The Climb at Crabtree

The view from the top of Crabtree Falls, VA



The very bottom of Crabtree Falls.

It was a cold, crisp, clear Saturday morning and we took a drive southeast to a beautiful part of Virginia south of Staunton.  Our destination for the morning was Crabtree Falls, known as the highest cascading waterfall east of the Mississippi.  The climb to the top of the falls is a 1.7 mile hike rising around 1200' in elevation.

 

When we began our hike, it was near freezing so we bundled up with hats, gloves and heavy coats.  It wasn't long before those extra layers started coming off.  The path led up the mountain with numerous switchbacks and warmed us up quickly.  At various points on the hike, the path took us to amazing views of the falls.  When we reached the 0.5 of 1.7 marker, I was questioning if I could make it to the top.  We were less than halfway up the mountain and my legs were burning.  The path was a mixture of steps, rocks and a dirt path, we plugged on.
      As we got to the 1.0 of 1.7 post, I began asking those on their descent if it was really worth the trip.  Most people said "absolutely yes" but a few said "we didn't make it, we had to turn around".  We made the decision to continue our climb to the top and were rewarded with more amazing views of the falls and the valley.

      The final 1/2 mile went pretty quickly.  We stopped and rested a couple of times, took more pictures and went at a much slower pace.  When we finally reached the top and crossed over the stream, we were greeted with an awesome view of the valley below. 
From the top, you can't see the falls very well, but the rest of the vista is spectacular.  The return trip down the mountain was a breeze as we passed all the people huffing and puffing on their climb.  These people were asking the same questions of themselves and of the other climbers as they struggled up the mountain.  The answer is simple: yes, it is definitely worth the climb to the top of Crabtree Falls.

Bridgeday 2013

     

On Saturday, October 18th, I traveled to Fayetteville, WV to join an estimated 80,000 people to watch adventure seekers jump off the massive (and very high) New River Gorge Bridge.  I like adventure as much as anyone, but these whack jobs are way out of my league.  I have always wanted to go to the annual Bridgeday, and this weekend, I finally had the chance.  It's about a 3 hour drive from home and was well worth the trip.  One would think walking across a bridge 900 feet above the New River Gorge would be scary, but it's not.  Getting close to the edge and looking over at the river below is scary.  Watching a line of Base Jumpers dive off the platform, one after another, is a crazy kind of scary.  And watching the real nut cases being flung into the air and over the edge by The Subaru Catapult is just pure entertainment.

     

We hit the bridge at about 10:30 am and started snapping pictures of the incredible view of the Gorge and the river below.  As we approached the jump site in the middle of the bridge, the crowd became thick.  The Base jumpers were at a stand still because of a passing train along the river below.  It wasn't long before the train had passed and these thrill-seekers were diving, flipping and doing handstands off the platform and free-falling hundreds of feet down before the chutes deployed.  One after another, an impressive line of slightly off-center men and women took their turn.  Most landed perfectly as planned, but a few ended up a little short, soaking wet in the river.  No fear, the rescue boat were quickly on the scene and all was good.

      It was a great day overall, but there were a couple highlights.  First, a paralyzed man rolled his wheelchair off the platform and hit the landing spot perfectly below.  Secondly, the American flag was brought in by parachute from a plane flying high overhead.  He did an amazing fly-by of the bridge jump site to the cheering crowd and also landed perfectly below.  The third highlight was The Subaru Catapult tossing these jumpers into the air and over the edge.  Five, four, three two one and wham, up and over they went as the crowd gathered around cheered.  The beautiful scenery and the amazing thrill-seekers made for a great afternoon at Bridgeday 2013 at the New River Gorge.

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