Misty North Fork Mountain (West Virginia - 10/4/2015)
Oct 5, 2015 9:44:29 GMT -5
Post by GaliWalker on Oct 5, 2015 9:44:29 GMT -5
Oct 4, 2015: North Fork Mountain
This year's fall season is off to a soggy start. My hike yesterday was my second soggy outing in succession. Wet and misty conditions dogged my every move, making for yet another introspective hike.
My favorite viewpoint in the mid-Atlantic, in all seasons, but especially so in fall, is Chimney Top, which is a complex of rocky spires on North Fork Mountain's northern end. I've been up there many times before, but keep getting drawn to it once October rolls around. Yesterday morning, at 6:50am, yet again, I found myself hiking up the northern end of the North Fork Mountain trail.
I headed up the trail in a gentle, but persistent rain. This early in the morning it was quite dim; even more so because of the overcast conditions. However, I could just about register a faint glow from yellowing leaves. Little did I know then that this was but false hope, and that I was to see almost no further color. Full on fall colors were still 1-2 weeks away.
I was able to make reasonably good time as I toiled my way up, to hit the spine of the mountain and the first of the viewpoints. As I peered over the edge at the Potomac River Valley, my heart sank: there was almost nothing to see but thick white mist. A few fleeting views of the valley were available, but none of New Creek Mountain and points beyond on the other side, and none of North Fork Mountain. I knew then that it would only get worse as I climbed higher.
The climb up to Chimney Top took me through rain soaked woods. With the absence of a view I began to pay more attention to the forest. Interesting stuff started to materialize out of the mist. While there wasn't a whole lot of fall color, the greens were as vibrant as could be. The spruce trees that drape the North Fork Mountain's ridge were glistening and almost every spruce needle tip was adorned by a raindrop.
Chimney Top was a mysterious looking place. Mist swirled amongst the spires, preventing one from forming a complete picture of the whole. I had never been up there in such conditions, so I spent an entertaining hour poking around the various nooks and crannies, seeing everything with new eyes.
After Chimney Top I continued along the North Fork Mountain trail. I did not have a specific destination in mind, but was not ready to call off the hike, despite the lack of views. I had made the mental switch to this being an introspective hike and had begun to quite enjoy the change of pace. Eventually, around the 5mi mark, I reached a craggy rock fin, similar to Chimney Top, though not as extensive. I spent a bit of time exploring it, before turning around and heading back to the car.
Hiking/photography stats: 10.2mi, ~2900ft gain, 7.5hr
This year's fall season is off to a soggy start. My hike yesterday was my second soggy outing in succession. Wet and misty conditions dogged my every move, making for yet another introspective hike.
My favorite viewpoint in the mid-Atlantic, in all seasons, but especially so in fall, is Chimney Top, which is a complex of rocky spires on North Fork Mountain's northern end. I've been up there many times before, but keep getting drawn to it once October rolls around. Yesterday morning, at 6:50am, yet again, I found myself hiking up the northern end of the North Fork Mountain trail.
I headed up the trail in a gentle, but persistent rain. This early in the morning it was quite dim; even more so because of the overcast conditions. However, I could just about register a faint glow from yellowing leaves. Little did I know then that this was but false hope, and that I was to see almost no further color. Full on fall colors were still 1-2 weeks away.
I was able to make reasonably good time as I toiled my way up, to hit the spine of the mountain and the first of the viewpoints. As I peered over the edge at the Potomac River Valley, my heart sank: there was almost nothing to see but thick white mist. A few fleeting views of the valley were available, but none of New Creek Mountain and points beyond on the other side, and none of North Fork Mountain. I knew then that it would only get worse as I climbed higher.
The climb up to Chimney Top took me through rain soaked woods. With the absence of a view I began to pay more attention to the forest. Interesting stuff started to materialize out of the mist. While there wasn't a whole lot of fall color, the greens were as vibrant as could be. The spruce trees that drape the North Fork Mountain's ridge were glistening and almost every spruce needle tip was adorned by a raindrop.
Chimney Top was a mysterious looking place. Mist swirled amongst the spires, preventing one from forming a complete picture of the whole. I had never been up there in such conditions, so I spent an entertaining hour poking around the various nooks and crannies, seeing everything with new eyes.
After Chimney Top I continued along the North Fork Mountain trail. I did not have a specific destination in mind, but was not ready to call off the hike, despite the lack of views. I had made the mental switch to this being an introspective hike and had begun to quite enjoy the change of pace. Eventually, around the 5mi mark, I reached a craggy rock fin, similar to Chimney Top, though not as extensive. I spent a bit of time exploring it, before turning around and heading back to the car.
Hiking/photography stats: 10.2mi, ~2900ft gain, 7.5hr
