Cooper's Rock, Morgantown WV

Sunday morning, having spent the night in Morgantown after dropping Carter off for college, we skipped the Starbucks in the lobby of our hotel and drove a few blocks to a local coffeehouse called The Grind for our morning coffee. We each downed a decent cup of coffee and a bagel before setting off for nearby Cooper's Rock State Forest just minutes east of Morgantown on I-68 for our 29th hike of 2017.

This hike was planned as an escape from the emotional drain of moving the last child out and as part of a long weekend celebration of closing the restaurant. After a couple weeks of Carter ramping up the mouth and belligerence in preparation for separation from us, culminating in a nasty series of comments belittling Ann for calling a short sock a footie instead of a no-show, we were ready for peace and quiet on the trail.

Looking forward to that peace on arriving at the park, we didn't yet know that we were in for the hands-down worst hike of the year, but it didn't take long for the clues to start appearing, starting with poorly signed trailheads and too many cars at the Raven Rock trailhead. Very quickly it would become apparent that the published trail map was not at all useful. We would meet another hiker later who would say that, "This map is shit!" We agree.

We parked at the Raven Rock trailhead and made the quick walk to a rocky bluff under a power line overlooking an elbow in the Cheat River far below. Of course, the first thing I did was to slip and bury my left foot in a mud hole. I was wearing my Keen sandals, so naturally they filled up with debris making walking just so much fun. Ultimately, I emptied most of the trash out at the overlook. I was wearing sandals because Ann left her socks back at the hotel. I gave her mine and wore my sandals, which I find very comfortable to hike in.

Alas, we could never escape the voices of a large group behind us. This group would catch us soon after our arrival at the rocky bluff and they would be joined quickly by four more children on mountain bikes. We looked around briefly and then took our leave of them, seeking peace and quiet.

Cheat River from Raven Rock

Annie at Raven Rock

The Required Boot Shot

Cheat Lake from Raven Rock

We headed back in the direction of the car, hoping to pick up a side trail in the direction of the main overlook and hopefully make a nice loop hike of 7-9 miles. The published map being crap and many of the trails being unmarked, we never did find the trail that we were seeking. We took a trail that led us back to the hard-surface road and there we picked up the well-traveled Roadside Trail in the direction of the main overlook.

Corydalis sempervirens, Rock Harlequin

False Foxglove, Aureolaria sp.

Wild Basil, Clinopodium vulgare

Pale-Spike Lobelia, Lobelia spicata

Lactuca canadensis, Wild Lettuce

Downy Rattlesnake Plantain, Goodyera pubescens

As we approached the main overlook through the woods, it became clear that we would be sharing the view with hundreds of people and that wasn't something we were looking forward to. I had to talk Annie into at least going to see the view, which was fine, but essentially the same as the one we saw at the much less crowded Raven Rock.

Cooper's Rock Main Overlook

Also Cooper's Rock Main Overlook

Part of the Cooper's Rock Overlook

After a couple of minutes on top of the overlook, I wanted to see the Underlook Trail below the overlook and perhaps go see the rocks on the Rock City trail and ultimately, go see the pig iron furnace at the park. While it was cooler on the Underlook Trail, we couldn't get away from the noise 100 feet above our heads and as we were getting to the upstream end of the trail, we met a busload of WVU freshmen out for their pre-semester adventure. Nothing against them at all, but that was the last straw for us and we beat it for the car and the bar, calling it a day after a measly 5-mile hike.

The Underlook Trail

Overlook from Below

Water Erosion Detail

Dealing with the hundreds of people at the Cooper's Rock Overlook was enough to sour our whole day and we decided quickly to go back to the hotel rather than to subject ourselves to more of this overpopulated park. Too many people with screaming kids, bus loads of college students, poorly signed trails, road noise, blaring music, a shitty trail map, and uninteresting trails are just a few reasons why you should avoid Cooper's Rock State Forest for serious hiking.

Chestnut Brewing being closed on Sunday, we ended up at Morgantown Brewing during a quiet lull in business midafternoon. This let us unwind with a couple of beers out on the back deck in relative peace and quiet, peace and quiet punctuated every now and again by the elevated train cars of the WVU PRT system quietly whizzing by just over Ann's shoulder.

Post Game at Morgantown Brewing

Cheers!

Entertained by WVU PRT Trains

After beers and a late lunch, we headed back to the hotel for showers and a nap. The first thing I did was drag my Keens into the shower and use the shower wand to give them a good scrub. They were still damp later on when we went downstairs to the Bourbon Prime bar to have cocktails and a light supper.

I was in the mood for a Crusta cocktail, despite the bourbon all over the bar. After I spied the requisite ingredients on the bar, I asked the bartender for one, fully expecting that I would have to give her the recipe, which I wrote out for her. After 15 minutes of her making smoke-infused bourbon drinks, we finally got our cocktails. They run a smoke gun into a decanter, swirl the bourbon in the decanter, and then make the drink. The whole process takes about three minutes, which is way too much time when you're running a bar and service bar with a single bartender.

Bourbon Prime Bar at Our Hotel

Crusta Cocktail

After dinner, we headed upstairs to watch the latest installment of Game of Thrones, the final act of our mini-vacation in Morgantown, feeling pretty let down about Cooper's Rock.