Look! Outings Program

West Virginia Highlands Conservancy Sponsorship -- Dolly Sods North on October 16-17

By Peter Shoenfeld

At the Conservancy summer board meeting we discussed the possibility of a regular Conservancy outings program and decided there should be one. A committee was appointed-- Dave Saville and myself are the initial members. We were charged with initiating the program and seeking more members for the committee. Anyone with ideas for outings or wishing to participate in other ways should contact Dave or myself.

Actually, there has long been an excellent and extensive Conservancy outings program, led recently by Dave. However, since most of the outings take place on the same two days, at the semi-annual reviews, it's been hard to pack them all in. We'd like to fix that and offer similar opportunities on many of the year's remaining fifty weekends.

Our first offering will be at Dolly Sods North. The group will meet at Bear Rocks parking lot, two miles north of Red Creek Campground on Forest Service Route 75, at 9:45 AM on Saturday, October 16. A choice of hikes is planned. There will be an all-day day hike and, additionally, a two-day backpack trip for those who are up for it. The two groups will start off together and separate sometime after lunch. Some of the hiking may be off-trail, but almost all of it will be easy. This is because, in this area, the trailheads are at 4000 ft. elevation and you never go much lower. You will be in excellent hands. Dave knows the flora, fauna and history of Dolly Sods North. I've learned the geography so well that, on my last two visits, I was lost less than half the time.

The area we call Dolly Sods is the upper watershed of Red Creek. Most of it is part of Monongahela National Forest and was the first of the Mon Forest areas to attain Wilderness status. The lower part of Dolly Sods is a rocky, forested canyon, while the upper part is more open and boggy. Sixty two hundred acres of the upper part remained private property until1992, when it was acquired by the Forest Service with the help of the Nature Conservancy. This is "Dolly Sods North." To me, Dolly Sods North today is reminiscent of the area to the immediate south twenty five years ago. It is high, boggy and near-alpine, with wonderful open vistas and a very active beaver population. The very northernmost portion of the watershed is still in private hands and needs protection.

Wilderness status has been proposed for Dolly Sods North and endorsed by a number of environmental groups including the Conservancy. A somewhat controversial point is whether or not continued mountain biking should be permitted. Should we encounter any mountain bikes, we can assess their impact first hand. The Forest Service recently announced plans to bring in machinery for trail improvement work. This is also controversial. Most of the trails are already more than adequate; some were designed for trains. My son found an old railroad spike on our last visit. We may also have an opportunity to assess the necessity, progress and impact of the trail work.

Hope to see you there. A great time is expected. To sign up or inquire, contact either

Peter Shoenfeld, (301) 587-6197, peter@cais.net, or

Dave Saville, (304) 284-9548, daves@labyrinth.net.

Dave Saville is the Administrative Assistant for the WVHC. Peter Shoenfeld is the Vice President for Federal Affairs for the WVHC.