Kanawha State Forest - Finishing Up

I wanted to go back to a state park one last time to capture some images of the early winter, so even though I technically met my goal of 20 miles, I returned to Kanawha State Forest to hike one last symbolic mile. Although the leaves had fallen, the trail was idyllic.

Entracte

Due to some inclement weekend weather and a busy travel schedule, I was forced to walk some miles locally. I am lucky to live in a neighborhood with a 1.3 mile loop of beautiful wooded areas and pleasant mid-century ranch-style homes.

November 12-16 1.3x5=6.5 miles.

Total Miles Hiked: 21

Kanawha State Forest - Part Two

Today Eip had to work, so I went hiking by myself back at Kanawha State Forest. You can still see some extensive damage from the June storm in the form of fallen trees across the creek running beside the trail, but wildlife was out in full force, and the weather was a perfect 72 degrees.

Miles today: 6

Total Miles: 14.5

Kanawha State Forest

On May 20, Eip and I hiked the Davis Creek Trail at Kanawha State Forest. It was originally founded as a CCC project during the great depression, and is the largest park in Charleston. Apart from seeing a copperhead (one of the three kinds of poisonous snakes in WV) our hike was uneventful and really fun!
Miles Hiked: 5
Total Miles: 8.5

Beech Fork State Park

Today we hiked the Overlook Trail at Beech Fork State Park in Barboursville, WV. We were amazed at the amount of grasshoppers on the trail. With each step, hundreds of them jumped through the dead leaves along the trail, creating a percussive soundtrack to our hike. The trail apexed at an overlook over the whole park. With the warm weather today, it was a great hike.

One of the coolest things we saw was a dried out vine that had coiled itself into a ring, and a spider had spun a web in the middle. Eip also loved seeing a pair of deer near the start of the trail.

Miles Hiked: 1.5
Total: 3.5

Babcock State Park

Babcock State Park is located in Fayette County, West Virginia. It took us about two hours to drive there from Hurricane.

Babcock is famous for its replica grist mill, which is one of the most photographed sites in West Virginia.

We hiked the correctly named "Lake View Trail," which runs up from the mill around the giant lake in the south part of the park.

Miles Hiked: 2
Total Miles Hiked: 2

Hawk's Nest

On the way to Babock State Park, we stopped at Hawk's Nest, which has some great views overlooking the New River.



It was also the site of the Hawk's Next Tunnel Disaster, just one of the many industrial accidents that plagued West Virginia mine workers in the early part of the 20th century.