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County High Pointing in all 50 states
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County High Pointing in all 50 states Group
1 Message
Digest #5530
1
WV COHP Trip reports by cuber86

Message
1
WV COHP Trip reports
Wed Jun 7, 2017 11:29 am (PDT) . Posted by:
cuber86
Here's my trip reports for several peaks I climbed over this past weekend. Not all are COHPs, but even those that aren't, may be of interest to some here...enjoy!

6/3/17
Grassy Knob--Greenbrier WV COHP, 50 highest eastern COHP
I reached this one at 2 in the morning (don't ask). Found my way up easily enough, in spite of a Great Pyrenees lunging out into the road as I drove by a farmhouse, and passing two pickups coming down Rd 10 at 1:30 in the morning. The road leading to the wind turbines (Pole Rd on google maps) is signed as "no unauthorized vehicles"; I saw no mention of prohibiting hikers. Figuring nobody would be around or care at this crazy hour, I drove right up to the tower on highest ground and wandered the area in the dark...very eerie with the whoosh and crackles of the wind turbines under the dark, starry sky. I somehow managed to lose my hiking GPS on a drive-up, and after a fruitless search of my belongings and the areas I had wandered, decided to get an hour or so of sleep and try again with more light. Woke at 5:30 as the sky was lightening, and gridding the grassy hillock at highest ground finally, thank goodness, solved the mystery. I also didn't mind getting to see the decent views to the north. Extremely relieved, I hightailed it down, passing a few more pickups heading up the road at 6 am for some reason. Locals? Turbine workers? No idea...


Big Spruce Knob--SE E+P >6000'
I had no idea what to expect on this one, as only one or two known people had climbed it, and my request for beta had gone unanswered. This peak lies on the list of my own creation, the 123 ranked southeastern peak with elevation+prominence >6000'. It would prove to be a pleasant ascent, albeit with a slightly tedious road walk.


This peak lies on national forest land, ringed by slightly lower mountains and with a deep valley in between, thus keeping this peak relatively obscure. To get to it, get onto WV-150 (a scenic highway that basically halfway loops around the peak) and take the good dirt road FR-216 as it switchbacks downhill, then passes south and west of the peak. Park at the start of road 999, shown on the topo with a gate at its start. Sure enough, this otherwise-perfectly-good road was gated, and I had to start the hike from the river. The road ascended very gradually but consistently for about two miles, and I started my bushwhack a few tenths of a mile before where the road tops out, once the forest appeared to open up at around 3950'. The bushwhack was steep but otherwise very straightforward through pleasant open woods--about a 2/10 on my bushwhacking suckiness scale. I passed numerous old logging grades but found it more expedient to just head straight up. At the very top, the mountain lived up to its name, and I suddenly found myself surrounded by spruce and some rather impressive scattered boulders. Highest ground appeared to be past the boulders at a small, mossy knoll near the east edge of the contour. I did not fully explore the summit contour (things get very brushy very quickly!) but I feel like this is probably the highest spot. I returned the same way, with an ascent time of 1:15 and roundtrip under 2 1/2 hours. I highly recommend driving 150, as it has several nice overlooks featuring Big Spruce.


Cheat Mtn/Mace Knob SE--candidate for Pocahontas WV COHP, 50 highest eastern COHP, SE 50 finest, SE E+P >6000'
One of three candidates for WV's second tallest and third most prominent. I ended up liking this one the most of the three. Parked at the Airport Rd turnoff and started out as others have done, then after about 0.2 miles, bushwhacked up to the large grassy shelf (the presumed airport), which had some excellent views over to Thorny and off to the southwest. I angled to the rightmost part of the grassy clearing and bushwhacked steeply another 200' up to the summit ridge, wandering high ground in the summit spruces till I called it good.


Thorny BM--candidate for Pocahontas WV COHP, 50 highest eastern COHP, SE 50 finest, SE E+P >6000'
Apparently the likely highest of the three. Decidedly unsatisfying. Started from near the water tanks, walked along some junk-laden service roads which degraded into ATV trails and paths. Highest ground is viewless and in a spruce forest with tons of deadfall and no obvious highest spot. I wandered a while and called it good, never found the benchmark though. For some reason, only the summit itself is marked with copious No Trespassing signs...weird. Also of note, there's a nice trail just alongside the service road I walked that is both more aesthetically pleasing and more inconspicuous should any ski resort employees be around.


Bald Mtn--candidate for Pocahontas WV COHP, 50 highest eastern COHP, SE 50 finest, SE E+P >6000'
Came at this one as others have from the north. Nearly didn't make it up to the usual parking area as a small tree had fallen across the road! Luckily it was just small enough I was able to move it myself, and so on I drove. Was very pleasantly surprised to find the usual closed gate at FR-267 was open, and so I took a calculated risk to drive this few miles of otherwise flat, boring road to shave off some time. The road was rough, but passable with some bumps and scrapes for a passenger car. I decided to park at a pullout near the creek shown on the topo (hint: it's the only place that remotely resembles a pullout on that road!) so as not to be conspicuous and park near the railroad tracks, which was probably the right choice. From there, I followed the usual route to the summit, seeing nobody. The tower is now signed as "unsafe structure" and has several of its lowest steps missing...bummer. I found I was able to shave off probably half a mile by bushwhacking from the tracks back down to my car. Drove out, but noticed that the other road at the junction, which I was pretty sure had been gated closed, was now open. Yikes...I'd leave a note if the gate for 267 happens to be open and you drive in. This one would suck to be locked in on.


Paddy Knob--Bath VA COHP, 50 highest eastern COHP
Quick, lame, no views. Not much to say here.


Highland COHP--Highland VA COHP, 50 highest eastern COHP
This one turned out to be a real treat. Definitely a quintessential southeastern highpoint. I drove in to the usual gate at about 4160', closed on my visit, and parked there. Ascended to the saddle where the main road continues to Elleber Knob, and was not able to find any kind of gate, so ultimately just hopped the barbed wire fence and picked up the grassy road shown on the topo. Stupidly had forgotten to put a waypoint for the Highland COHP, but was able to scrounge together enough information to get there and be pretty confident I'd hit the right spot, which appears to be a brush-festooned dead tree in a semi-open meadow with some limited views. The bushwhack along the ridge to get there was very pretty and easy going through open woods with lush grass or ferns underfoot, and intermittent use trails. I decided to take the side trip to do Elleber Knob on the way back, and damn, am I glad I did...the summit is open pastureland, and aside from the cow poop, it was just spectacular. 360-degree views into two states, and back to the Highland COHP, on a perfect early summer afternoon. Doesn't really get any better than this. I beat a hasty retreat back to the car, returning about 2:10 after I left.


Spruce Knob--wV state HP
My first ascent of Spruce Knob, at the tender age of 13, was an idiotic endeavor by my dad and I in late December. We'd been (un)prepared to hike the road from the base, should it be snowed in or gated. Instead, we found the road open, and managed to coax my dad's Geo Metro most of the way up the road, nearly sliding off the road a few times, before donning ski masks and trudging through gale-force winds and whiteout conditions the last half mile or so to the summit. Having some spare time at the end of my day, I decided to make a return journey, and my experience could not have been more different. Now, in the hour before sunset, it was pleasantly cool, calm, and there were dozens of people about, wandering the summit trails and enjoying the beautiful evening. I made it to the summit tower, and discovered the views to be actually pretty lackluster...however, the trails soon brought me to a few spectacular viewpoints. I stayed up there at the south end to watch the sunset, then headed down and toward Porte Crayon, the next day's main objective.


6/4/17
Bell Knob--candidate for Grant WV COHP
This was my warm-up walk for Porte Crayon, and the sole reason I climbed it was to fill in a key missing link for my future chain of county highpoints that will stretch from Pennsylvania to Georgia. The summit tower is partially collapsed, but still climbable, and the views are spectacular. Porte Crayon's massive high plateau is quite impressive. Upon returning home, I realized that this county in fact had two candidate areas...damn. Not gonna make a return trip 7+ hours away just for the other candidate, but guess I'll hit it or the Preston WV COHP if/when I'm in the area again someday...


Mt. Porte Crayon--Randolph WV COHP, 50 highest eastern COHP, SE E+P >6000'
This was by far the most challenging of the peaks I climbed this trip. The round trip would consume 6 1/2 hours.

With a favorable weather forecast and the close proximity of two other county highpoints, it made sense to take the longer, but totally legal northern route. The trail was tediously mild, adding on a considerable amount of distance on gentle switchbacks that followed old logging roads. One highlight of the hike up was the multitude of cascades in the valley and at the stream crossings. The trail goes from zero to insanity at around 3600', finally letting up again at 4300'. I reached the signed trail junction and spotted what looked to be the old logging grade literally four feet before the sign, off to the right. However, I quickly lost the way through the woods, and would never find the grade again. I opted to just bushwhack, staying at around 4550' and aiming for the north aspect of the peak. I actually picked up a different logging grade and followed this a short distance till it precipitously dropped downhill, then began ascending. Reaching the heavy spruce at the ridgeline, I nevertheless was still able to make forward progress and the bushwhacking wasn't quite the nightmare I'd feared. I finally pushed my way into a somewhat open area on the broad summit area, reaching a tree flagged with pink tape that looked like it might hold the benchmark. It didn't, but it wasn't far off, maybe 100' to the east; with a GPS, I very quickly found it, no longer covered with deadfall. It had taken me 3 hours 50 minutes to make the top. My return was much quicker, as I took advantage of the social trails around the summit to expedite my passage through the spruce. The return hike was long but uneventful. Of note, if you're continuing on to Weiss Knob, I'd just stick to Burton Hollow Rd rather than crossing over to the north side of the river--this road is scenic but takes roughly forever to drive.


Weiss Knob--Tucker WV COHP 50 highest eastern COHP
Feeling like I'd earned a bit of laziness, I opted to pay the $7 for the scenic chairlift (which runs until about 4 pm--last ride up at 3:45). Be warned that if you're pressed for time, you might be quicker running down the mountain instead of taking the chairlift down! I disembarked at the top and was slightly confused about where to go, mistakenly taking the wide two-track rather which heads downhill off to the left, rather than the correct green-blazed Bald Knob Trail which heads straight back into the woods. I ended up bushwhacking back up to the trail and picked it up just before meeting the gas line, which I hiked uphill to the summit area. Traipsed around in the woods to the right for a while but couldn't find an obvious high point. Returned via the trail to the top of the lift, then went over to the south where there was an impressive overlook to the southwest, and several people preparing to paraglide. The trip down was uneventful, and I headed out toward Maryland.


Dans Rock--greatest elevation+prominence in Maryland
This former county highpoint came on my radar once I discovered it had a greater combined elevation and prominence than any other peak in Maryland. Pretty straightforward--just plugged "Dans Rock" into my GPS and parked there, then walked up the staircase to the dramatic summit outcropping and magnificent views. Highest ground was obvious.


6/5/17
No Business Mountain--SE 50 Finest
Some might say I had "no business" climbing this mountain, but as it lies on the Southeast 50 Most Prominent list, I beg to differ...

Having no beta on this mountain beyond what I could see on a map, I set out to scout the peak on a rainy Monday noon. Of the three approaches I had identified, the west approach, where the topo shows a road snaking up to north of the peak, looked the most promising, and proved to be so. From Forest, I took 663 to 644 to 638 to gravel 615 to a right at the signed No Business Trail. There's an immediate split with the right fork leading to a house--go left. Then a 4-way, where the road is signed for a right turn and appears to go right, however you'll want to continue straight. The road then winds moderately steeply uphill a few miles, flattening out at some fenced pastureland on the left. Here, the road appears to go right at a split--but again, stay left! The right fork leads to an occupied house. A bit further on, at "Bear Camp Saddle", the road veers right at the intersection (other options are grassy two-tracks) and you'll encounter a signed and posted gate for the radio tower facilities. The gate was open and nobody was around, so up I went, finally having to park the car at a large puddle across the road about 0.2 miles from the top. While a bit rough in spots, I was able to get my passenger car up to here even in wet weather. I made it to the summit area quickly, passing some would-be-views to the west. The two summit areas are obvious and just east of the radio tower; the south is a grassy knoll, and the north is topped by an impressive boulder. I returned the way I came without incident.


Sugarloaf Mountain--SE 50 Finest
This one, on the Southeast 50 Finest list and with no beta out there, ended up being a lot more than I bargained for...

I made my way to exit 168 on I-81, and logically figured I'd take VA-611 to VA-622. DO NOT DO THIS. 611 went from a decent paved road, to gravel, to a 4wd nightmare that repeatedly crossed a rocky creek bed for a good mile or two without good turnaround opportunities. I somehow escaped unscathed (or so I thought at the time) and made it to paved 622. For future climbers, just take the frontage road up to 622, this is all paved. About a half mile past this junction, I turned left on gravel 622, which had its rough spots and an early stream crossing, but was still a joke compared to what I'd just driven. The road climbs steeply, posted on both sides most of the way up, and eventually tops out at a saddle at around 2800' with a large gravel pullout. Park here. I started walking up the road shown on the topo, and quickly encountered a locked gate that was signed and posted for the Sugarloaf Mountain LLC. Continuing to the upper saddle at 3200', there was a faint grassy overgrown ATV trail off to the right, which I took a few tenths of a mile until it reached the point of closest approach to the summit. From here, it was a steep, rocky, but straightforward bushwhack up to the more open summit ridge. Candidates for high ground were a flat rock, a grassy knoll, and a bit south of there, a decent rock outcropping hidden in the brush.

Trying to bushwhack back down to the upper saddle via the ridgeline was a much spicier endeavor. I suddenly encountered a massive, dramatic rock outcropping, guarded by tall cliffs and with few ways up or down. I topped out, and was treated to some actual views, standing mostly above a sea of clouds, with a bit of the surrounding mountain valleys visible. Once I finally figured out a relatively safe way back onto solid ground on the south side of the rock outcropping, I continued on to find a smaller rock outcropping, here staying north and picking up a faint trail that led all the way back to the upper saddle, though tweaking my foot in the process. Nearing the end of the hike, I heard somebody driving by on 622, but they didn't stop and we never saw each other. I finally returned to my car and started it, only to hear a horrible sound coming from the engine and see the warning light for low oil flashing. Shit. I promptly coasted down as much of the mountain as I could, made it to the gas station at the exit, and called for a tow truck. Managed to get a rental exchange a few hours later and made it back to Knoxville late that night. Ah, the things we do for peakbagging...
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