Memorial Day Weekend Trip to West Virginia, May 23-25, 2009
By: Mike Smith
After a 267 mile drive of less than five hours we arrived at the house we rented for the weekend. It was a very nice house (click here for view of rental cabin) situated near the top of the mountain overlooking Canaan Valley. The fourteen acre backyard rose at a forty-five degree angle to butt up to the Dolly Sods Wilderness area. Ready to explore I head up the mountain and run into a black bear. Following the bear to the top the tree line opens to blueberry and current fields that dominate the flora. Bear sightings should be quite common here once the berries ripen.
Ken got us started Saturday morning with a great breakfast. The five of us head to Elkins to meet members of the Coutry Road Cyclists and Laurel Klein who will lead the group on a ride of the Shaver's Fork area. During the pre-ride introductions of the five members of the LCBC and five members of the CRC conversation led to previous club connections. Craig Lefevre (CRC) asked if we knew a couple guys from the Granville area he had hiked with. Turned out the guys he mentioned are members of the LCBC, Al Spens and Bob Rush. Small world!
The weather couldn't have been better as the pictures will show. The Shaver's Fork route began with the Allegheny Highlands Trail but soon left on quiet country roads. A good climb and a switchback descent put us on a gravel road that paralleled Shaver's Fork into Parsons with great scenery the entire length. After a lunch in Parsons we returned via the Allegheny Highland Trail, encountering a six foot black snake stretched across the path along the way, to complete our forty-seven mile ride.Sunday morning brought another great Apacki breakfast and the promise of good biking weather. Five of us met with Laurel of the CRC near Blackwater Falls to begin a twenty-four mile adventure. There were many stops to make as we took in the scenery and photo opportunities. Waterfalls and stream crossings were typical of the route. Sections were rocky and full-suspension mountain bikes were definitely the way to go. The riders got in some single-track experience as well on a side trip to Lindy's Point overlook. Two days of mountain biking worked up an appetite. We finished the Canaan Mountain Loop Sunday with pizza at Sirianni's in Davis. From there we returned to our base for a quick clean-up and a hike to the top of the valley rim for a view of the Canaan Valley. We watched the rain roll up the valley toward us as we enjoyed the view. A good drenching wasn't a bad way to end the weekend.
Here's a tid bit of information about Shavers Fork
Shavers Fork, via the Cheat, Monongahela and Ohio Rivers, is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 214 mi˛ (554 km˛). It flows for much of its length through the Monongahela National Forest, and drains mostly rural and forested areas. 97% of the river's basin is forested, and two-thirds of it is public land. Shavers Fork rises in north-central Pocahontas County at Thorny Flat, highest peak of Cheat Mountain (4,848 ft/1,478 m) and the site of Snowshoe Mountain ski resort. Its headwaters flow through the ghost town of Spruce. The river then flows generally north-northeastwardly through Randolph and Tucker Counties, where its valley is the trough between Cheat Mountain (to the west) and Shavers Mountain (to the east). Settlements along its course include Cheat Bridge, Bemis, Bowden, and Porterwood. It ultimately joins the Black Fork at Parsons to form the Cheat at an elevation of 1621 ft.
