It’s difficult when you sit down to write a defined list of things that you want to accomplish in a set period of time to distill those thoughts and ideas to the ones that are really significant. I put the item about the visiting the virgin forest on the list because it sounded very romantic. Just the thought of be in the midst of something that hasn’t been changed by human hands gets my blood pumping a little. I had done a little bit of research about virgin forests in West Virginia and found that the best place to go is Cathedral State Park. There are a few other places that exist, but there small patches that have mostly been killed off by blight or diseases. Cathedral State Park is in Preston County, and today I just happened to be in Preston County. I found myself with the good fortune of having a free morning so I took off and drove over to Aurora, WV where Cathedral is. Here is how the WV State Parks describe Cathedral:
Cathedral State Park is an ancient hemlock forest of majestic proportions, and one of the last living commemorations of the vast virgin hemlock forest which once flourished in the Appalachian highlands. Trees up to 90 feet in height and 21 feet in circumference form cloisters in the park. Throughout the woods, eastern hemlock is the dominant species.
Today was the perfect day to be outside, and an even better day to visit an ancient hemlock forest. The first thing that struck me was how strange it is to drive right up to this old forest. Route 50 cuts right through the middle of the park so for the first several hundred yards I was walking on a trail that ran right beside a major thoroughfare. The trail quickly cuts into the forest though and it doesn’t take long to forget about the paved road you just left and get lost in the beauty of the forest. The trees are stunning. This is a picture that I snapped with my phone.
Giant Hemlock that seems to reach to the sky
Every tree is marked with a brass tag with a number. I assume that it’s for research so that the foresters and researches can measure the growth of the trees. Hemlocks grow so big and the soil they create is so inhospitable that nothing else really grows around them. It creates this amazing open forest with no underbrush or smaller trees, just these quiet grand Hemlocks that take your breath away. At one point the trail that I was walking go closer to the edge of the forest. I went a little off trail and came to the edge of the forest where it borders a farmers field. It felt eerie standing on the edge of something so old and looking out into a field that was created by cutting down that forest. At another point I was walking along and a couple of deer crossed my path. As we were standing in the woods watching each other my phone rang. How strange is it to be standing in a virgin forest, surrounded by ancient hemlocks, watching two deer less than 20 yards away from me, and have a cell phone ring. It made me very aware that no matter where I go I’m still not too far away. I still haven’t decided if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. Here’s a picture of my new friend, again with my phone.
A deer in Cathedral State Park
Overall I’d say my first item knocked off of my list was a success. I loved the morning that I was able to spend at Cathedral and I hope to get a chance to go back again soon. Maybe next time I’ll take a camera better than the one on my phone.
