Christy and I just returned from a whitewater rafting trip with my office. It was a fun day, as we enjoyed the rapids in the New River Gorge. Of course, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to do some hiking in West Virginia. Rather than head straight home on Sunday, we decided to explore the Bluestone River Gorge.

The Bluestone River is a major tributary of the New River, which it joins just upstream from Hinton, WV. Our hike started at Pipestem State Park, near the upper end of the Gorge. We ended the trip at Bluestone State Park, near the mouth of the river. Along the way we passed through National Park lands (New River Gorge National River) and game lands as well. All in 8 miles.

Before we could get started though, we had to run a shuttle. This meant having to find not one but two trailheads. We stopped at the Bluestone SP visitor center for directions to the trailhead. The first person I spoke to had never heard of the trail. That's not a good sign. Luckily though, she found someone who did. However, her directions probably did more harm than good. She instructed us to drive through the campground. As it turned out, there were 2 campgrounds, and we didn't have to drive through either of them to reach the trailhead. Eventually we arrived though, and left one car there.

Finding our starting point was easier, though still challenging since there wasn't a sign for the park along the main road. However, with some talented navigation, and a little trial and error, we found ourselves at the lodge where our trip began.

This hike was unique, in that it began with a tram ride to the bottom of the gorge. The ride down in the enclosed cable car was exciting and scenic. The cost for the tram ride is $3.50, but they only charge riders going up. Since we weren't returning that way, we were able to save a few dollars.

The trail was obscure at first, but we correctly assumed that we couldn't go wrong simply heading downstream. Soon enough, we were hiking along a well-established trail. The river beside us was broad and slow, only occasionally tumbling through ripples. Meanwhile, views of the rim of the gorge frequently opened up. The trail was unmarked but easy to follow. Although it's multi-use (hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding) it didn't appear to get much traffic. We only saw one other person during the entire day.

Since we hike with dogs, we rarely see much wildlife. Today though, we'd left the dog behind (please don't tell her). It didn't take long before the wildlife parade began. First, we spooked a doe and fawn along the trail. We flushed them toward the river, and it was fun watching them cross. The fawn looked like she was just learning to walk, and she was knocked over by the current. She recovered quickly though, and they quickly disappeared into the forest on the far side.

Later, we saw another doe and fawn along the trail. Toward the end of the hike, I spotted a doe on the far side of the river, and we saw another driving out. Along with the deer, we spotted 2 big frogs, a huge turtle, a great blue heron, a groundhog, some geese, and an assortment of chipmunks. We also saw many tracks, including deer and racoon. We even spotted part of the skeleton of a small mammal (perhaps a racoon or skunk). However, the most exciting wildlife encounter was still to come.

Lynn was leading us when a huge wild turkey attacked her. One moment she was minding her own business, and the next there was a flurry of wings and a shower of feathers. The turkey was protecting her nest, which had some chicks. It paced back and forth across the trail in front of us, determined to discourage us. Eventually it darted into the woods, and we slipped past.

Christy was the victim of the next bird attack. A grouse burst out of the undergrowth beside the trail, nearly sending Christy into cardiac arrest. The bird was long gone by the time she regained her composure.

Later on, I was in front when I nearly stepped on a huge black snake. It was stretched out across the trail. It had to be 5' long, and as thick as my wrist. Several attempts to move it with a stick failed, and the heavy undergrowth prevented us from going around. Finally, it moved off on it's own. That snake was so long, it took at least a full minute for it to clear the trail. Lynn compared it to waiting for a train at a grade crossing.

Along with the wildlife, we really enjoyed the wildflowers. Literally dozens of species were in bloom. We were able to identify several, including spiderwort, pink and white phlox, mountain laurel, and wild rose. The flowers added some subtle beauty to an easy, pleasant hike.

We had only one unpleasant wildlife encounter during the day. During the last half of the hike, we repeatedly found signs of the North American Redneck. Sytrofoam cups, beer bottles, ATV tracks, and an empty bag of chewing tobacco were just a few of these signs. Our only complaint during the day was the unfortunate amount of trash we encountered. We filled our backpacks, but barely made a dent in it. This is a great trail, but it is badly in need of a cleaning, not to mention responsible users. It's too bad there isn't a way to exclude slobs from our public lands.

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