Sunday Hike

After a week off from hiking I finally got back out in the woods this Sunday.  I didn't get out the weekend before because of Easter plans and I was pretty excited to get out and my excitement was satisfied by one of the best hikes I've ever done.  I'd been hearing about a place called "Devil's Nose" in Sleepy Creek WMA for a while now, and it lived up to the talk.  The best part is the Tuscarora Trail leads right by Devil's Nose so I could continue working through my quest to hike the entire TT while checking out a new spot.

Devil's Nose is a huge stone platform that overlooks a canyon carved by Mill Race over millions of years.  The Tuscarora Trail Guide says that it is a 150 foot drop from Devil's Nose to the creek bed below.

Sunday's forecast was warm and sunny and a perfect day to hit the trail.  I parked at the Spruce Pine Hollow Roadside Park on Route 9 in WV and started heading south.  The area around the trail head was an evergreen forest and the light fog and damp ground gave the woods a soft, quiet feel.  I almost felt like I was sneaking around through the woods, my boots barely made a sound on the soft ground.  The trail gave way to a dirt road that gradually climbed through a lightly populated development.  I'm usually hesitant to walk through populated areas on the Tuscarora because I know that much of the trail flows through private property and some people may view hikers as trespassers but my reservations were eased early by a few friendly waves from the locals.  At the end of the dirt road the trail started up hill in earnest and after a series of steep switchbacks I had the uphill portion of the day knocked out in the first 2.5 miles.

I don't know what it is about the area around Sleepy Creek but the rock formations along the tops of the ridges  are unique to say the least.  There are small caves, jagged crags, and tall rock faces everywhere.  It takes me a while to work through these areas because I always stop to check them out, climb around or take pictures.  As I dropped down on the eastern side of the ridge I could hear the water rushing in the creek and I knew I had to be getting close to Devil's Nose.  After a few hundred yards there it was, the unmistakable platform that I had only seen in pictures.  If you haven't been there it's tough to give an accurate description of such a remarkable place and pictures don't do it the justice it deserves.  The steepness and depth of the gorge took me off guard and the complexity of the rock formations along the ridge were like nothing I've seen.  Devil's Nose is famous for it's rock platform but it's true beauty is further down the ridge.  Huge, truck sized boulders perched on razor thin ledges.  Deep cuts in the rocks that looked like they were carved by hand ran 40, 50, 60 feet down to the base of the cliff.  Recessions and mini-caves.  I hung out there for the better part of an hour just exploring.

Sadly I had to hike back to my truck and head home to meet my wife for lunch and give her all of my "you shoulda seen that place" stories that I know she hears all the time, but this one was different.  To top the trip off I saw my first snake of the year on the trail.  A 4 foot black snake was hanging out beside the trail in a sunny spot in the leaves.  In the sun it looked poised and sleek, almost confident, so I kept my distance and moved on.  I cruised down hill all the way back to my truck and drove home, content but excited for the next hike.