I went with my local backpacking group, Virginia Backpacking Premium, on my first overnight trip in 18 months. We had perfect weather and one of the most enjoyable hikes in a long time. Link to my trip video is posted below. You can skip ahead to 3:08 to see the story of the hike in pictures.
https://youtu.be/38yOWe5ltpQ
Seneca Creek was unexpectedly beautiful. I hadn't anticipated finding rhododendron in full bloom in mid-July but the higher elevation in West Virginia gave us a surprise. We had to alter our original out and back hike plan because one of our group strained her ankle pretty badly on the first day hike. Seneca Creek turned out to be the best bail out route. And it was a great discovery. The trail follows the Creek for about 5 miles. The trail itself had several stream crossings but largely followed old logging roads so the trail gradient was gradual and the trail itself generally dirt. It was really good walking and would be accessible from the Seneca Creek trailhead as a great in and out route.
- Campsites are scattered regularly the full length of the Creek. I'd guess that the area could hold over 100+ people end to end.
- There is adequate parking at the trailhead for 20-25 carts plus more spots parallel to the road.
- We spoke with several sites on our way out and they all mentioned having to work to get firewood. This is possible because of the volume of campers year round. This has to be a popular destination for those who know it.
- Stream crossings totaled 6. The first three from the trailhead are rock hoppers. The next three range up to knee depth. These aren't well suited for rock hopping. Most of us waded with sandals then donned boots.
I learned a couple value lessons on the trip. To start, my water filters didn't work, neither of them. It was the first time I've used them in over 18 months and I failed to try them out when I packed my pack. I always backflush them thoroughly after each trip and I'd done so in November 2019. But they have been in storage since then. And I learned that calcium salts can dry over time and plug them. I've backflushed them now with dilute vinegar water and they are fine. But it was pretty sobering last Friday to get to camp and not be able to filter water. To compound my mistake, I'd left my water purification tablets at home too. Fortunately one of my hiking buds loaned me her filters. But a good lesson learned. I will always test my filters before leaving even though I've flushed them carefully at the end of the previous hike.
The second lesson was to plan "plan B." The hike involved some fairly vigorous sections and our group contained a mix of newbies and experienced hikers. The hiker who hurt her ankle was a relative newbie and hadn't hiked on rock strewn trails before. We were fortunate to have Seneca Creek trail as an option. This hiker was able to negotiate this trail slowly while hiking back up to the Spruce Knob summit would have been a challenge.
I hope we can go back to Seneca Creek this fall to see the foliage. There are lots of maples and birches along the Creek. They should be stunning.
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