I have never needed New River Gorge more.
My annual summer escape to the most beautiful place in the world coincided with a year that, to put it mildly, has been awful.
The spring was especially difficult, including some of the darkest days of my life.
The newest national park, in the southern part of West Virginia, offered hope of something better, if only for five days.
A week prior to my vacation, I wasn’t even sure I would be able to go. My nurse practitioner detected a heart murmur during my regular checkup. She advised getting an echocardiogram.
In the last 12 years, I have missed going to New River Gorge only once, in 2022, due to heart issues that landed me in the hospital for several days, along with a nasty case of COVID-19. I ended up getting a new stent and a replacement for an old one.
I had a heart attack in 2010.
Not sure what to do, I left two messages with my heart doctor’s office but did not hear back in time. I didn’t know if it would be safe to hike in the mountains and if I should get the echo before the trip.
Screw it; I decided to go.
Tumble down hillside left reporter with yellow bruising on leg
I did not have any problems hiking, other than being out of shape. The only physical issue was a tumble I took down a bluff, turning my lower left leg yellow, like a jaundice patient.
But that comes later.
Prior to leaving, two people asked me who was going with me. They both seemed surprised when I said no one. I love solo traveling and the idea of solitude in nature. It’s so refreshing.
After I checked in at my hotel, I headed to the visitor center for a quick jaunt down the boardwalk to see the glorious New River Gorge Bridge.
Just then, I saw a gaggle of Girl Scouts approaching. I was hoping there was not some national convention because the National Jamboree for the Boy Scouts of America is held every few years in nearby Glen Jean, West Virginia.
The last time my trip coincided with the jamboree, there were some 20,000 Boy Scouts in the area. I won’t make that mistake again.
The first trail I always hike is Endless Wall, featuring my favorite view in the park at Diamond Point Overlook. As I was enjoying the scenery, I got a call marked “health care.”
It was my heart doctor’s office calling to schedule the echocardiogram. I kicked myself because I had meant to turn off my phone before going into the forest.
I told the scheduler the appointment would have to wait, that I had already left for my trip.
Getting on the trails early is a way to avoid running into a bunch of people. I like to listen for birds and look for ones we don’t have in this part of Ohio.
I encountered a young couple who had questions about Endless Wall. Perhaps I looked like a sage mountain guide, or perhaps they hadn’t encountered anyone else to ask. Either way, I answered the question.
West Virginia offers birder’s paradise
That first full day in West Virginia offered a wealth of wildlife. I saw a mockingbird, a pine warbler, an Eastern towhee, a ruby-throated hummingbird, a brown thrasher and an Eastern kingbird, which was a first for me. A birder’s delight.
I’m still holding out for a scarlet tanager.
As I later drove around a remote road, I encountered a mother turkey and five or six babies, crossing in single-file fashion.
That evening, I headed to Beauty Mountain, the ultimate destination for sunsets.
On the way, I saw a white-tailed deer grazing by the road. She didn’t seem to mind my presence at all, allowing me to stop my car and get photos.
I’m always amazed at how close people get to the edges of cliffs. A couple thought it was a good idea to set up a hammock between two trees on Beauty Mountain as they watched the sunset. I would have been scared to death.
Because of my heart concerns, I cut back on the number of trails I hiked, going from five to three.
I sustained my fall on my last full day in New River Gorge. A heavy storm had just passed and I wanted to get photos of fog coming off the river.
I missed the parking lot I was seeking on a narrow, one-lane road. As I kept driving, I saw what appeared to be a bluff at the side of a curve.
I got out of my car to inspect and found a steep drop of slick mud with tree roots jutting out. I gave it a try and made it down the slope, but I didn’t have a good angle for a picture.
Getting back up proved challenging. I slipped on the mud and tumbled backwards. As I fell, I grabbed a tree sapling with my left hand to break my fall.
Still, I slammed my head on the ground, which fortunately was soft from the rain and covered with moss. As I mentioned, my left leg took the brunt of the impact.
It wouldn’t be a trip to New River Gorge without at least one mishap.
Maybe I shouldn’t have gone this year. The problems I left behind were still here when I got back, and they’re not going away anytime soon.
I have no regrets. I had to go.
mcaudill@gannett.com
419-521-7219
X: @MarkCau32059251
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Mark Caudill: Getaway to New River Gorge provides respite from difficult year
Reporting by Mark Caudill, Mansfield News Journal / Mansfield News Journal
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