Friday, July 01, 2011

Vacation Day #5: Valley Falls WV

We wanted to hike.  Keith suggested somewhere other than north of home, and I NEED to hike hills to boost my longevity, so… WV here we come!  Valley Falls State Park is just south of Morgantown.   We took the new GPS so we could cache along the way.

 

The drive was pretty.  Once you get off the main road you snake back into the foothills of West Virginia.  We happened upon a double-decker trailer, but were too wigged-out by the toothless wonders in front of it to stop for a photo.  Sorry!  It was very interesting to drive past though.  There was a confederate flag in the window of the door hanging wide-open exposing their mountainous pile of laundry.  On the other side was a clothes line and the lower level of the homestead.  I can’t truly even describe it.

 

The falls are so beautiful!  It makes you stop and appreciate the Creator! 

IMG00522-20110630-1412IMG00523-20110630-1414IMG00524-20110630-1414IMG00531-20110630-1608

We hiked a couple of trails and could hear the roar of the falls most of the way.  The trail going out was an easy terrain.  The last was not so much.  It was pretty much straight up the mountainside and around enormous boulders the whole way to the top… and then back down the other side.  Some of them were like cliffs you could walk out to the edge and look WAY down!

IMG00525-20110630-1441IMG00527-20110630-1457

We enjoyed the scenery and a little bit of wildlife.  There were several deer and some bunnies, squirrel, and chipmunks.  We photographed the Flinstones house…

IMG00529-20110630-1506 

 

I’m so proud to have completed it.  Anyone who hikes with me, knows I hate hills.  This was an exceptional hill.  The photos do not do it justice.  It’s steep enough that Keith doesn’t like to stop on the hill because the backpack pulls him back.  YIKES. It was a great hike!  I was really energized by it.  Day #5 really ROCKED!!!

IMG00530-20110630-1552

No comments: