- Time of past OR future Camino
- First: Camino Francés 2002; most recent: Norte/Primitivo 2019
I'm writing this from home in Portland, Oregon. I pushed on for a while, but eventually it became clear that continuing to walk was irresponsible. I'm settling into quarantine and looking forward to some found time for writing and reading.
Before I shut things down, I made it nearly through the full length of West Virginia. I continued to be blessed with unseasonably good weather. This section features the highest-elevation crossing east of the Rockies--around 1500m/4500' through the Dolly Sods wilderness area--so a mid-March passage is ambitious. Lots of through-hikers run into trouble here. Instead, I camped comfortably at ~3700' and then had pristine blue skies for my crossing.
I would love to walk through Dolly Sods in June, when colors are bursting. The ADT is mostly on footpaths and dirt roads through the Dolly Sods region, then into the Canaan Valley, which has a ski resort in the winter. It goes through two state park lodges in quick succession and then loops past the Blackwater Falls, which are pretty spectacular. Despite the clear weather, in March the trails were still quite boggy, making for tricky walking.
The western portion of the ADT through West Virginia follows the North Bend Rail Trail. It's unpaved and grassy, making for easy, comfortable walking, with occasional free camping spots. Outside of those stretches, there's a lot of pavement, but it's almost entirely on minor roads that weave through non-stop hills.
West Virginia is one of the poorest states in the US and there is a lot of economic difficulty on display. It's clear that some towns along the way are genuinely distressed, with few economic opportunities and some persistent drug problems. At the same time, though, I saw some of the most resilient and close-knit communities that I've seen in any of the places that I've walked through.
Here are my posts and pics from each day of this section:
Anyway, here's hoping that we all get a handle on things and I can make it back out to the trail in the weeks ahead. We'll see!
Before I shut things down, I made it nearly through the full length of West Virginia. I continued to be blessed with unseasonably good weather. This section features the highest-elevation crossing east of the Rockies--around 1500m/4500' through the Dolly Sods wilderness area--so a mid-March passage is ambitious. Lots of through-hikers run into trouble here. Instead, I camped comfortably at ~3700' and then had pristine blue skies for my crossing.
I would love to walk through Dolly Sods in June, when colors are bursting. The ADT is mostly on footpaths and dirt roads through the Dolly Sods region, then into the Canaan Valley, which has a ski resort in the winter. It goes through two state park lodges in quick succession and then loops past the Blackwater Falls, which are pretty spectacular. Despite the clear weather, in March the trails were still quite boggy, making for tricky walking.
The western portion of the ADT through West Virginia follows the North Bend Rail Trail. It's unpaved and grassy, making for easy, comfortable walking, with occasional free camping spots. Outside of those stretches, there's a lot of pavement, but it's almost entirely on minor roads that weave through non-stop hills.
West Virginia is one of the poorest states in the US and there is a lot of economic difficulty on display. It's clear that some towns along the way are genuinely distressed, with few economic opportunities and some persistent drug problems. At the same time, though, I saw some of the most resilient and close-knit communities that I've seen in any of the places that I've walked through.
Here are my posts and pics from each day of this section:
- 9-10 March - The last bit of the C&O, then the first chunk of WV - Post / Pics
- 11-12 March - Dolly Sods - Post / Pics
- 13-15 March - The coronavirus gets real - Post / Pics
- 16 March - One last burst of denial - Post / Pics
- 17 March - El Fin - Post
Anyway, here's hoping that we all get a handle on things and I can make it back out to the trail in the weeks ahead. We'll see!
