Labor Day: Elakala Falls/Pase Point

Monday, Labor Day itself, was day two of our overnight getaway to Davis WV and Blackwater Falls State Park, one of the great outdoor treasures of this country. After a night in the Blackwater Falls Lodge, built in 1957 and showing its age a bit, a night of enduring screaming children running up and down the halls and other loud noises, I was up before dawn and up two-and-a-half hours before I woke Annie.

While the sun was getting up, I had plenty of time to google around for things to do on day two using the lodge's piss-poor WiFi. I really shouldn't complain. I didn't expect WiFi at all. Ann had mentioned the afternoon before that she would like to go visit Pendleton Lake on the other side of the river and perhaps see Pendleton Falls. She showed me a really intriguing photo of Pendleton Falls the evening before, but when I started looking into it, I saw that Pendleton Falls is where the outflow from Pendleton Lake meets the Blackwater some 200 feet below on the canyon floor. Moreover, to see the falls is a bushwhack with no maintained trail and a very, very steep bushwhack at that. Ann's left foot isn't 100% or I would have gone for it. But I really didn't want to get all the way down in the canyon and she not be able to walk out.

Backpedaling on Pendleton Falls, I looked around for other amusements in the area and quickly came upon Elakala Falls and Douglas Falls, both of which I had heard Ann mention the night before. I found that Elakala Falls is a series of falls on Shays Run right next to the lodge while Douglas Falls was a couple of miles from the park. The pictures of Douglas Falls had me salivating: we had to go there.

After a coffee run down to the lobby of the lodge (free coffee!), we got showered, packed up, checked out, and our stuff packed into the Jeep. Then we walked across the front of the lodge and into the dark hemlock Hansel und Gretel woods just to the west. Not 100 yards later did we hear a waterfall and then suddenly we came to a wooden footbridge across a creek. We were standing on top of the first of a series of four falls on Shays Run collectively known as Elakala Falls as they make their way down the canyon wall to the Blackwater below.

Elakala Falls

A group of photographers had left a rope going down the hill to the first set of falls and we very gratefully used that to get down where we took these photos. The photographers were down below at the second set of falls so we had the top fall to ourselves. It was quiet, beautiful, and surprisingly, not at all slippery. I imagine that with a little rain, that all changes, and the rocks would be incredibly tricky to navigate. Call us lucky.

And a Slower Shutter Speed

More of Same

Elakala Falls Up Close

We descended to the top of the second fall and watched the photographers down below with their high-dollar equipment mounted on tripods. It must be nice but I don't have the budget or the inclination to lug a lot of equipment into the woods. For me, it's about getting outdoors and recording the memories, not making the best photos. I would have liked to have gone further down and seen more of the falls, but I was very worried about Ann's foot, which fortunately, didn't bother her too much.

On our way back to the lodge, Ann spotted the gleam of water in this sluice. Although on rare occasion she remarks that I sometimes spend too much time taking pictures, she's really good at pointing out things I should photograph. I hustled upstream to see what the sluice was all about. I still don't have any understanding of why it is here but it is pretty cool, especially because it makes the big right-hand bend that you can see in the photo.

Sluice on Shays Run

From here, we decided to go to Pendleton Lake, look about, walk over to Pendleton Point, have a look-see at the way down to Pendleton Falls, and make our way out to Pase Point per the ranger's suggestion the day before, leaving Douglas Falls for the afternoon before heading back. Starting at the parking lot by the lake, we walked southwest along the lakeshore through the trees and across a big open lawn to the Pendleton Point observation point just opposite the Lodge. The views from this side of the canyon were just as good if not better than the views on the other side where we were the day before.

The short traverse through the open woods led us through an area with many small shrubs with lots of berries, shrubs with which I am not at all familiar. This area was also full of high-bush blueberries, tall purple and tall white asters, and lots of other flowers. I certainly expected to see lots of deer in the open woodland and I would not have been surprised to surprise a bear feasting on the berries, but we didn't see a single large animal the entire trip, though Ann said she saw some deer dropping near the lake.

Unknown Berries: Another Harbinger of Fall

There Should be Dozens of Deer Here

The Lodge from Pendleton Point

Blackwater Canyon from Pendleton Point

Backtracking through the open woodlands and berry scrub, we made our way back to the lake and across the dam, headed in the direction of Pendleton Falls and Pase Point. The fully sunny open ground around the lake was a great place to shoot wildflowers, with about 25-30 species in a single area.

Pendleton Lake

Lilies, The Water Shield, Brasenia schreberi

Unopened Milkweed Pods

Ironweed, Vernonia spp.

A Really Nice Snakeroot

And the woods along the Dobbin House and Pase Point trails were good for groundcovers. We saw a lot of running cedar, a club moss, along the Dobbin House trail (and a whole lot more of a slightly different kind near the bogs on the Yellow Birch trail the day before). When I was a kid, my mom would send me out into the woods to gather running cedar with which to wrap our banisters at Christmas. I also saw a fair amount of wintergreen as I have all summer, but this was the first I've seen with any berries.

Running Cedar, Diphasiastrum digitatum

Wintergreen, Gaultheria procumbens

There were also very large patches of a groundcover that is unknown to me. It almost looks like a shiny-leaved strawberry, but it has little prickles on the stems. It's not really a vine and not a shrub. I'm perplexed.

An Unkown Groundcover

After a few minutes of gentle walk, we came to the end of the Pase Point trail where the turn-off to the overlook was flanked with twin rock cairns. From here, it was maybe thirty yards to some pretty breathtaking views. Pase Point is the most western point along the canyon on the north side of the Blackwater, situated high above the confluence of the Blackwater and the North Fork of the Blackwater.

Cairn at Pase Point

Looking Southwest, North Fork Merges on Right

Photographing the Photographer

Enjoying the View

Blackwater River from Pase Point

We took our lunch here at Pase Point which we had pretty much to ourselves. It was quite delightful to get away from everyone. As much as we enjoyed the view, we needed to get on to see Douglas Falls before starting on the drive back to Winchester, and so we made our way back along the fairly flat trail that skirted along the cliff edge to the lake.

Six-Leaf Whorl of a Joe Pye Weed

Basketball-Sized Joe Pye Weed

On the Dam: Rudbeckia, Red Clover, Queen Ann's Lace

A Hypericum on the Dam

We really enjoyed our time at Blackwater, but after a pit stop in the Nature Center at the lake, we headed out to try to find Douglas Falls, leaving behind Blackwater Falls State Park for good. But more on that in the next post.

Previous: Part Two of our Labor Day Getaway, Next: Part Four of our Labor Day Getaway

Labor Day: Lindy Point/Stumptown Ales

On Sunday morning for the first part of our Labor Day weekend getaway, we hiked from the Lodge at Blackwater Falls down to the falls and back. Around 1:30, we returned to the lodge where we left the Jeep. When we went in, they very graciously let us check in a couple hours early. We were happy to jump in the shower and rinse off the dust of our hike before we headed into town for beers.

Backing up to Friday, my uncle and aunt, Marshall and Susan, dropped by the restaurant on the way in to town from Burlington WV, out route 50. I had mentioned to them that we were going to be in Davis on Sunday and Susan said to text her, that they would drive the hour from their house and have a beer with us. I mentioned that I heard that Stumptown Ales had a really good reputation for great beer and that I was eager to try it.

At 12:30 when we had finished viewing the waterfall, I texted Susan and said if they were still game, we'd meet them at Stumptown at 3:30 give or take. I figured an hour to walk back to the lodge, thirty minutes to get checked in and showered, and 90 minutes to check out the canyon behind the lodge, run up to Lindy Point, and then head into town for a beer.

Just behind the lodge, the lawn runs nearly to the cliff edge and a walled observation point overlooking the incredible canyon below. The Blackwater River is visible a little to the west, looking left down the canyon. This was our first view of the canyon proper; we would get great views at Lindy Point later in the day and across the River at Pendleton and Pase Points the next day.

Blackwater Canyon from the Lodge

Blackwater River from the Lodge

I didn't have much time to look into places to visit nearby because we took the decision to visit this weekend at almost the last minute, but the one place I saw great photos of was Lindy Point at the far western part of the park, surrounded by Monongahela National Forest to the south and private property to the north. It's only a five-minute drive from the Lodge past the Nordic Center where you can rent skis and showshoes, so after looking at the canyon from behind the lodge, we drove down to Lindy Point and got front row parking for what was clearly a very popular destination: cars were strung out all along the road. At the end of the short trail, maybe a five-minute walk, we emerged to find the following spectacular views.

Lindy Point Looking Down Canyon

High Above the Canyon Floor

Spectacular View Southwest Down the Canyon

Taking in the View

Though there were a lot of people here, they were mostly couples and most everyone was respectful of everyone else and given the views and the short walk, there was a lot of bang for the buck. It's a view that should not be missed. We were on a schedule/beer mission at this point in the day, so we didn't linger too long and headed back out to downtown Davis just as a big group was arriving at Lindy Point, clogging the road. I'm so glad we missed them.

As far as I can tell, there's really no good food in Davis or the surrounding area, but the one place that I wanted to visit was Stumptown Ales, about which I had heard nothing but good. As we entered the tiny little strip that is downtown, we saw Marshall and Susan standing on the side of the street and pulled in beside them. They arrived about ten minutes before we did, but found the brewpub packed to the gills and so went out on the street to await us.

Stumptown Ales: Great Beer

Decorative Hop Vine

It's a small place with a couple of high-top tables and a short bar made out of slabs of trees sealed with acrylic. The silver tin ceiling doesn't hurt the atmosphere. There was barely room for us, but we got a chair at the end of the bar for Ann and the other three of us sat on the window ledge next to the bar.

It's a Small Place

Though because of the big Labor Day crowd, they were sold out of a couple of beers, we all managed to get something that we wanted and liked. Ann got a Who Tarted? Berliner Weisse, Susan got a Lefty Lucy Amber Ale, Marshall got the deep coffee-flavored Over the Tip Top Breakfast Stout, and I got the Cave Dweller Pale Ale, flavored with Citra hops, among my very favorite hops and I like hops quite a lot. I would have liked to try the Holy Citra Double IPA, but it was all gone. The Cave Dweller was a fine substitute, and at under 6%, I could have more than one. The double weighs in north of 8%.

Marshall and Susan Joined Us

Cave Dweller Citra Pale Ale

Ultimately, we moved to a high-top vacated by a group of young people, some of whom were sporting UVa Sigma Nu shirts. Marshall chatted with them for a few minutes, being a William and Mary Sigma Nu from way back. We parted company with Marshall and Susan after a couple hours of catching up and went back to the lodge, where we snacked on salame, cheese, and bread that I brought from home. After this and approaching dusk, we brought a bottle of wine and two glasses down to the overlook behind the lodge, commandeered two lawn chairs, and watched the sun go down.

Sunset and Red Wine

Still a little hungry after our wine, Ann decided we should grab a quick bite in the lodge restaurant. It was pretty awful. And there ends the tale of our first day at Blackwater, a pretty phenomenal day. We had no idea then what we would do the next day, nor that it would turn out more spectacular than the first day.

Previous: Part One of our Labor Day Getaway, Next: Part Three of our Labor Day Getaway

Labor Day: Blackwater Falls State Park, WV

We had planned for some weeks to take advantage of Labor Day to get away from Winchester for a two-day weekend to Blackwater Falls. Planned is something of an overstatement: we talked about it a couple of times, which the way we operate, is pretty much a plan. We saved the falls for the two-day weekend simply because it is two hours from the house and we wanted to have plenty of time to do and see all there is to do and see. Still, up until a couple of days before the trip, we didn't think we'd be able to get away at all and so I really didn't do my usual reading up on what to do while there.

The trip from Winchester started poorly the evening before with me forgetting my sunglasses at work, thinking I would get them on the way out of town the following morning, and then leaving my work keys at home. Doh! Luckily we were headed west and the sun was behind us all the way out. From Winchester, we took Middle Road out to its junction with route 55 (which is also posted as the new US 48, to be moved when the four lane is finally put in, if it ever is) at Lebanon Church. Route 55 heads up over Great North Mountain (the border between our county, Frederick, and Hardy County, West Virginia), down into Wardensville, and then becomes Corridor H, which terminates 2100 feet higher just before Davis, WV where Blackwater Falls is situated.

I always enjoy the drive out Corridor H as it goes up and over each successive range in the ridge and valley system and then climbs the edge of the Allegheny Front massif just about Mount Storm, where the equally massive Mount Storm coal-fired power plant and the turbines of the Mount Storm Wind Farm dominate the landscape. The amount of effort it took to drive this beautiful four-lane highway through some of the most inhospitable terrine is awe inspiring. The expansive views always make me think that I am driving along the top of the world. In any case, it has made the trip over to Davis in Tucker County, very, very doable, and has certainly enhanced this area's reputation as the winter sports capital of the mid-Atlantic.

And so it was after an unhurried morning and a pot of coffee at home that we arrived at the lodge in Blackwater Falls State Park mid-morning. I was expecting to get a map from a ranger at a contact station on the way into the park like at just about every other park I know, but there are no contact stations and no entrance fees. I cannot believe that a park this gorgeous does not have admission fees. We went in to the front desk at the Blackwater Falls Lodge, run by the state park system, and got a map from them. While there, I asked about a walk that would get us away from people and one of the women rolled her eyes at me, knowing that the area is wildly popular. One of the guys suggested Pase Point, which I filed away as an idea for later or for the next day.

The Lodge at Blackwater Falls

Back out at the car, we put on our walking shoes, moved lunch from the cooler to my pack, consulted the park map, and set out. We decided to walk from the lodge back up river to see the falls. Not knowing our way around, we did not realize that the closest vantage point is on the other side of the river from the lodge, not that the extra half a mile walk really mattered.

We headed off on the Yellow Birch trail in the direction of the falls and almost immediately, all became quiet and peaceful in the hemlock and rhododendron forest, punctuated here and there with yellow birch. These are trees that we don't have in abundance back home. While the trail is pretty well blazed with yellow diamond blazes, the trail is really more of a suggestion than a trail in some places, the woods being so open that you can walk about in any direction and find little hint of a path. Still, only did we once have to hunt around to find the path: it appears that a blaze went missing so we didn't really know where to find the next blaze.

Open Birch and Hemlock Woodlands, Tree on Rock

At one point, the trail went through a narrow gap in the rocks, which was no problem for my gigantic self, but it was a little more difficult for Ann. It's nothing like on Old Rag, but still it was a little creative hiking.

A Little Gymnastics Needed

This tree reminds me of the old chicken and egg question, but it seems almost certain that the rock has been here for eons before the tree, though it surely looks like the rock rolled up and stopped against the little tree.

Yet Another Crazy Rock/Tree

Yellow Birch Trail Namesake

Although we had noticed along the trail sections of deep mud rutted from mountain bike tires and other soggy areas, I hadn't realized that we would come upon a couple of full-on cranberry-peat bogs where we crossed Engine Run and Falls Run. They reminded me greatly of nearby Dolly Sods. I wish we had more time to poke around the bogs; what little we saw of them is unique to this part of the world and not something we are likely to see again in the near future. In places the ground was very shifty; there's no telling how deep the sphagnum mosses are there.

Wild Cranberries, Vaccinium macrocarpon

Behind the gentian in the photo below, the first I have ever seen or recognized that I have seen, you can see a lot of strawberries with their set of three leaflets and their red runners growing on top of the very shifty sphagnum moss. Aside from these, the bogs had a fair share of ferns and various club mosses that I would have liked to have spent more time looking at.

Narrowleaf Gentian, Gentiana linearis

Cottongrass, Eriophorum angustifolium, in Sphagnum Bog

The trail came back to the paved park road right at the parking area for what they call the Gentle Trail to the falls overlook and right where the River Road Trail heads into Davis. A hundred or so yards after starting down the Gentle Trail (all the trails we took were gentle with almost no elevation change), we came to the edge of the canyon and a deck overlooking the falls from high above.

First View of Blackwater Falls

Blackwater Falls from the South

From above, we could see that people were crowding the decks on the north side of the river opposite and far below us, so we decided to walk around over the bridge and see what was over there. We had to walk along the park road to get there and the margins were covered in all manner of fall-blooming asters (mainly tall white ones with masses of tiny blooms, but some smaller purple ones with larger single blooms), oxeye daisies, and goldenrods.

Beautiful Purple Aster

At the point where the park road crosses the Blackwater River, it looks like any other fairly peaceful river flowing through the mountains. It looks like a wonderful trout stream, in fact, with lots of room to cast without trees in the way. Little would you know that right around the corner in the photo below, the river takes a hard left-hand turn and starts with a whopping 62-foot drop over the falls and races through Blackwater Canyon which is between 200 and 500 feet deep. It is really hard to imagine that though while standing on the bridge looking at this idyllic scene.

Blackwater River Above Falls

Blackwater River Looking Upstream

Once on the far side of the bridge, we wound around back downstream for a few hundred yards to find a parking lot packed with dozens and dozens of vehicles. Welcome to the crowds. We walked down the paved trail to a set of wooden stairs with tens and tens of other people come to see the spectacle of Blackwater Falls. And they are an impressive set of twin cataracts formed where the river splits along a horn of rock and dives over the cliff to the floor below.

Blackwater Falls from North, Note Rainbow

With the sun almost directly behind our backs at the viewing platform, the near waterfall had a constant rainbow near the base. The photos do not give any sense of scale, but the trees on top of the falls are largely full-sized trees and you can stack two or three of them end-to-end to reach the bottom.

Sixty-Two Feet High

In the photo below, if you look at the water as it topples over the ledge, you can see that it appears brown. This is not an artefact of the photo: the water is brown. The river takes its name from this brown water, tea-stained from tannins leached from the abundant hemlock and red spruce needles in the local watershed.

Tea Colored Water Spills Over Ledge

She's Not Having Any Fun

At the very lowest of the observation decks, we came out in the full sun along the riverbank, giving us a chance to see a lot of flowers, including some very impressive Joe Pye weed with bushel basket-sized bloomheads, lots of asters, and lots of solidagos.

Pink Turtlehead, Chelone lyonii, at Falls

Bittersweet Nightshade: Solanum dulcamara

Jack-in-the-Pulpit Berries: A Sign of Fall

The Selfie Queen

On our walk back to the lodge and the car from the waterfall, we encountered a lot of rocks adorned with trees, but none crazier than this one. It was really good to get back in the woods and away from the crowds.

One of Many Crazy Trees

A Sure Sign of Fall

Blackwater Falls was impressive from afar and even more impressive closer up. But they are too popular for our liking. Stay tuned for the two other falls that we liked far better, both because we could get right up close to them and because we were pretty much alone to enjoy their splendor without a lot of company. We both like people but too many people just spoil a good outdoors experience.

Next: Part Two of our Labor Day Getaway