from the top of rock formations at 16.5mi (near the intersection with the Redman Run Trail), 19.5mi (a huge rock fin, comprised of layers of rock that looked like a honeycomb) and the grand finale at the 22mi mark, Chimney Top.
After Chimney Top, I continued alongside the ridge crest for a scenic mile, before leaving the ridge for good. A quick descent through pretty forest deposited me at the north trailhead and my waiting car, 11.5hrs after starting.
Stats:
- Distance (including side trips): 25.1mi
- Elevation gain (including side trips): 3,150ft
- Elevation loss (including side trips): 5,580ft
- Number of people seen on the hike: 0
- Hiking/photography time: 11.5hr
- Trip time (house to house): 19.5hr
North Fork Mountain is located in West Virginia's Monongahela National Forest. The mountain snakes its way from south to north in a sinuous, up and down ridge. The ridge is studded with rock spires and outcrops, which afford gorgeous sweeping views of cascading mountains and idyllic valleys. The ~25mi trail that traverses the ridge makes for, in my opinion, the finest hike in the mid-Atlantic.
I made my first foray on North Fork Mountain 6.5yrs ago and fell in love with it. While I've returned to hike sections of the ridge on multiple trips, I hadn't hiked the entire 24.7mi end-end. Furthermore, there was a 10mi section in the middle of the ridge which I'd never visited. The holdup was caused by having to set up a car shuttle, to ferry me between the south and north trailheads. This past Sunday I finally bit the bullet and arranged a shuttle with Eagle's Nest Outfitters for the cost of $85.
I left a chilly Pittsburgh at 2:15am. The temperature dipped to 4°F on the drive over, but was a more comfortable 19°F when I reached the north trailhead of North Fork Mountain. I picked up the gentleman from Eagle's Nest Outfitters who was to assist me on the car shuttle, and then drove over to the south trailhead. Here, I got out while my companion took my car back to the north trailhead, where it would await my arrival.
It was 6:30am as I started my hike. A hint of color in the sky held the promise of a beautiful morning. The trail was completely covered by 2-4in of fresh untouched snow, courtesy of the unseasonably late snowstorm that had engulfed the mid-Atlantic the day before. However, the snow was light and powdery, and little to no hindrance. There was the occasional 1-2ft deep snowdrift to fight through, but thankfully there weren't too many of them.
The hike was rewarding almost from the start. Views of snowy mountains in the distance and down into Germany valley began 0.5mi into the walk. The best view from this section came at the 7.2mi mark, right after a particularly stiff climb to the top of an outcrop. A social trail led off to my left, taking me to a great view overlooking the southern portion of the ridgeline which I'd just walked over.
A mile later I ran into a spate of 2ft deep snowdrifts, at a hillock laced with huge boulders. I knew that a spur trail to the Seneca Rocks overlook was supposed to lead off from near here, but picked this one moment to lose the trail. By the time I'd regained the trail I was past the hill. Thankfully, a bit further along I was able to make my way to an overlook with a view of Seneca Rocks, although I wasn't sure if this was the viewpoint I'd originally been searching for.
A couple of miles later I'd reached the highest point of the hike, decorated with a Radio Tower. Here, I met up with a gravel road (FR79), which I endured for the next 2mi. Also, around this part the snow covering the trail disappeared, for seemingly no reason at all.
Back on regular trail but without the snowy conditions I began to make somewhat faster travel. 'Unfortunately', scenic viewpoints kept distracting me. The best of these were from the top of rock formations at 16.5mi (near the intersection with the Redman Run Trail), 19.5mi (a huge rock fin, comprised of layers of rock that looked like a honeycomb) and the grand finale at the 22mi mark, Chimney Top.
After Chimney Top, I continued alongside the ridge crest for a scenic mile, before leaving the ridge for good. A quick descent through pretty forest deposited me at the north trailhead and my waiting car, 11.5hrs after starting.
You won't regret it.
