Snowshoe

We've been busy skiing at Snowshoe this winter with 20 days on the mountain so far this season.  The snow has been much better than last year with 100"+ already.

We're looking forward to several more days of fun on the slopes before Spring arrives.

Dolly Sods Wilderness

I'm going to keep this entry short on words and just let the pictures speak for themselves.  The Dolly Sods backcountry is a beautiful place, and if you haven't visited you should be planning your first trip there soon.

As incredible as the scenery is, the Sods can be an unforgiving place.  Winds there can be brutal, and 50-60 mph gusts are common.  Additionally, don't expect to take a hike without having to walk through at least a few swampy mud holes.  This past December a group of friends and I were hiking through the backcountry and we ended up knee deep in a bog, which from a distance looked like nothing more than a mossy meadow.  Waterproof footwear is a must!  Most importantly, bring a GPS or compass if you plan to leave the roads.  The trails are not well marked and the woods can be so thick that it's difficult to see more than 10-20 yards in front of you in places.

Snow, Snow, Snow!!!

Well, winter finally showed up this past weekend and we were lucky to find ourselves in the thick of it!  We headed up to Canaan Valley Friday evening as the snow started to fall, and by the time we got to our cabin that night there was already a decent amount of the white stuff piling up.

Saturday morning we grabbed a quick breakfast and headed straight for Timberline Resort.  The snow was still coming down hard, and visibility was limited to say the least.  We spent most of the day skiing in near white out conditions.

We're really looking forward to our next trip!

Spring!

Sorry it's been so long since I've updated the blog, guys!  School has been really busy lately, and this crazy weather has kept me from doing much fishing.  It seems like we have another thunderstorm dumping ridiculous amounts of water every other day, so the rivers barely have a chance to come down before they go right back up again.

The good news is, the long term forecasts are starting to improve and I think that the best fishing is just around the corner!

Also, I'm sure many of you have been anticipating the arrival of turkey season...and it's finally here!  My brother hunted in Kentucky yesterday morning where he shot a nice tom.  It weighed in at nearly 23 pounds...the perfect way to start off the season.  I guess we'll be having turkey for Easter!

Keep checking back here often, we should have lots of fishing activity to report in the coming weeks!

First Time Fly Fisher

Thursday evening, Samantha asked me to take her to Elk Springs and teach her how to fly fish.  So on Friday morning we loaded up our camping gear and hit the road...

When we got to Elk Springs it started raining.  We set up camp in record time and hurried over to the fly shop where Dave helped Samantha find a nice pair of rental waders.  

After a brief casting lesson, I tied on a black pheasant tail nymph and took her to one of my favorite spots on the river.  Within 15 minutes Samantha had landed a beautiful 10" wild Elk River rainbow.  We were both really excited.  Two casts later she hooked into a huge fish that nearly ripped the rod right out of her hands before it got away.

Moving upstream, we found some fish actively feeding on little black stones.  Samantha managed to land another nice rainbow just as the rain started coming down harder.  We decided to call it quits and headed over to the fly shop for dinner.  Here are a few pictures that she took while we were fishing...

While we were in the shop, Chad checked the weather radar and we realized that a thunderstorm was headed right for the campground.  Feeling sorry for us, he offered to let us stay in one of the vacant cabins for an irresistible price.  That turned out to be a great surprise, because it rained all night.

Saturday morning, the sun came back out and we fished for a couple hours before heading back home.  All in all, it was a great trip...and we're both excited to go back again soon!

Spring Fishing is Heating Up!

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone!  I just got back from a weekend of fishing on West Virginia's Elk River...and I think it's safe to say that Spring is definitely here.  

The river was running high and muddy on Thursday and Friday due to a strong rain storm that moved through the area.  But, by Saturday morning the river had come down quite a bit, and the fishing started heating up.

Black stones were hatching steadily throughout the day.  The fish responded to a variety of nymph patterns in size 16 and 18.  I chose to stick with little black stone patterns and black pheasant tail patterns.

I always love having an opportunity to fish at Elk Springs.  The guys at the fly shop are friendly, and the fishing, well...it's always top notch!

Dolly Sods Wilderness

I just spent the last week exploring the mountains of West Virginia...and I had a blast!  I'd been wanting to explore the Dolly Sods area for a while now, and it turned out to be even more spectacular than I had hoped...

We drove up to Forest Service Road 75 via Dolly Sods Road off Highway 55 between Seneca Rocks and Petersburg, WV.  The further we drove up the mountain, the deeper the snow became.  The truck even got stuck at one point and we had to use a shovel and some spruce branches to get out.

We parked at the gate on FS 75 and began our day hike into the Dolly Sods Scenic Area.  This is the map that is posted at the trailhead.

We decided to follow FS 75, until we reached the Wildlife Trail marker.  From there we hiked Wildlife Trail to its intersection with Rohrbaugh Trail, which eventually took us back to FS 75.

There were lots of cools things to see and explore along the trail.  Here are a couple of pictures...

As we hiked deeper into the woods, we came to another scenic overlook that was absolutely spectacular.  This is the view from Rohrbaugh Trail looking across the deep valley where Red Creek flows...

From the overlook, the trail transitions to an area of giant spruce trees and mountain laurel...

This was probably one of my favorite parts of the trail.  The trees are amazing...enveloping you in a canopy of green...even in the dead of winter...

The hike took us about 5 hours to complete.  The wet snow slowed us down a little, but it was also difficult to follow the trail, because there are very few markings.  I would definitely suggest bringing a GPS if you plan to hike deep into the Dolly Sods Wilderness.  It's an amazing place to visit...you won't be disappointed!