Vacation Recap - North Fork Mountain

After getting rained out Saturday night and Sunday morning, we packed up our gear and headed for Seneca Rocks to seek out a dry place to hang out for a couple of days. I found the perfect cabin on North Fork mountain, but when I called the owner said she wouldn't be able to rent it because she sent her housecleaner home after the weekend. I coaxed her into letting us stay and do the cleaning ourself (there wasn't much to do) and we got the cabin for $50 per night (1/3 of the cost).

This cabin was four tenths of a mile from the Redman Run trailhead which leads to the summit of North Fork mountain. I've been wanting to hike North Fork mtn for a couple of years now. Outside Magazine ranks the North Fork mtn trail as the "best in the east". Backpacker magazine also ranks the trail as the best in West Virginia. This mountain is the driest mountain in the Appalachains, and has unique plant and animal life. The summit is covered with twisted Virginia pine, and the mountain is home to black bear, turkey, whitetail
deer, and many birds of prey, including bald eagles, peregrine falcons, hawks, etc. The air currents flowing over the mountain from the Allegheny Front provide perfect conditions for these birds to cruise. On the eastern side of the mountain lies the famous Smoke Hole canyon and the South Branch of the Potomac. The "Smoke Hole" gets its name from the mist lying between the mountains that looks like smoke.

On Monday, we hit the trail and hiked a 4.5 miles round tripper. Janna made the entire trip on her own two feet, which was a huge win! Here are some pics. Can you find Belinda in the cliffs?