Nature Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Opossum Creek Retreat

It’s Valentine’s Day Which Makes it Couples Season

It’s couples season. For everyone. Which, naturally, means spring is near.

Bear with me, this will seem a bit of a stretch. Frankly, it is.

You see, the critters know that spring is near. Some of them, like the red shouldered hawk and the grey fox in my back yard are busy playing “the game”. The woods are teaming with amorous animals squawking, yelping, howling. You get the idea.

The sounds are music to my ears as it signals spring is not far.

Ever hear a foxes love song? It’s not really very pretty. In fact, it sounds a bit like James Brown is in my backyard. The foxes feel good. I knew that they would.

The Bald Eagles that now live along the New River are sitting on eggs as you read this. Brrr. That’s devotion.

When you look closely at nature, there are many signs (and sounds) which let us know that love is in the air. If you dig deep into the history of Valentine’s Day you’ll find a direct connection to the cycle of nature.

Consciously or not we humans follow the signs and seasons of nature. After all, we are animals too, right?

It’s Couples Season
It’s the perfect time for you and your mate to focus on each other. No distractions.

We can make this easy for you. We can help you decide if you need things to do like hiking or a massage. Maybe all you need is a do not disturb sign on the door.

Just pick your days and give us a call, 1.888.488.4836. It’s that easy.

A Hole in Our Map?

Take a quick peek at the map. What do you see? Or, more importantly, what don’t you see?

While I love riddles and trick questions, this isn’t one. There is an explanation.

The image displays levels of light pollution on the East Coast. The brighter the color, you guessed it, the more light. You will notice there is a “hole”.

Take a look at cell phone coverage maps. There it is again.

Road maps? Yup, you guessed it, same thing.

We Are In a Hole…Sort of
Opossum Creek Retreat is on the south-western edge of the “hole” you see in the maps. We spend a lot of family time inside the void, for good reason. While the maps and images may lead you to believe there is nothing there, in fact, it is full of things to do and discover.

The Monongahela National Forest
West Virginia has plenty of public lands, more than 1.5 million acres, with The Monongahela National Forest taking-up close to a million acres alone. Just about anything you can think of to do outside, can be done within the Mon boundaries.

825 miles of trails
576 miles of trout stream
8 Wilderness areas encompassing almost 100,000 acres
75 different tree species exist in the forest
Elevation ranges from 1000′ – 4863′ above sea level

Nearby Favorite
Located about 45 minutes from our cabin rentals is ‘The Cranberry’. Near the National Forest’s southern boundary, a visit to The Cranberry is like venturing to another latitude. Literally.

Red Admiral Butterfly enjoying the late summer wild flowers in The Cranberry Backcountry

This area is the southernmost hold-out from the Great Ice Age of the Pleistocene. The result? It’s like going to the Canadian tundra, without a border crossing, or Loonies, or anyone ending sentences with “A”.

The plants and animals you might encounter along the Botanical Area boardwalk are from the great white north. Red Crossbills (a bird I have yet to see), Canada Warblers, Skunk Cabbage wild flowers and trees, are all normally only found much further north.

Bears & Scenic Drives
Black Bears are beautiful, graceful creatures. They are plentiful in and around The Cranberry, in fact we see one on almost every trip over. However, don’t let that stop you from making the trek, make it a reason to go!

Be sure to stop in the visitor center (a great one) for a map, some books, great exhibits and modern facilities. Then take a trip across the Highland Scenic Highway for a “Sunday Drive” to remember.

There is so much to do while you are in the “hole”, we couldn’t possibly share it all in one post. After your next trip, be sure to share the photos.

What is your favorite thing about The Mon?

How To Catch A New River Gorge Firefly

I grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Bucks County to be specific. Far, far away (or so I thought) from a vacation cabin in the New River Gorge region of West Virginia.

I was definitely not the city streets, but not nearly as rural as here in New River Country, either. When I was just a young tot (hard to imagine, I know), one of favorites was when dad would build a fire in the fire pit in the back yard. That usually happened on a warm summers evening and it meant friends and family would be joining us.

Roasting marshmallows, making s’mores and catching fireflies were the top activities of the youngsters. Roasting the mallows and creating the perfect s’more was always supervised by an adult or at least one of the teens in the group. Then, when the sun was long gone and the fireflies began emerging from the grass making their ascent to the tree tops, we were free to go get’ em.

The hunt was on. We gathered jars with carefully crafted foil lids with holes so the tiny that captives would have plenty of air, but no hope of escape. I wasn’t the most compassionate kid.

The idea was to get enough fireflies into the jar to simulate a lantern. Once we had collected a jar full of the all natural illuminating creature,s it was off to explore the caverns and search for Injun Joe, or something just like him. Our childhood treasures were usually found under the huge Lilac bush that resided in the back yard. It was mom’s voice calling for us that snapped us out of our fantasy adventures, I can still hear her to this day. That’s when the foil lids were torn off the jars and the fireflies were set free.

See? I wasn’t all bad.

I thought we had a lot of fireflies back then, but the number of fireflies here in the New River Gorge area is amazing. Sometimes there are so many that the trees look as if they have lights strung over them. If you’re here, you should let your kids in on this great tradition. Heck, you may want to try it yourself. Get yourself a Mason jar and some foil and get out there with your kids and show them how.

And if you’ve never tried catching fireflies yourself, do yourself a favor and get going. Summer’s almost gone. And so is the season for catching firefleis.

How To Tell If You’re On Vacation In The New River Gorge

You can tell if you’re on vacation in the New River Gorge. There’s a feeling that you’ll never be able to do everything. A weekend is just not enough time.

I first came to the New River Gorge area in 1992, and I went through some culture shock for sure. I had always lived in high population areas and was used to that sort of lifestyle. From the burbs of Philadelphia PA to the Orlando area, there was always a BIG city around.

Still, I always managed to find the most rural areas to escape to, no matter where it was I lived. But when I came here, it wasn’t long before I realized I was in the escape place. A few months here (and outside of what had become my element) and a 40+ inch snow storm in March, and I was ready to go straight back to Florida. Thankfully though, I decided to give it a bit more time before packing my bags and hitting the road.

It’s been 18 years now and I still haven’t seen all there is to see in the Gorge area. If you love to be outside like I do, then West Virginia (especially the New River area) has plenty of excuses to get out and play.

Once I got acclimated to the area, and got to know some local friendly folks, history, and lore, I became fascinated with the area. I began to explore almost all the area has to offer. Now, I find it hard to imagine myself being away from here for too long a period. Even on short trips away I find myself pining for the mountains that I call home.

I love to help get our guests headed in the right direction. I know- my job rocks. Whether folks are into high adventure or a little walking exploration, a typical day at OCR is anything but typical. You may be rafting on the New or Gauley River, climbing with New River Mountain Guides, taking a tour of Summersville Lake in a Kayak, or simply hiking some of the 70 miles of trails that live inside the park boundaries. To be in the woods in the Gorge area can be a therapeutic escape in any season.

If you’re completely relaxed, exhilarated, content, and really really happy, then it’s probably a good bet that you’re on vacation in the New River Gorge.

Top 10 Reasons The Bird Fest Rocks

Let me just say this: The New River Birding And Nature Festival is so much fun.

A lot of work, yes. But who cares? It’s totally worth it. If you’re here, you know what I’m talking about. If you’re not, you should be.

Here are 10 reasons why:

-The Food. Local restaurants help us out with the fare, and its hard to stay the same size this week.

-Walking In The Rain. It rains here. If you’re ready for it, it’s quit enjoyable, and bird friendly. (beautiful sunshine today, though!)

-Anticipation. We work on this festival all year. People who come look forward to it all year. Maybe that’s why it’s great when we finaly get to start birding.

-The Face Ache. You know, from smiling so much.

-The Presentations. Nothing like a little edification for some after dinner fun. The presentations are enjoyable, informative, and, hey, they aid digestion!

-Spring In The Forest. ‘Nuff said.

–ZIPLINE!

-Making People Happy. This one’s kind of a gimme, since, as a cabin rental guy, it’s what I try to do all the time. But still, you really can’t get to much.

-Great Conversations. I’ve, um, been known to talk. A lot. So it shouldn’t be any surprise to people that know me that this makes the list. I’ll just say that, during the fest, I find myself doing a lot more listening.

-New Friends And Old. Best thing about the fest, hands down. As I’ve said before, you don’t need birds to make a good day birding. It’s all about the people. Especially these people.

And lastly…

Making A Difference In Someone’s Life. It’s not me; it’s the whole thing. The people. The camaraderie. The New River Gorge. Oh, and the birds. Let’s not forget them. The fest makes people’s lives richer. Especially mine.

The Most Important Thing About Birding (Hint: It’s Not Birds)

The most important thing about a birding trip is not the birds. Really.

Here’s why: All kinds of things can influence the birds you see and hear. So let’s focus on stuff that really matters on a field trip: the people.

It’s like soup; too much of one ingredient is boring. I love time alone in the outdoors, to be sure, but being with a group of fellow bird nerds/naturalists when everyone gets a good look at a fun bird? And it’s a lifer for someone in the bunch? And everyone is smiling and giddy? You can’t help but be excited too.

The fun of birding in a group comes mostly from these moments. They’re contagious. People are dancing smiling laughing when they see something that’s -how can I put it- exotic for them. It’s fun to share these moments. Who you’re with is way more important than what you might see.

I’ve been on dozens of field trips under every type of circumstances, from research and banding to formal surveys and counts to paid private guided field trips. And with the most bizarre groups you can imagine. By far the best groups have beginners in them; If you go out with a bunch of really good birders it can get boring real fast. I think it’s because they all know every peep and who made it and why. There’s no give and take about what is going on around you.

Also sometimes I think they are afraid to say anything because they might (heaven forbid) make a mistake. I promise you if you are on a trip with me I will miss ID a bird at some point during the day, every day. And it’s usually something really obvious and easy like last year when I called a chirping Cardinal a Chat (this is a major bird nerd no-no). Everyone looked at me like I had lost my mind, and by that point in the week, I had.

But I’m not a hired gun. No degree. No life list (that’s another story). So maybe it’s okay for me to make mistakes. Personally I like to see the pros make a mistake once in a while it shows they are human too. Perfection is way overrated.

When you have a good field guide, and some beginners, and you mix them in with other levels of interest and experience, it’s more fun. Makes me smile just writing about it.

The most rewarding bird trips for me are when we’re giving back. You don’t have to be a great birder to be a ambassador for nature. You don’t have to be great at anything. “Showing is better than telling” a 4 year old told me, as I was talking too much to a school group I did a bird presentation for. She wanted more action.

I get really excited when out on a field trip and I see a new bird or bug or critter of some kind. Even plants. But when I see someone, young or old, really getting excited about what’s around them, maybe for the first time ever? That’s a wonderful feeling.

The New River Birding and Nature Festival sponsors hands-on learning experiences for local schools. These are the trips that give me the best feelings of all.

Share what you know, right?

Do You Know The New River Gorge? A Nature Nugget From Keith

I’m an avid outdoorsman.

But I don’t limit it to just going outside. I love to read about the outdoors. When I was a kid I lived for outdoor magazines. Whenever I got a new one I usually consumed it cover to cover in one sitting.

The white tailed deer was my all-time favorite mammal to read about and see in the wild. Dad had me in the woods as soon as I was old enough, and I shared his passion for the outdoors. Still do. Dad doesn’t get out hunting anymore, but there is not a time I go to the woods that doesn’t remind me of something we did together. As I write this, I realize that my daughter Alex will have that same joy.

Gotta say, that makes me tear up a little.

Anyway, not long after moving to West Virginia, I met a man named Max Elkins. Max is, like me, an avid outdoorsman. As a matter of fact, I often say that when I grow up I want to hunt like Max. If there is an open season Max is hunting. It wasn’t long after we met that he introduced me to grouse hunting.

Now, I’ve hunted grouse as a kid a few times but never like this. Max’s dogs were amazing. I was hooked. A year or so later I had a pup out of a litter from his two dogs, Autumn and Thorn. What great names, huh? My daughter Alex had a part in naming the pup, and since Disney’s Aladin was her favorite movie at the time, well, Jasmine it was.

Max operated a bird hunting preserve and there were plenty of birds to train her on in the off season. January and February is the time to be in the woods and after the native birds. There were plenty of birds around ten years ago but they have definitely been steadily declining. Contrary to what a lot of people think, hunters are avid conservationists. We do so much to save habitat and game populations, it’s hard to know where to start. That’s a post for another day, I guess. Thinking about it, I long for the days described by writers like Burton Spiller and George “Bird” Evans, the days when a hunter could have thirty plus flushes in a day.

All of the research done on the Ruffed Grouse says that the bird is cyclic. Meaning that the populations fluctuate over time. There has always been much debate among grouse hunters everywhere as to whether the numbers will ever be what they used to here in Appalachia. I sure hope so, but right now there seems to be fewer than ever.

The West Virginia Division Of Natural Resources has had a research program in place for a while now in cooperation with several other states to try a find out where all the grouse have gone. According to the reports the main source of grouse mortality is due to avian predation. Mammal predation is second and hunting is responsible for only fifteen percent. Anyone who has ever hunted grouse knows that the odds are heavily in the favor of the fast flying, extremely agile bird.

Grouse hunting for me is not about the bag, but where it takes you. Suddenly you will find yourself high on a ridge overlooking an awe inspiring landscape. That, and spending time with friends and family. I think most people like me, who read outdoor magazines, who go outside just to be outside, who love it in their hearts, feel the same way.

The First 5 Flowers You’ll See In The New River Gorge

Full disclosure: One of them’s not even a flower. Check out the list below if you feel like skipping ahead.

First, a little background…

I can remember the neighborhood gang of kids and I would all get together and escape to the nearest woodlot any chance we could. Being in the suburbs of Philly, there weren’t vast expanses of forest like there are here in Wild Wonderful West Virginia. The gang and I (probably because of me) were always trying to figure out what kind of tree we were looking at or what kind of animal made that hole or… well you get the idea. The point is my curiosity for the things of nature was always there, and has never waned.

After spending a few years with Jim McCormac during the New River Nature and Birding Festival, my curiosity and intrigue was called to a new level. Jim is a botanist and all around nature guy who can spout the genus and species of almost anything you might encounter out there. The great thing about Jim is his child-like enthusiasm. It’s hard for me to imagine anyone who is even slightly interested in the outdoors not being encouraged to learn more when you’re around him.

Last year on Jims recommendation I purchased Newcombs guide to Wildflowers. It is a great book once you learn to navigate it. Here are my favorite first five:

Coltsfoot – Tussilago fafara

This one is native to Europe but is considered one of our own. The flower resembles a dandelion.

Ramps – Allium tricoccum (comes from the old anglic word rampion meaning leek)

May Apple – Podophyllum peltatum. Forms fruit in late April early May. That’s probably where the name comes from.

Trillium – grandiflorum. This plant has three leaves and three Sepals. Hence the name.

Virginia Bluebells – Mertensia Virginica. Better catch this one while you can. The whole plant is gone by late spring.

5 Good Reasons To Take A Retreat To The New River Gorge

Whether you’ve been here before or it’s your first trip, the New River Gorge is “that place”- the vacation that you’ll be talking about for.. well, ’till you keel over and die. Probably. Just sayin’.

Doesn't Geoff look like the perfect person to rent a cabin from?

How do I know? I’m a rental cabin expert. But I haven’t always been one…

My wife Tammi and I met in Florida, where I lived in the late 80’s. I’m originally from Pennsylvania, and she’s from right here in the New River Gorge area. When she brought me home to meet the folks the area began to woo me. For several years we traveled here to visit friends and family, and every visit made me feel like I was coming home. The folks here are friendly and most will go out of their way to assure your visit is a great one. That’s right- it’s so true, it’s in bold. Italicized. And, it happens to be reason #1.

That works, right? The 5 reasons are in bold letters and italics? Cool? Okay…

On one trip I talked several of my buddies into coming up to run the River for a few days and do some fishing. Tammi hooked us up with a river guide friend to take us on our four day river adventure. I didn’t know it then but from that point on I was hooked. Two years later I was a resident West-by-god-Virginian.

One of the things that never fails to take my breath away is the fact that there are so many great views in one place. Whether you’re at the end of Long-point Trail (my favorite hike in the New River Gorge National Park) or at Hawk’s Nest State Park, there is an amazing sight to see. I’ve been here now for eighteen years and still find new views that thrill my soul. While being at the top of the gorge looking down is what most people consider a view, it’s equally impressive looking up from the bottom.

If you keep your eyes open you’ll get a peek at some of the local fauna that lives here. They could be hidden anywhere. A word of caution; Beware of the Mad Beaver! There’s great wildlife for your viewing pleasure all over the place. You may be privileged to see anything from black bear to flying squirrels. The New River Gorge is also a great place to catch a glimpse of the secretive neo tropical flying migrants (wood warblers and such) as they pass through.

Nature at its best – Around here there are tons of opportunity to just get out and explore. This place is a naturalists dream. There are wildflowers, warblers, fungi and more. Fayette County West Virginia is one of the few places on the state that you will find the Painted Trillium. A beautiful wildflower introduced to me by my botanist friend and naturalist Jim McCormac.

Here I have experienced nature at its best. When I first came here, the friendly folks, wildlife and natural aspects of the area far exceeded my expectations. The outdoor opportunities are unmatched by almost anywhere I’ve ever been. Most of the folks I run in to who are here for the first time seem to have one thing to say: “This place is better than I could have ever imagined.”

How true that is.