Vernal Equinox at Otter Creek WVa

“The boys and I arrived at the mouth of Otter Crrek Wilderness about 10 PM, Fri, 3/21.

It was balmy weather, about 50 degrees and cloudy.

We crossed the suspension bridge over the Dry Fork River and headed up the creek.......with headlamps.

At 3/4 mile is the sign in box at Coal Run.
We crossed Coal Run in sandals and sat a while air-drying our feet.

In the dark we could hear the roaring of Otter Creek.
We could only imagine how wild it was!
Its plenty high with the snow melt and as usual, its nearly as wet as a rain forest there.

The four of us went about 1 1/4 mile more before deciding that we'd had enough.
There, we strung up a tarp and made a small fire.
It was probably after midnight when we sacked out.
None had a watch and we didn't really care about time.

Lower Otter Creek has a lot of wide flood plain and lots of places to camp.
Just as sure as hell, we stopped and camped about a quarter mile short of a real nice camp with fire ring and good tent spaces.
Next time we push a bit further.

Saturday we lounged in the sack kinda late.
It was a beautiful day....partly cloudy with a West Virginia blue sky.
We hiked in tee-shirts.

At the 3.5 mile creek-crossing we contemplated going for it, hmmmmmmmmmmm.
Henry, in his boxers and sandals, was hopeful.
This would be a pants-off crossing if we crossed at all.
I tied him off to a 60 ft X 8 mm rope and he went to the middle.
This crossing is normally knee-deep on me at 6' 4".
Henry is 6' 2" and he turned back just before the twins got wet......it got a bit deeper still and was REALLY movin'.
He was willing to try, but I said NO, it isn't worth it!
We would have had to cross again a little further up and there was probably snow on Possession Camp Trail.....no gaiters....
From that point it is a tough six miles even at low water and no snow.

We went back a half mile to Green Mountain Trail and three rugged miles up to Possession Camp.
The sticker bushes were very engaging on the very steep parts of this old skid-trail.
At the top, on the edge of the plateau, there is a 1/4 mile side trail to one of the few overlooks in all of Otter Creek Wilderness.
We sat and ate and scrambled around the rocks while clouds raced across the bluest of skies.

The trail from there to Possession Camp isn't terribly steep, but it goes through hell.
Several rhododendron hells where still ankle to knee-deep in snow.
The snow had the rhododendron laying across the trail and we had to fight our way through.

A good part of that trail is more creek than trail and the rhododendron lining the trail leaves no alternate route.

Finally Possession Camp was ours!
Its a nice grassy trail junction with room for several tents and a fire ring.
There are some spruce and fir there and we cooked under a nice big hemlock.
Green Mountain is a broad plateau very wet and boggy in places.
Its about 3,800 feet there and in the alpine zone.

We left Otter Creek the way we entered.
The trip out is entirely downhill and down-creek.

Its still a bit early for ramps,
but I could smell ramps on the air.
Next month we should be able to pick ramps to cook with.......stank-o-rama!

We drove back by Seneca Rocks and stopped at The Gendarme climbing store......always a thrill!

Route 55 east takes us through Petersberg, Moorefield and Wardensville and to I81.

*FOR THOSE OF YOU IN THE BALTIMORE/DC AREA*
(lyra, Tarp Rat)
From the "Stevens City" exit on I81, Rt 277(to Rt 340), we go past Dinosaurland(a real hoot of a tourist trap) and take Rt 340 all the way to I70 near Frederick, Maryland.
Along the way where Rt 340 crosses Rt 7 in Berryville, Virginia, there is a dynamite Mexican restaurant!
Camino Real is inexpensive and run by real Mexicans!
We rolled in at 8:45, just minutes before closing, and they were kind enough to serve us.....and in under ten minutes!
We inhaled our burritos in less than ten minutes and were out the door by 9:05.
I recommend this joint as an "after action" stop.
Burritos are $6 and platters $8 to $10.
It was a three hour(140 mile) ride from Monongehela NF....we survived on candy bars til Berryville.....but it was worth passing all those fast food places for some real food!




(We go again in about four weeks)”

“sounds like fun, Tom T! i'll have to keep that place in mind, especially because of the restaurant. LOL!”

“lyra, do you guys drive Rt 340 from Frederick to I81 to go to Monongahela NF?

Have you ever stopped at Dinosaurland?”

“very good question, Tom. i'm what you'd call directionally challenged. we've definitely never stopped at anywhere called Dinosaurland, though!
:-)

so was there tons of snow left, or had most of it melted?”

“Sounds like a great trip!

what are "ramps?"”

“i really want to go there”

“this?

ramps”

“Yes!

Put some of THAT in your moose stew, missy!

In those places where the sun don't shine, there was plenty of snow.
For the few places where the rhododendron shaded the snow we only got a little in our boots.....no gaiters.

We wanted to go to Roaring Plains but its probably still butt-deep up there.”

“If you scroll down the page on that link you'll see fiddleheads - I can put those in my stew!”

“I've seen fiddleheads out there too.

Though I've never fiddled with them.

The ramps are pretty tasty.......strong!”

“Sounds like a great trip. Was the trail muddy everywhere? How cold did it get at night? How's the construction on Corridor H coming along?”

“Things are quite wet.

We were able to avoid wet feet and goo around muddy spots.

The creek was too high to cross 3.5 from the mouth and not worth the risk.

Friday night was about 40 and Saturday night about 35 up on Green Mountain.

There's a stretch of Corridor H complete between Moorefield and Wardensville.....nice drive for ten miles or less.
It reminds me of I89 in Vermont.”

“Great trip report TomT! "The sticker bushes were very engaging" - LOL! And the stream crossing sounded a bit hairy. Where are the pictures? I've not been to Seneca Rocks. Camino Real sounded dynamite too, but how do you know they were "real" Mexicans?”

“Mmmmmm....I haven't had ramps in a long time. I need to get back to WV more often. Anyway, sounds like Otter Creek is near my cabin, I'll have to go check it out next time I am there.”

“Hey Capn!
I got bloodied by the bushes.
But it was only a scratch.....or three.
Shucks, the film from Katahdin is still in the cup holder in the car.
The Mexicans?
They always have Spanish TV going.
That part of Virginia/West Virginia has a lot of apple orchards and recently Mexicans have become permanent residents in the area.
I've been making that run for 25 years.

wvabackpacker, where is your cabin?
.....generally, that is.”