North Fork Mountain Trail (WV) March 19- 20

“Sorry fridge, not a drop.”

““I'm coming down with ENS -- Lancaster is way too along the way for me to not tap that resource.

Talk to me. Have you changed car pooling plans?”

“Lets talk shuttle
Lets talk shuttle
Lets talk shuttle
Lets talk shuttle
Lets talk shuttle
Lets talk shuttle
Lets talk shuttle
Lets talk shuttle”

“Who's shuttling from NJ, PA, and points Northeast?”

“Ok, Let's Talk Shuttle...
“Who's shuttling from NJ, PA, and points Northeast?”


GUFFAW!

Sorry to be pushy but this is just something that does not need to be dabated at the trail head. I will not be getting there until nearly midnight maybe later because the friend that I am riding with has things come up at work and he is "da man". He has a x-cab pickup/with topper. We want to know WTF is happening with this part of the trip before we get there. If the shuttle is in the a.m. it makes more sense for us to sleep at the north end and wait for the shuttle set up. Since his truck could carry the packs back to the start then that would require fewer cars to be moved that morning and would save us some drive time in the middle of the night.

Phantom remember the moment at Indian Staircase...it's getting late and the time is for decisions not debate.”

“There is good camping at the mid-point.

The northern trailhead is just a parking lot that is pissing distance from the road.
I believe it's steep and rocky there.

We'll just have to send a couple of cars up to the north end in the morning.

Those of us who arrive early Friday can spot a car or two when we get there.”

“IMHO....for those of you arriving early on Friday can do the best they can to settle out the shuttle process...spot whatever cars you can at the north end like MarkO said and the rest meet at the midpoint....shuttle any additional cars in the morning if necessary....also like Mr MarkO says...the north end TH is about .3 miles from the main road (rt28?)...there's suppose to be a parking area large enough to support 5-8 cars...then there is a campsite up trail about 50 yds or so.....but that was many many moons ago and like I says before...at my age the memory doesn't function like it once did....

Carpooling....well i'm carpooling from PA with dlookout and possibly the one and only Scorchy pants....depending on who wants to do what I can either drive the Vibe or the MDX which I might do anyhow....i'm open to any I-dears....sounds like ENS & PS are packing....ah...I mean carpooling together...oh how sweet.....j/k boys.....maybe we could have ourselves a good ole fashion convoy since you boys be coming from nearby parts of PA....”

“We'll keep the fire up for you late-comers.”

“I know there is good camping @ 79, I don't care about steep and rocky with full reclining bucket seats. I just want to knock off another hour or two driving. Plus with a chow as a companion I won't have to worry about midnight ramblers.

Coming through Elkins is the best way for me to come so stopping at the north trail head and waiting for the shuttle set up makes sense to me. Then everyone can throw their packs in the truck and we will take them to 79 on Sunday. I have to get this worked out because Paul will want everything set in stone before we leave Friday.

Unless we get an early start I don't see us getting to the north trail head until about 1 a.m. or 79 @ 3...I would prefer 1 a.m. with packs ready to go when the shuttle cars show up.”

“At 1:00 AM Saturday morning I will be asleep in a tent at the mid-point.

It will have been a hell of a party and cookout.”

“OK unless somebody has a gripe we will be at the north trail head expecting room for two back to the mid-point starting point. On the out we will help shuttle backpacks back to 79.

Speak now or forever hold your peace....
last edited: 2/28/05 2:05:13 PM”

“From the tiny hamlet of Smoke Hole, the road up is a gravel road, rough in spots, with a lot of switchbacks. I downloaded the satellite map from usaphotomaps to make sure I had the best info, and along with the topo it was easy to find and follow.

The road into Smoke Hole from US-220 is a small one, barely two lanes. The road up the mountain from the hamlet is, as I said, a gravel road that starts out as asphalt and turns to gravel.

The road from WV28 south goes to the northern trailhead and then down to where the midpoint access is. It, too, is barely two lanes. The vehicle shuttle will take about an hour, I'm guessing. Longer if you make a wrong turn.

If you don't already know, there is no water along the trail, so you'll have to carry it.

The cliffs at the top are formed by the Tuscarora sandstone, or quartzite. It arches up the eastern slope of the mountain and over the top, but there erosion has cut through it, exposing the valley between North Fork Mountain and the vertical bed of the Tuscarora that forms Seneca Rocks and Champe Rocks. Everything between the cliffs on the ridge and the vertical beds to the west has been cut through by rain and ice and washed away.

On the north side of Petersburg Gap, where the North Fork of the South Branch cuts through, the entire anticline is still intact. From some of the northern cliffs that should be visible.

Have a fun trip.”

“Chill out man. If it's easier for you to crash at the North end on Friday Night Saturday morning, so be it. Someone will swing by for you on Saturday morning, or if that's where we begin the hike, we'll all just show up.

It's all good; no one's gonna leave you stranded. That'd be pretty messed up.”

“Well, yeah.

There will be at least two and maybe three vehicles among the early people and we can spot one at the north end.

You late guys can work something out, yeah?”

“Well...if Scorchy and maybe Luke decide to go....then the 3 or 4 of us can carpool in a convoy with ENS & PS if they care to...then when we arrive....we'll do the shuttle-a-roo leaving a vehicle at the north end and then pile into the other vehicle not staying north bound....then drive south to the midpoint just in time to hit the trail....”

“stratus - that is exactly what I was thinking. Good thinking man.”

“It is truly a tough go from the Cincy side of this trip because we will come in on 33 which means we have to drive all the way north to the take out just to get around the dang mountain. I see that going on FR19 through Laneville and Dolly Sods might acutually be shorter but being gravel it doesn't mean quicker. I will have to crunch some numbers.

I'm chilled I just want youse guys to see what I was looking at. Dang north/south mountain ranges anyway. Paul has never been to this part of the country so it is up to me to be a good navigator.

Here is a link to terraserver, you can download the map in 4 sections and print it off at home. The link I providing starts at 79, just follow the trail north.

http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=2&S=14&Z=17&X=203&Y=1344&W=1”

“http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=2&S=14&Z=17&X=202&Y=1343&W=1
Lets try this again, I got locked out mid edit

yeah baby this is the one
last edited: 2/28/05 9:22:52 PM”

“Yo MarkO....this be the midpoint you be-a-talkin' about?

BTW...for some reason this link won't connect with the large map size format....so...i'm sure you'll know what to do...hint...click on the radio button next to large...


http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=17&n=4302735.00008343&e=648299.000006759&datum=nad83
last edited: 2/28/05 10:20:16 PM”

“This should be the north TH....


http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=17&n=4316085&e=653131&s=50&size=l&datum=nad83&layer=DRG25”

“I'd stick with the detour on US-33. Many of the forest roads in Monongahela are not maintained in the winter, meaning that no one plows the snow off of them. Consequently they might be impassable, as the higher elevations of West Virginia could probably still see some snow in Mid-March.

Looks like state highway 28 cuts across from US-33 to Petersburg. You'd figure that state highways are maintained during the winter, though 28 looks to be one of those "secondary" roads...”

“OH yeah, Stratusloop.
If you move the map around you can see where the road to the ridge turns roughly west and snakes up to a point where it veers sharply left/south.

The foot trail starts there and goes north along the ridge.

I remember a grassy area with scattered trees and a few fire rings.

It looks like deluxe car camping, though the road into it is gonna be a slow drive........second and third gear most of the way.

And....OH YEAH!!
sticks, stick to the highways.....Route 33/55 to Seneca Rocks to Route 28/55 towards Petersburg.
The highway signs are marked as above.
Route 55 continues to I-81 and further east.

It's no more than 20-25 miles from Seneca Rocks to Petersburg.
The road to Smoke Hole is about 3/4 that distance on the right marked by a Ntl Forest sign(white letters on brown).
The road crosses the river immediately and the parking area is on the right a half mile or maybe less.”

“MarkO....yeah man...I saw that switchbacking road and was wondering if that was the one you were referencing....based on your post, i'm assuming you plan to drive up this road from Smoke Hole! This be true?

I'm not sure if I could do that late at night....but if that's where you plan to be...then I have to stop being a chicken poop and just do it...

What do you know about Smoke Hole Road from 28? Is it gravel all the way? Or would it be easier to back track (after parking a car) to Petersburg via 28 then south on 220 to Upper Tract and the north on Smoke Hole road?”

“I don't know, that sounds like a long way around.”

“Well is Smoke Hole Road from 28 a gravel road heading south?”

“I think the Smoke Hole road is blacktopped all the way from Smoke Hole to 28, but it's barely a two-lane road. The road up to the top of North Fork Mountain is rough in spots, and as MarkO said, slow going. But that is not until you get nearly to the top. Most of the way up it is fine.

The road does a switchback right at the ridge, and the trail heads north from there. Don't know how much parking is available there though. There is a meadow about a half mile to a mile south of there right on the ridge with a gas pipeline swath that comes up the mountain from Seneca Rocks. Lots of parking and a good camping spot.”

“By George thanks a bunch....that's cool...can I safely say that parking the car at the north TH (which is about .3 miles from 28) and then drive from there straight south on Smoke Hole Road to the point where I then need to drive up the mountain is correct?.....If so...then I'll be a bit nervous especially at night driving up that wicked gravel road to the top....who knows maybe snow will lingering around....

Ok...now...do you think the parking area at the north TH is safe? I know what you're thinking....no where is safe...”

“I will be cruising in late to the north trailhead you don't pack a weapon do you? I would hate to get shot.

As Phantom said to me earlier...chill out.

BTW if you look at Smokehole road on a map it is anything but straight. :P”

“we could save the shuttling for the morning. We could get up early and do the shuttling. We're only hiking 6-7 miles Saturday and the trail is a moderate trail. I think if we shuttle Saturday morning, we would be fine. Night time shuttling could be stressful. Hell, we could shuttle cars, saturday morning, get a good breakfast and try to be hiking on the trail by 10. I think it's doable.”

“I'de like to come.
Anyone from Jersey willing to carpool?”

“Backslacker and I are coming from Middlesex County, but I think we might be full. I don't know. I believe he's driving to this trip, so you may want to shoot him an email (in his profile) or search for a "Hey BackSlacker" thread to get his attention.”

“"I will be cruising in late to the north trailhead you don't pack a weapon do you? I would hate to get shot."
-Sticks

...and this comes from a guy who lives in Kentucky...

Nah, I'm just messin' with you, man. It's all good.”

“I think I'm riding with BS and PS too (if they're still passing thru York, PA enroute to I-81)
last edited: 3/01/05 7:29:06 PM”

“Um Harrisburg, grasshopper. Harrisburg. (as in try that place I'm meeting you this Friday for WRT)

BS lives a bit north of me making the 78/81 combo more practical for us...”

“Oh yeah, Harrisburg will work then.”

“I'm drivin' huh? OK, just wake me up when we get there.”

“Is there room for one more?
If not, would you mind if I followed you down?
If anyone else is heading down from the Jersey area, let me know. It sux driving alone.”

“Altimus - if you follow BS and PS - I'll ride with you.”

“Coolness”

“Is Scorch hooking up with us near harisburg? If not it's just the three of us. I think I'll have room for one more. Four total with gear.”

“scorch, i think is riding with Stratusloop”

“Ok, we better get this straight before someone get stranded -- because that would suck...”

“No hiker left behind, isn't that our motto? Or is that the Marines? I forget!”

“ok - stick to the original plan - I'll ride with you guys. We need a co-pilot for Altimus too. Altimus - if you come you should definitely caravan with us though.”

“Isn't the marines something like "Semper Fidelus"?”

“We need to grow the New Jersey contingency. I KNOW there's hikers in this urban jungle...”

“I know they're out there somewhere, somewhere, somewhere. I know they're out there somewhere, somewhere at a trailhead.. Gotta love the Moody Blues..”

“Dang if this isn't turning into a real hootenanny...or as Howard Dean would say EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

“lol sticks”

“Oh, it's gonna be a hootnanny alright -- in the classic West Virginia sense...


...whatever that may be...”