Dolly Sods (WV)
7/30 - 8/2/23 (3 nights)
2023 Bag Nights: 10
CalTopo says about 27 miles and 3000' of elevation
Book: The City and The City by China Miéville (I clicked on the wrong title on my Kindle and decided that maybe I was "supposed" to read this book on this trip. Ended up being an awesome backpacking book. Slightly weird and highly recommended.)
My wife took the kids for the annual grndparents visit. Normally, I would have headed for the Sierra, but I had a trip planned for Yellowstone in another week. So what to do while I'm home alone? Haven't been to the Dolly Sods in a while.
I started at the Red Creek Trailhead about 3pm with the idea of a couple miles to camp. I had never been up the Little Stonecoal Run Trail, so that sounded like a good way to start. All of the trails from Red Creek gain a lot of elevation, some of them do it all in a short distance. The Little Stonecoal gains about 1000' in about 1.5 miles, so a good start to the trip.
Crossing Red Creek on a beautiful day
I had a pretty good idea where I was aiming for the first nights camp and a couple hours later, I was there.
Night 1 camp
Remains from logging
Camp visitor
Stonecoal Run
Some reflections in the creek ...
... and clouds in the sky
More reflections
Next morning, heading north
Large beaver dam on the edge of the trail, no signs of the builders
Near a favorite lunch spot overlooking Canaan Valley
Along Dobbin Grade Trail, this lake wasn't hear the last time I passed through ...
... The beavers have been working. Someone has routed the trail across the top
I followed a new to me user trail up the ridge to a dry camp and then fetched water down the hill.
Night 2 camp
I was hoping for a nice sunset, but the lack of clouds made it not very photogenic
The next morning was very hazy, but I did not think too much about it.
Canaan Valley
Blueberries
Cabin Mountain
Very hazy, a little weird
Old road around Dobbin Slashings
Back on the Dobbin Grade Trail and a little bit of mud
Dobbin Grade Trail has lots of stretches like this
Night 3 camp above Upper Red Creek
About this point I realized that the haze was smoke, probably from Canadian wildfires, maybe a good sunset?
Way to hazy for a nice sunset, the sun just sort of disappeared as it got close to the ridge.
Next day back to the car and then drive home and get ready for Yellowstone
