Roaring Plains Trip Report

“I arrived at the intersection of FR19 and FR70 in the Monongahelea National Forest around 1:30pm Friday afternoon in the midst of thick fog and intermittent rain. My father and I shouldered our packs for the hike up FR70 to the pipeline swath, and on to a campsite near the trailhead for the little known canyons rim trail (see www.jonathanjessup.com/rp-set1.html for more info). 2.5 hours later we arrived at our campsite on the east side of the pipeline swath in an open heath field. We chose our campsite with care, as the area is known to live up to its name and sure enough later that night the wind began to howl. It was like standing next to a highway the wind was so loud.
The next day we bushwhacked the mile or so through a spruce forest with amazingly green fern undergrowth to the canyons rim trailhead. The GPS and coordinates provided by Jonathan Jessup made the bushwhack fairly simple. Water is available after leaving the pipeline swath but prior to reaching the trailhead. Initially the trail was fairly easy to follow even though it is not well marked. There are rock cairns to guide you through several of the boulder fields. We made frequent side trips to rock outcroppings that afforded amazing views to the south and west down roaring creek canyon and long run canyon. Had the day been a bit clearer we could have seen seneca rocks, but as was the theme for the weekend, it was very overcast and threatening rain all day. The views were still awesome, I wish I had a scanner so I could share my photos, but unfortunately I don’t. You’ll just have to use your imagination. We continued to follow the trail, which makes a turn to the north west and continues to follow the rim of the plateau. About 1.5 miles from the intersection with the canyons rim trail and the roaring plains trail we got off track. We started following some pink plastic blazes tied to trees that led us off course. I later realized that they were probably marking the county line between pendelton and grant counties. By using the GPS we were able to get back on course, but not without some serious bushwhacking through rhododendron thickets and down a boulder field. This part of the trail is difficult to follow and the views are not as spectacular as those that occur earlier in the trail. If I was to do the trip again I would day hike the first half and return the same way I came.
We camped for the night in a clearing in a rhododendron thicket. The bushes are probably 1-2 weeks from blooming. I imagine the area would be absolutely beautiful when that happens. As we were walking to filter water a baby deer approached us on the trail. We got real quiet and stood on the side of the trail. The deer came up and sniffed our legs before someone shifted and the deer took off through the woods.
The next day we hiked down FR70 to the car. When I started the car I noticed the check engine light was on. We didn’t see anything obviously wrong with the car so we began to drive slowly down FR19 toward Jordan Run Rd. After about 3 minutes of driving we noticed steam coming from under the hood. This time when we checked we saw where an animal had chewed through a radiator hose and 2 vacuum lines. After emergency repair to the radiator hose with a rubber tourniquet, some string, and duct tape we made back to Richmond in about 4.5 hours. All in all it was a great trip and a wonderful way to spend father’s day with my dad.
I've got 2 questions that maybe you can help me with. Are boots with gore-tex liners really waterproof and is there anything you can put on your car to prevent animals from chewing on hoses and such?”

“Thanks for the report Av.
No, that was a groundhog what done that deed. How do I know? I was victimized at Seneca Creek Trail and the dam thing chewed right into the radiator.
Had to call a local garage owner, Doug Butcher. He came out, took out the radiator, took it to his shop, soldered the radiator, put it back in, found something else wrong, took it back out and back to the shop, fixed it, put it back in, filled the radiator and checked it out. He charged me only $68 on a Sunday evening!
They're after the glycol in anti-freeze. Consolation: The groundhog is now an ex-groundhog; he's gone to meet 'is maker, join the choir celestial. "e's not sleepin!
What can you do? Good question. Maybe pour some anti-freeze out away from the car? Heck, it's a roll of the dice. As it was, you got off lucky if it only chewed the hose.
Some wind that, huh? Awesome. Now you know why they call it Roaring Plains. Welcome to the club.”

“I've heard that suspending your car from a tree with a CD on the line will keep critters from gnawing on it...”

“Hey thanks for the advice Bit, hotdam, now I know how it works!





!^$&%&@&!@$^!!!”

“What was the name of that movie - where there was a scene where a Landrover pulls itself up a tree using a winch?

In reality for keeping porkies from the radiator hoses etc I had heard putting mesh bags of moth balls around the critical areas works. The idea with the mesh bags is to make the pick up of the moth balls easier - as with all petroleum based products don't put the moth balls were they can affect the ground water - hang them from places on the car if possible - also never drive away and leave them on the ground - a big problem at some trailheads. All that said I don't know if the same thing will work for ground hogs but I think it might.”

“Thanks for the ideas Bit and HOI. Although I think both will work, I suspect HOI's would be a little easier to accomplish.”

“Geobeet-
Maybe your groundhog is pinin' for the fjords?

Nice trip!
Roaring Plains is one of my favorite places to practice pissin' in the wind.

One of these trips I want to explore the old Roaring Creek Trail.
When I first went up there in '85 there was a little brown sign where R C Tr forked off to the left from R P Tr at a point about 3/4 to 1 mile up from the pipeline swath.
It would be more like bushwhackin', but life is a bit like bushwhackin' anyway.”

“Hey Tom, whacking bushes is preferable to whacking other things!”

“Judge- "How do you plea?"

Defendant(what was his name?)-
"Your honor, I plead insanity!"

Judge- "Insanity!?"

Defendant- "That's right, I'm just crazy about that young stuff!"

(Spectators howl with laughter)

Judge- "Bailiff, WHACK HIS PEE-PEE!"”

“Ouch!”

“That Roaring Creek Trail, is that the one that meets the Roaring Plains Trail near its junction with the Flatrock Run Trail, slabs to the left of Porte Crayon from that meadow?”