Upper Tract, WV- December 2024
If I could give one piece of advice to any newlyweds who were planning to grow a family together, it would be this: make time for your spouse. Like one on one, fully present, intentional time. Chris and I put this priority on the back burner for the first 10 years of our marriage, and while we obviously survived, our marriage didn’t thrive. I remember the first time we had a single night away from home, just the two of us. It. Was. Lifegiving. We didn’t go very far, and I think we weren’t even gone for 24 hours, but it was magical. Since that one night, we’ve made an effort to get away at least once a year. This year was no different.
We started planning this trip back in the spring. We wanted to go somewhere new, with hiking, and there had to be a cute, little, secluded cabin. Looking at the calendar, we decided on the week around Chris’s birthday, which is early December. All the boxes were checked, and we reserved a perfect little log cabin just off the Potomac River in Upper Tract, West Virginia for 3 nights. Add in a wonderfully willing Oma to watch the kiddos at home, and we had the makings of a perfect adult getaway.
The day before we were set to head out to West Virginia our host emailed us stating that we could check in two hours earlier than scheduled. Eager for the vacation to begin as soon as possible, we finished up all our last-minute packing and prepping as soon as we woke up on Wednesday morning, smooched and hugged all the kids, and set out on the road before 9 am. As the flat, familiar landscape along route 404 gave way to rolling hills of route 50, followed by the gradually climbing elevations along Route 66, and finally the impressive heights of route 48, we became more and more relaxed and eager to arrive to our destination. After about 5 hours and one stop for groceries, we arrived at our home away from home for the next few days.
The cabin looked just like the pictures made it appear. Walking up to the side door, we were giddy (me more outwardly than him) with the excitement. Inside the cabin we were greeted with decorative bears and Christmas decorations throughout. We explored from room to room getting a feel for the layout. We unpacked the plethora of groceries we bought when we were too hungry to be shopping with any sense, and spent the evening indulging in steaks, Netflix, and each other.
Waking up the following morning, we were greeted with a fine dusting of snow and howling winds outside. Originally, we had planned to do a robust amount of hiking while we were out there, but the weather had other plans. From the comfort of the cushy couch, we had thoughts of just staying holed up in the cabin for the entire day and not going out at all. Part of that sounded blissfully delightful, but part sounded like a waste of sweet, sweet freedom. Eventually we agreed to go out in multilayer ensembles and brave a hike to highest point in West Virginia. Because, why not do such a thing in feel like temps of 12 degrees and wind gusts up to 40 mph? Yea. Why not?
Remember how I said we woke up to a dusting of snow in Upper Tract? Well, by the time we turned onto the road which would lead us to our trailhead of choice, we realized they had received a few more inches of snow in the higher elevations. Had we been in our truck we MAY have made it to our destination, but being as we were scooting around in our little beater car, Chris made the decision to turn around when we got to the cut off for state road plowing. Dang it!! I had been quite looking forward to the view from Spruce Knob.
Do you think that was enough for us to throw in the towel and head back to the cabin for the previously discussed option of vegging out all day? Nope. I quickly came up with an alternate hike at a lower elevation. We back tracked to the main road and shot up to Seneca Rocks to scramble up and around that highly recommended trail. While the parking area wasn’t free of snow, it was better than the road leading to Huckleberry Trail. The wind was impressively aggressive, but we knew a majority of the hike to the top was in the forgiving shelter of the woods. We dawned our beanies, buffs, and backpacks and headed out on the 3.8 mile trek. Walking across the 2 parking areas, I had the thought that we were absolutely ridiculous for choosing this over a warm fire and cozy couch back at the cabin. Well, you only live once! We trudged up the well maintained trail that zigzagged up the side of Seneca Rock North Peak.
Every time the trail turned to the south we were blasted with frigid, bone chilling winds, even through the woods. We quietly snaked our way up until we came to the shin deep snow drifts surrounding our coveted destination of the observation deck. The major draw of the hike was the narrow and jagged peaks of the rock formation dubbed “Seneca Rocks.” I had seen pictures of friends wedged between the razor edges and steep drop offs and knew I wanted similar shots of me doing equally dumb and reckless ventures. Alas, the 40 mph wind gusts and traction-less ice and snow that blanketed the rocks kept me from carrying out those plans.
We forced our way onto the observation deck, snapped a few pictures and videos and quickly high tailed it back down the trail. Scurrying down the trail went much quicker than the trudge up, and soon enough we were back at our car with the heated seat blasting and warm air cranked. On the ride back to the cabin, we stopped at a small adult beverage store in Petersburg and had the one and only human interaction we encountered on our entire time in the area.
Once we returned to the cabin, I set to making a delightful charcuterie board for our reward after such a cold and brutal endeavor. With cocktails in hand, we indulged on summer sausage, caprice salad, smoked Gouda, and crackers for the rest of the afternoon. We plotted our plans for the next day, “puttered” around the cabin, and spent the evening watching a new series and crocheting like a content little old couple. It was delicious.
The next morning we awoke to much more pleasant weather. After a few cups of coffee, and a comfortably slow morning, we headed out on our next adventure. The hike didn’t have us traveling very far from our home base. While the roads weren’t as bad as the previous day, Chris still became more and more hesitant on our short drive. The views along this roadway were fantastic. Steep cliffs and rock formations jumped out at every turn.
We speculated on buying property along Smoke Hole Canyon, moving our little clan of Dolders out there, and living our best lives. Pipe dreams at best, but so fun to contemplate. Once we arrived to the trailhead, we hopped out, geared up, and headed off into the woods. The trails started out forgiving and gradual. The woods were open and bright with the crisp virgin snow reflecting the bright morning sun. Within less than a mile I had stripped out of 2 of my 4 layers of clothes. The path became more steep and rocky which was ever so slightly precarious from being hidden beneath an inch or two of snow. Neither of us had brought appropriate foot attire and our trail runners didn’t provide much insulation against the frosty ground cover. We were keeping a pretty good pace that kept our bodies warm enough though. Once Landis trail merged with North Fork Mountain loop trail we were treated to less brutal incline and a trail that gently undulated along the ridge line.
The vegetation was thick enough that we didn’t have very many vistas for the first mile or so of ridge line. Eventually I noticed a small side trail shoot off to our left. Why not just see where it leads? Thank you, Lord, for sending us down that trail. It opened up to a view I was totally not prepared for. The snow had painted the hills and valleys with perfectly highlighted peaks and reentrants. I knew West Virginia was pretty, but I didn’t realize it was ethereally captivating. We hung out at that little vista for as long as we could handle the cold wind and then we popped back into the wood line.
At the next trail intersection, we couldn’t resist the draw of the faint trail off to the left. If we thought the first view was magnificent, we were ill prepared for the humbling fascination the next vista afforded us. Rock formations stretched out to our right for nearly a mile. We were instantly reminded why this hike was called “Chimney Top.” Although the formations weren’t identical to Seneca Rock, it was still fun to hop across precipices and crawl up boulders along the ridge line.
The trail we had merged onto flirted with the rock wall ridge all the way to the end of the formation. We snuck glances over the edge over and over, forever in awe of the beauty and majesty of the views. Once we made it to the crème de la crème of the views, and pinnacle of our hike, we snapped a few selfies, smooched each other for being so well compatible in these adventures, and headed back down the trail.
The cooler temps and penetrating chill of the snow caught up with me on the trek back and I ended up cracking open a hot hands pack to bring life back to my frozen hands. As is always the case, the hike back down went far quicker than the trudge up. Once we returned to the car, we went through the same defrosting process we had done the day before.
We had planned to go out to dinner on our final evening, but as we drove back down the canyon we decided to stay in for the third night and eat some of the leftover food we had purchased without thinking about having to transport it back to Delaware. In an effort to bring my body back to a safe temperature, I jumped in the shower as soon as we got back. I must have stood in that steaming hot stream of water for no less than 30 minutes. When I finally emerged from the sauna-like fog of the bathroom, Chris had another beautiful charcuterie board assembled. Our final evening was spent lounging around in comfortable clothes, wrapping up in snuggly blankets, and engorging on all the snacks, drinks, and loving we wanted. It was glorious.
Our last morning was less slow, and less relaxed, but still just as special. We packed up all our stuff, checked off the “leaving list” and we’re on the road by 10 am heading back to our lives and little loves. Arriving home we were greeted with hugs, kisses, and a blessedly cleaned house, compliments of the best daughter in the entire world. The time Chris and I spent together was necessary, rich, and memorable. That time away made us able to be more present with our kids and lives. We were able to get to know each other all over again. It’s like going on a date with someone your soul loves deeply, but your mind needs to get reacquainted with. I can’t recommend it enough, and I can’t wait for our next getaway. It’s kinda a great escape from life, while being a life-giving escape.