Almost Heaven

I thoroughly enjoyed the New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia; the campground sat right next to the New River, named that even though it’s one of the oldest rivers in the world…around 270-300 million years old. The scenery was gorgeous and it reflected the outdoorsy quality of life in the area, outdoorsy enough that it reminded me of Washington a little. Camping was free and, although it lacked drinking water the pit toilets were inside a building that looked like a regular public bathroom. The weird thing about it was the sound…every time I walked in I felt like I’d entered a Stranger Things episode with otherworldly sounds emanating from frightening beings. I don’t know what was going on down there, but it was creepy.

I bought a ticket to do the Bridge Walk, perhaps the most touristy thing I’ve done this entire trip. Our group of 13 put our harnesses on, were instructed on safety and set out on our journey across the 2000 foot long, 876 foot high bridge taking the catwalk.

This wasn’t scary at all…I figure there’s no way they’d get liability insurance if there was a high risk of injury or death…and the view was pretty good, although not as good as on my hike the day before. The history/construction/Bridge Day info was interesting. The third Saturday in October is Bridge Day, when the bridge gets shut down and it’s all fun and games. 100,000 people participate in rappelling, BASE jumping, a 5K run, rafting, food trucks and vendors and just hanging out together. It sounds like a good time.

Although I’d already been in Charleston, and it meant backtracking a little, I had a ticket to the Mountain Stage so headed back there after my time at NRG. The music was great, my favorite being Blue Grass artist Shelby Means. The show was held at the Culture Center which is on the grounds of the capitol building. I liked that a lot. The show was recorded and will be played on public radio stations that air the Mountain Stage, adding a unique quality to the setting.

If this adventure is about anything, it’s about rolling with the punches! I had trouble finding a campsite because most weren’t open yet…I hadn’t factored in that the further north I went the colder the weather would be so people don’t camp in March. I managed to find a spot in Morgantown, only to find out that the bathrooms weren’t open yet. I was really looking forward to a shower after nine days but came to grips with the fact that I’d be waiting a little longer. The people who were there appeared to live there, including Tanya who worked in the office. It was a low-key couple of days, but I need those every so often so I can take care of business. Besides, I don’t have the energy to go go go like I’m on vacation for months on end.

Harpers Ferry was my next stop and I stayed at the luxurious Harpers Ferry KOA campground, luxurious meaning the showers were fabulous. Harpers Ferry was the site of the John Brown rebellion and, in addition to the sites and written info about John Brown’s dedication to the abolition of slavery, I listened to a Ranger talk that went into more depth on the lead-up, the rebellion, and the aftermath. I found this article offers interesting perspective on John Brown’s lasting impact as well as issues today that carry a similar ring – https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/john-browns-smoldering-spark.

I walked a bit of the Appalachian Trail on my way to see the former Storer College (https://www.nps.gov/hafe/learn/historyculture/storer-college.htm), established in 1867 to provide education to people emancipated from slavery and the only school in West Virginia offering secondary and post-secondary education to People of Color for many years. It closed in 1955 after having grown from a school providing basic education to a college open to all genders and racial/ethnic groups.



I had reached out to Indivisible in the area to see if I could volunteer for No Kings Day on March 28th in Charles Town so I showed up at 9 am and tried to make myself useful. The plan was for the 1000 or so of us to wave signs on the several blocks of the main drag through downtown. I ended up standing next to a man who’d grown up in Seattle, was a college teacher and had a sister who taught at North Seattle College. Turns out I’d met her several times when I was president of AFT Seattle. What are the odds?!?!

The air was filled with positive energy and lots of happy honking. Of course, there were also the people who flipped us the bird, snarled as they drove by or expressed their dislike in other ways, but it was a good day.

A notable note about Charlestown – this is where John Brown was tried, convicted and executed following his effort to build a movement to end slavery.

I wrapped up my time in West Virginia by staying at a winery just over the state line in Virginia…the wine was tasty and I tried breaded mac and cheese bites for the first time…bad move…they’re tasty! And the server let me know that the gas station Sheetz sells ‘em. Great, another bad habit to develop!

I went for a walk down the country road and felt inspired to write a poem –

Almost Heaven

The quiet surrounds me as wine softens the edges of my mind
The winding dirt road calls for me to wander and so I do
The songs of no fewer than six birds fill the air
Geese squawk and splash and quarrel in the pond, and a rooster crows as the moon rises high and the sun settles low
The comfort of shelter nudges my return
But curiosity of what I might find around the next bend propels me on
Houses sit atop hills among acres, appearing empty of life
“Mountain Retreat” declares a sign, making it so
It occurs to me that no one I know knows where I am at this precise moment in time
No one knows the peace I feel gazing at the pond across the way, the calm that settles as the color of the evening fades
It’s almost heaven in West Virginia