High Falls of the Cheat

H

hollowdweller

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Sep 22, 2003
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This was part of a fairly grueling 32 mile hike we did weekend before last.

I have never been backpacking in the mountains, on top of a mountain, when it was over 90 humid as hell and there was NO breeze. We had to carry like 8 lbs each of water and actually ended up running out of water at one point. Luckily we ran onto a small seep we could filter water from and made camp shortly thereafter falling short of our goal for the day at dark exhausted because of the heat and having to climb and descend like six knobs a long the way.

The next day was a touch cooler and less uphill unfortunately it involved a 4 mile plus descent off of a mountain on switchbacks that for 2 miles ran on a 45 degree slope covered with rocks with waist high unbroken nettle and blackberry.

The last day was all level thankfully but we didn't leave camp till 11 and had to hike 14 miles:barf: Still there were a few good things.

Note to self: Don't hike above 90 in high humidity and if you think you might have to bring powdered gatorade to give some carbs when it is too hot to eat outside.:D

Heading up on Shavers Mt. We were sweating thru this field dying to hit the woods
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On Shavers Mt
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Once you switch back down the other side of Shavers you walk about a mile up these tracks to High Falls. The only 2 ways to reach it are either by hiking 3.6 miles over the mountain and up the tracks like we did, or walking like six miles up the tracks or taking the rail car The Cheat Mountain Salamander to it.

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High Falls

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It is horshoe shaped so here's a vid



Campsite with chairs above High Falls
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Here's some of the sweating climbing knobs on Shavers along the Allegheny Trail
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This was really a nice section I'd hike again. From the Johns Camp Shelter to the old growth timber on Gaudineer Knob. I hadn't been there since Foresty class in College.

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Even though it was hot.... still looks like a fine hike:thumbup: Thanks for sharing the pics HD, I alway enjoy them.:cool:
 
I used to work outdoors in Arkansas. The heat and humidity, combined with the poison ivy and bugs, made work miserable for at least half of the year. And, perhaps as you encountered, Arkansas was often very dry in the late summer and fall, meaning that water was scarse away from creeks.

The early spring, late fall, and even the winters were good times to be engaged in outdoor activity.
 
8 lb of water is only a gallon. I don't know how much other stuff you had, but I think that water would have been high on my list in August or September.

Looks like beautiful country.
 
When you get to the bottom you hit and have to ford the West Fork of the Greenbrier River.

Sometimes it's too high to cross, there's an alternate high water route, but it was only thigh deep. We made camp at the bottom where Braucher run joins forded the Greenbrier the next day and then hiked the remaining 14 miles back to our car on the West Fork Rail Trail, an old railroad grade with the tracks removed. Strangely enough the West fork was the most beautiful part.

The rail gravel had been grown over and there were these beautiful meadows.

If I get the pics uploaded of that leg of the journey I'll post them.:thumbup:

In about 3 and a half days and 32 miles we saw 4 people. 2 people coming down High Falls Trail on our way in on Thursday and 2 people who had ridden horses into the Johns Camp Shelter on Saturday. I was suprised walking 14 miles on the Rail Trail on a sunday there were NO mountain bikers!
 
hlee said:
8 lb of water is only a gallon. I don't know how much other stuff you had, but I think that water would have been high on my list in August or September.

Looks like beautiful country.
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Well we filled up and only had 7 miles to hike to the next known water source. We had hiked farther than that in hot weather on a similar amount of water, actually 12 miles. However the really extreme heat and lack of a breeze combined with the really steep ups and downs really caused us to sweat. I didn't even piss in like six hrs I was sweating it all out. We hiked till dark thinking we were only a few hundred yards from the shelter. When we woke up the next morning we found a sign and in almost 8 hours of fairly constant hiking we had only gone 5 miles!! We nearly doubled the mileage in the same amount of time the next day due to the terrain and slightly cooler and we nearly tripled it on the rail trail on Sunday.

Normally when you stop you cool down but in this case no breeze you'd just start pouring sweat.

Also when we left the forecast called for a good chance of rain all 3 days so we brought our heavier rain hardy tent, pack covers and raincoats instead of ponchos.
 
bearthedog said:
I like the tracks. What a contrast to see something so different from the rest of the trip.
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It was surreal Bear. They even had a viewing platform near the falls there out in the middle of nowhere.

But here in WV around the turn of the century the trains were how you got from one place to the other. Once the railroads kind of died out as far as passenger traffic there were whole towns that sort of became ghost towns.

One town still alive that is interesting is Thurmond on the New http://www.herald-dispatch.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/99999999/ENT04/50919011/1032
 
Kind of breaks the mood but visually cool. I've had those times when I make camp and then a few feet away there is a pipe coming out of the ground or a water tank.
 
Well almost all of the wilderness in WV was logged in the 20's so a lot of times you find narrow gauge railroad track, parts of old stoves, old crosscut saws and stuff out in the woods.
 
Are those the RR tracks that run near the new section of 33/Near Bowden/Tygart Flyers route?

If so, I've hikes those tracks. In the spring there are some beautiful places along them and springs cascading down the mountain that you cant see because of the thick growth but you can hear sure hear 'em.

I'll have to dig up my pics.
 
As always, nice pics and thanks for sharing, esp. the falls vid. No mention of knives but I'll bet one of them was a Nessmuk.
 
Great pics bro....What with the gear Mrs Dweller is carrying and the gear the dog is carrying I'm betting all you had was the video camera !!!
I can see you left Mrs Dweller to put the tent up as well, I'm thinking you were sat on those stone seats with the camera in one hand and a beer in the other !!!!:D

Hey I'm only messin ! I also enjoyed the video....nice touch !!!!!:thumbup:
 
Rupestris said:
Are those the RR tracks that run near the new section of 33/Near Bowden/Tygart Flyers route?

If so, I've hikes those tracks. In the spring there are some beautiful places along them and springs cascading down the mountain that you cant see because of the thick growth but you can hear sure hear 'em.

I'll have to dig up my pics.
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Not sure. They are for sure the tracks that the Cheat Mountain Salamander and the Durbin Flyer run on. That section is about 6 miles from Bemis.

Pit.

MY Bear the Dog (not our Bear the Dog here) was carrying his food. Both me and Ms HD were carrying too much stuff! We kind of brought extra rain stuff and then it didn't rain!

Ms HD does the tent on our hikes. That is her thing and I do the cooking.

IUKE,

Actually I had the Skookum Bush Tool on it's first journey!
 
hollowdweller said:
Not sure. They are for sure the tracks that the Cheat Mountain Salamander and the Durbin Flyer run on. That section is about 6 miles from Bemis.
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According to this map ( http://www.mountainrail.com/bymap.htm ) I was just a bit north of you. The New Tygert Flyer picks up just south of Bemis where the Salamander leaves off. Same tracks, just a different stretch.

The section the wife and I hiked (and did a 1 day horseback ride) was just north of 33 near http://www.revelles.com/ camp site. Just on the other side of the Shavers fork from the Bowden Hatchery and the southeastern enterance to Monogahela National Forest.

If I could spend the rest of my days anywhere in the country, it would be on the Cheat River/Shavers Fork/Elkins/Bowden WV.

You are a lucky man.:thumbup:

Maybe I'll look you up in May when I get back there.

Chris
 
Rupestris said:
According to this map ( http://www.mountainrail.com/bymap.htm ) I was just a bit north of you. The New Tygert Flyer picks up just south of Bemis where the Salamander leaves off. Same tracks, just a different stretch.

The section the wife and I hiked (and did a 1 day horseback ride) was just north of 33 near http://www.revelles.com/ camp site. Just on the other side of the Shavers fork from the Bowden Hatchery and the southeastern enterance to Monogahela National Forest.

If I could spend the rest of my days anywhere in the country, it would be on the Cheat River/Shavers Fork/Elkins/Bowden WV.

You are a lucky man.:thumbup:

Maybe I'll look you up in May when I get back there.

Chris
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Sure. That was my first foray into that area. I'll have to say my favorite in that area is Dolly Sods and Roaring Plains because of the combination of the high plateau with bogs, woodland, cliffs, and waterfalls.
 
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