The BackWoods Drifter

During the hiking part of the weekends adventure I came across these strange rocks in an area that had a coal bed sitting on it before. The removal of the coal and a little bit of erosion had uncovered these rock formations.

Just from some basic observations I’m guessing this is a petrified tree root system - millions of years old. There are a few things that make me think this - the first is the obvious texture of the rock. Another aspect is that it is oval shaped and independent of the surrounding rock formations. The oval shape really adds weight to my theory because it would be oval shaped if it had once been round. After millions of years and everything settling on top, it would have compacted the root into this oval shaped rock.

You can tell from the broken pieces all along it’s form that it had had heavy traffic on it recently. I would love to find a long piece intact and had even thought about going back for these that are broken. I did bring two pieces of it home. I’m hoping to find out what it is and how old.

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Adding - It would appear as if I was correct in my assumption that what is pictured is the remains of a tree root system 286 - 360 million years old. I emailed a professor at WVU and the following is his reply.

It indeed looks like the root system of a Pennsylvanian tree. It is known as sigillaria. The pictures are great! Next time, be sure to place something for scale - a pen, a ruler, a notebook, for example so that the full scope of the find can be determined. You have a sharp eye and you used good common sense to figure out what you must have seen. Well done!

The following from here.

Sigillaria is the generic name assigned to this ancient arborescent lycopod. It had leaves and roots very similar to its contemporaneous cousin, lepidodendron, but it differed in that it exhibited much rarer branching and its tall, columnar trunk lacked the scale-pattern of lepidodendron, instead exhibiting straight, fluted furrows along the trunk midsection. Occassionally the trunks were smooth.

Other differences with lepidodendron were its cones. Lepidodendron cones were attached individually near the tip of it’s branches. Sigillaria cones occurred in clusters attached in certain places along the upper stem.

Another characteristic of sigillaria are the vertically-arranged circular scar pattern found in fossil specimens representing the inner bark. These scars called parichnos occur in specimens assigned the form-genus name of Syringodendron.

Sigillaria was prolific during the Carboniferous Period (360 to 286 million years ago) and, like its cousin lepidodendron, often attained heights of over 130 feet.

This is a continuation of the last post.

The second day started almost as nice as the first day ended. I slept longer than I had intended. It was about 7:30am when the sun finally woke me up. I had wanted to get up earlier and catch the sunrise but I was pretty wore out from the previous day riding so I didn’t really mind sleeping a little late. I broke camp in about 15 minutes and headed over to where I took the photos the day before.

I actually had a few reasons for coming on this trip. At the top of the list was for the relaxation. I needed to get out for a while by myself. Another reason was to look for ginseng on the side of the mountaintop removal site in Schumate / Clay’s Branch. I have been talking a lot lately about how restrictions have been put on harvesters because ginseng is considered an endangered species, at least in Appalachia.

I didn’t have to look far. There are about six stalks of ginseng in this photo. Three of them are three-prongs and one of them is a two-prong. The others are just small new plants. I took this photo right around the mountain from the mountaintop removal site. I could go to jail for digging these plants but it would seem as if it is ok to totally decimate them with explosives.

Another reason for coming here was to get some more photos of the mountaintop removal site. This was the first time for me being there that early in the morning and I wanted some photos with the sun behind me.

On the map at the end of this post - this photo was taken where it indicates Photo 1. After some video and a ton of photos I headed off the mountain en route to the lower end of Clay’s Branch. This ride consisted of another couple of hours of nice trail riding.

From the top of the mountain, the trail was just like in the photos all the way to the bottom. At the bottom was Drews Creek road actually quite a few miles from where I initially went into the mountains. I had made a huge circle.

I went back out of the hollow and into Clay’s Branch from the Peachtree side. This is where I had to get off the four wheeler and do a little hiking to get where I wanted to go. I was on every kind of trail imaginable in the past two days. From a single lane blacktop road to a deer trail.

I’m about 100 feet down the hill from the rim of the mountaintop removal site. This photo turned out too bright because that is the treeline. It is hard to make out in the photo but I am following a deer trail. I wasn’t looking for ginseng but I couldn’t have missed these stalks. The one is growing right on the trail. This is about 50 feet from the site.

The stalk of ginseng is at the bottom of the photo and the bright light at the top is the end of the trees.

I was saddened by seeing the ginseng that close to the MTR site and on the dry side of the mountain. I couldn’t help but think about all of the ginseng that had been wiped from the Earth - on the wet side.

This photo is indicated by Photo 2 on the map. I stayed here for a few hours taking photos and video. I probably won’t go back for awhile, it’s just depressing.

At any rate, the last leg of the journey was a ride back home and just as good a ride as the day before. I didn’t get any photos coming home because in the course of the previous days riding I took nearly 300 photos. I filled two small memory cards. I’ll have to remember in the future to take plenty of extra memory.

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The green line represents the first day of riding. The blue line was the route taken from the MTR site in Drews Creek to the other side of the site in Clay’s Branch. The red line represents the ride home.

You can’t really give an accurate indication of the mileage simply because of alternating terrain.

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I have to comment a little on both of these posts. This is one reason I fight mountaintop removal. If King Coal has his way, I won’t be able to write many more posts like these. I would absolutely hate to see the day get here when there are no more backwoods to enjoy. In a lot of places it is already too late. Where used to be serene mountains and hollows now reside un-scalable mountains of debris.

It’s a travesty.

I traded my hiking boots for four mud tires this weekend and headed to the mountains. Sometimes, with me anyway, it is better not to plan a camping trip but instead just keep everything ready and when the opportunity presents itself take advantage of it. I had been keeping a close watch on the weather hoping to get two consecutive days without rain.

I noticed Saturday that Sunday and Monday would be perfect. Upper 70’s both days with no chance of rain till Monday evening. That was all the time I needed. I got my gear ready early Sunday morning, borrowed my friend’s four wheeler and was in the mountains by 1pm. The trip wasn’t planned so I wasn’t sure where I was going to camp. My first choice was just up the road from Peachtree Falls.

I don’t think I can ever have enough photos from the falls. Once I was in the area I quickly ruled out camping there for two reasons. The first was there was just too much four wheeler traffic, I needed more seclusion. The other reason was it was only about 2:30pm and that left about six hours of riding. I could be miles from the falls in just a couple of hours and I didn’t want to have to come back here to camp since my destination was ultimately the WV backwoods.

So I took a few photos, soaked up the sights and sounds then headed further from civilization. My next destination was about an hours ride after passing the last house in Drews Creek. I was bound for the head of Spring Hollow, which is about a two hour ride from the falls. I hadn’t been to Spring Hollow by four wheeler in quite a while so I didn’t know if the road was still passable that far out.

I didn’t get a whole lot of photos going into Spring Hollow simply because I was going to be in the mountains for two days and wanted to save my shots for other views. But I did take a couple of photos. I popped around a curve and saw this grouse standing there in the sun. I could have taken a lot of photos of this bird. She just stood there and actually didn’t fly off until I started toward her with the 4 wheeler.

Lucky for me the gas company had been back in Spring Hollow and actually had a pretty decent road all the way. The last time I was here this was nothing more than a goat trail. The road continues through the hollow and on around the mountain for maybe another mile.

This was the end of the line and I thought seriously about camping here. On the way through the hollow I saw another road that pretty much cut straight up the mountain. Once again I was faced with the dilemma of too much time on my hands. I’m probably about three quarters of the way to the top of the mountain at about 2400 to 2600 feet.

I didn’t really think I could take the four wheeler up the mountain I passed but I thought I could try it and if I couldn’t then I could come back here and camp. I wasn’t real comfortable with camping here because on the way up the mountain I stopped and talked with another guy on a four wheeler. When I told him I was going camping in the head of Spring Hollow he looks at me funny and asks - by yourself? And then promptly followed that up with - do you have a gun? I was armed but I didn’t ask him why I would need to be because I was planning on possibly camping there and I didn’t want to be jumping at fireflies all night. I assumed it was to protect myself from bear and coyote. I’ve seen bear in Spring Hollow before and coyote tracks on this trip.

But at any rate all of that combined made me decide to try and go up the mountain. I didn’t take a photo of the climb because I really didn’t think I was going to make it and figured I had plenty of time for picture taking. However, that four wheeler dug in and I went all the way to the top with no problem. If the mountain had been muddy I would have never made it. When I get to the top I’m in uncharted territory for the backwoods drifter. I had never been able to go any further, by four wheeler, than Spring Hollow.

This photo is from the very top of the mountain. The hill climb turned into a mountain climb and was about a half hour ride straight up. After I get to the top I found another road system. From this point I’m about mid-way between the head of Drews Creek and the head of Clay’s Branch- four hours into the backwoods - 26 hard miles south of nowhere.

After another hour or so of riding I came upon this four wheeler path continuing to lead me into the direction of Clay’s Branch. I had by then decided to camp somewhere on the mountain above the mouth of Drews Creek.

The four wheeler trail took me right where I wanted to go. It was some good riding and some absolutely gorgeous trails.

I was very happy I had not decided to camp at any of the aforementioned places. I would have missed out on a very relaxing ride through the mountains. I live for times like this. It doesn’t get much more secluded than the backwoods.

I set my little camp up at about 7:00pm.

This is Camp BWD sitting at an elevation of around 3045 feet above sea level. Ivy Knob on Bolt Mountain is at just over 3200 feet and is the highest point in the Guyandotte Mountain range. So my camp is up there in relation to nearby mountains.

I’m partial to leaving very little evidence at any of my campsites. On this trip I had brought sandwiches and since it was only a one night affair, I didn’t even build a fire. When I left the next morning the only evidence left behind was a flat spot on the ground and even that will be gone with the first rain.

A benefit to being right on top of the mountain is the sun is visible a lot longer. The sun set at around 9pm. Between the time I set up camp and sunset I still had time to explore further around the trail. It turned out I had set up camp just about a mile from where I was hoping I would eventually end up. Basically I found a new way to get somewhere I had been before. It was definitely the scenic route.

This is one of the reasons I come here.

I got back to camp in plenty of time to watch the sun set. I tried to get some pictures of it but my camera isn’t that good. Or maybe it is and I’m just not that good with it. Once the sun started for the horizon it wasn’t long before it was time to turn in for the night. I saw a red sky as the sun was setting and I always think of that old saying - Red sky at night, sailors delight. Red sky in the morning, sailors warning.

I went to sleep feeling good about the day just past and the day yet to come. I’ll tell you about it in the next post.

A month or so ago I put a video on this site with the song Cool Clear Water by Fleetwood Mac. As soon as I heard that song I knew I was going to have to produce my very own video using the same song.

I’m happy to say I have made my first video using mountaintop removal and acid mine drainage photos. Plus a couple of other odds and ends. It’s not the best in the world but it is my first so go easy on me. I can guarantee it won’t be my last. I hope you enjoy it.

I was digging through the tons of files I have let build up on my computer and came across a file that holds all of the files and photos ever displayed on the original West Virginia Outdoors website. One thing that has definitely remained constant since the beginning is I still take a lot of photos and I still don’t know what to do with most of them.

At any rate, in the beginning I used a lot of photos to make West Virginia banners. I think even a few people actually used them which was a cool thing. I have a ton of banners and two different sizes. The ones I am showing here are my favorites and the smallest of the two sizes.

I actually made all of these banners when the only things I owned were a beat up old laptop and a beat up old truck and when it seemed like the only friend I had in the world was my dog Sam.

This photo is of a place called Peachtree Hole. Back when I was a teenager this was one of my favorite fishing spots. The first real camping trip I ever went on without supervision was right here. I was probably around 12 at the time. It was only about a mile from where I grew up but at that young age it may as well had been on another planet.

I remember my friend Ronnie and I would come here and fish to early in the morning. It seemed like when we were that young we were on a mission to stay up all night when out camping by ourselves. We never took a tent or anything like that and always got here in time to gather plenty of firewood to last through the night.

The area all around the hole of water was very secluded. There was only one house nearby and it was a little hike through the woods and up the mountain to the right of the river. In that house lived an old trader. His name was Cuby and he would absolutely trade for anything. To give you an idea - I traded him a basketball for a fishing pole. When Ronnie and I would come here fishing we would always stop by Cuby’s house just to see what he had to trade.

Cuby would tell us stories of a huge bear that lived in the woods by his house. His stories were especially believable simply because he lived in such a secluded area. I think he got a kick out of trying to scare us knowing we were going to be camping at the river. At that age, it worked to.

Our camping spot was right beside the big rock in about the center of the photo and there was a path right behind it that went up the mountain. It seemed like no matter how big of a fire we built we could never see very far up the path and after listening to Cuby tell his stories all of the monsters and bears we encountered was just outside of our light shuffling around on the path. I know it had my heart beating fast quite a few times.

On one night in particular we heard something moving around and it seemed like it took all of the fun out of fishing. Usually when we went camping like that we just took a few sandwiches and something to snack on to get us through till morning. On this night we had decided to roast hot dogs over the fire and make chili dogs. We sat there eating our hot dogs, fishing, and listening to some unseen monster moving around on the path for the biggest part of the night. By the time we did lay down to get a little sleep we were both as nervous as a couple of long tailed cats in a room full of rocking chairs. We had a small flashlight but neither one of us was willing to go investigate the restless prowler so we went to sleep not knowing what was on the hillside.

We couldn’t have been asleep very long when a new noise wakes me up. It sounded like something playing with a tin can. Normally that wouldn’t have bothered me too much except this time it was right where we were sleeping. I thought whatever was on the hillside had decided to join us on the river bank. I couldn’t fathom what it could be doing to make that weird noise.

As I said, usually we just brought sandwiches with us but since our late night snack this time was chili dogs, Ronnie had brought a can of chili. Taking all the nerve I could muster I turn the flashlight on and start scanning the area. What I found was so funny and at the same time such a huge relief. I had forgotten about the can of chili when I was lying there listening to the noise but when the beam of the flashlight landed on it all I could see was the hind end of a mouse sticking up out of the can. That little rascal was going to town on the left over chili and rocking the can back and forth as he ate.

The mouse cured the scary nights because afterwards anytime I heard something moving around I pictured that little mouse tail sticking up out of the chili can. We never did encounter the bear Cuby was always telling us about. But we did catch some monster catfish and even one huge mud turtle. That was an adventure in and of itself. I’ll have to tell you about it sometime.

Visiting Twilight, West Virginia one finds themselves in the very heart of coal country. Stopping in at small convenience stores, the reflective stripes of coal miners rein supreme.

I had the opportunity to be in Twilight for most of the day today and I took a few photos. I had been wanting to visit the area for a while to take some photos. There was a heavy fog on so I didn’t really get to see what I wanted. Someone not used to the area would immediately notice a smell in the air. It was kind of like a taste and an odor. The odor was of burning coal and a strong sense of sulfur. I believe the sulfur is what was causing the sweet taste at the back of my throat. All up and down the potholed two-lane road you can glance up on the mountains and see smoke rising from the ground.

The only thing I’m not certain of is whether the smoke is coming from an un-mined coal seam or from abandoned coal mines. One thing I am certain of is that whichever it is, it is on fire. Oddly enough the smell brought back memories from quite a few years ago. There is a little town called Birchton just a few miles from where I live now and I remember a slate dump that used to burn right beside the road. You could smell it long before you could see it but after that it left no doubt where the odor was coming from. Although the fire at Birchton has been out for a long time, I’ll never forget the smell. Fires like these will smolder for years.

I am not real familiar with contour mining but I’m pretty sure that is what is going on in these next few pics.

These photos were taken a couple of miles down the road from Bandytown right before entering Van, WV. I really feel bad for the people who live on that side of Bolt Mountain. They have quite a lot to deal with.

Lately it seems as if my blogging has been more just simply going through the motions than really getting into it. I’m not happy with that.

At the moment I have some personal issues going on with my new handicap and for the time being at least, it is dominating my thought process. I really don’t like feeling like I am forcing posts. Like this one for instance. I did feel the need to post this since I may not be around much in the next couple of weeks. It depends entirely on how fast issues get resolved.

I’ve been doing a lot of talking on here about mountaintop removal but lately I have even had trouble concentrating on that devastating issue. I’ll get back into the swing of things, soon I hope.

I have been known to use song titles for posts before. This title is from an old Led Zeppelin song and I think it fits rather well with the photos in this post.