Wild & Wonderful Newsletter

 We served this on our Saturday walk.  It is a wonderfully cool and refreshing dip or sandwich spread, especially tasty on a hot summer day.  I first tasted it in Greece where it seemed to accompany almost every meal made from cucumbers straight from the garden.

Tzadziki

(Cucumber Yogurt Dip)

from It’s Greek to Me, ‘Kali Orexi’,

St. Spyridon Philoptochos Society, Clarksburg, WV, 2002.

16 oz. plain yogurt

1 cucumber

2-3 garlic cloves

2T. olive oil

1T. white vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Line a strainer with coffee filters. Spoon in yogurt and allow to drain overnight. Peel, seed and grate the cuke. Drain on paper towels. The longer you drain the yogurt and cuke the thicker the dip will become. Combine all ingredients and chill for a couple of hours. Use as a dip or sandwich spread. Perfect on a hot day.

June 21, 2008

The Mountain Laurel was blooming in all of its glory on the Dolly Sods, the sun was peeking through big, exotic looking clouds, huckleberries and blueberries were almost ready to eat and no bears were seen, though we looked. Our excursion ‘over the top’ took us past the Forks of the Red Creek, which is on the top five list of most beautiful places in wild and wonderful West Virginia. We had the ‘Forks’ to ourselves for our lunch break. We feasted on whole wheat rolls with tzezeki and fresh lettuce and spinach from the garden, fruit salad, assorted other goodies topped off by brick brownies;-). There were a few boggy areas and rocky trails but they were far out weighed by the vast beauty all around us. This is definitely a five star walk.

Lee in the Rock-a-Lounger

June 21, Saturday and June 22, Sunday 

This month we are trying something a little different. We are offering two back-to-back daywalks. You can come walking for just one day or join us for both days for a weekend adventure. Both walks will be in the Canaan Valley area near Davis, WV. Saturday’s walk will be in the spectacular Dolly Sods with it’s unique flora and fauna typical of more northern terrain and on Sunday we will walk along the Allegheny Trail from Blackwater Falls State Park to Canaan Valley State Park. The cost for each walk is $25 and we provide a complimentary lunch. These walks are rated as challenging because they are on un-even terrain and last between 4-6 hours. Check the W&W Weekends page for places to stay in the area.
If you have any questions about the weekend, please contact us at wildwonderfulwalks@gmail or at 304-623-0112.

May 21, 2008

The day started with sunshine and fluffy clouds, but the weather reporters predicted rain at noon and they weren’t too far off. All of the rain that we have been having had the Tygart River roaring. Believe it or not, the picture above was taken today (thank you, Lee) and the picture below was taken at the same place one year ago. That’s how big the water is now!!!!

 

The walking along the river is very gentle. It is a county road now but was once the B&O railroad grade connecting Philippi and Grafton. We found a wonderful, isolated spot for our lunch. Except for the occasional car along the road, a duck with her ducklings and the kind gentleman who took our photo we had the entire area to ourselves. There were lots of wildflowers on display

Coopers Rocks State Forest.

Despite the dire predictions of the weather reports, we had a marvelously sunny day for our season opener at Coopers Rocks. The May wildflowers did not disappoint. May Apples, Lady Slippers, Jack-in-the Pulpits, ferns, including the Rattlesnake Fern, to name just a few were visible.

We visited Haystack Rock, the behemoth sandstone boulder that has moved an incredible 10 feet, in the last 4 years, down the Cheat River Gorge. A picnic lunch was eaten at the Henry Clay Iron Furnace which included strawberry shortcake and asparagus fresh from the garden.

The five hour walk was primarily along forest trails through the heart of the 10,000 acre Coopers Rocks State Forest.

We received good news today! We have received our permit from the Forest Service to guide walks through the Monongahela National Forest on selected trails. Our first opportunity to use the permit will be June 13-15, for our Women’s Backpacking Weekend. Check out the website or give me a call. Other walks coming up this month are…

Saturday, May 17, at 10:00, at Coopers Rocks State Forest. Cost: $25.00. Moderate walking along unimproved trails.
Wednesday, May 21, at 10:00, at Arden, along the Tygart Valley River. Cost: $17.50. Easy walking along a paved road.

Remember…go outside and play today,

Beth
Wild & Wonderful, LLC

304-623-0112

Here are some great book about people who have walked great distances in interesting places. Check them out.

A Time of Gifts, by Patrick Leigh Fermor, an autobiographical account of walking across Europe in 1933. Fermor is well known in Europe as a writer and a hero of the resistance movement in Crete during WWII. His language and his observations of a landscape that has changed so drastically since he walked through (the book was written in the 70’s) are outstanding.

On Foot to the Golden Horn, A Walk to Istanbul, Jason Goodwin. A 1990 trek about walking from Poland to Istanbul. This was written just as eastern Europe was opened to the west. Goodwin passes through some of the same places that Fermor visited.

The Places In Between, Rory Stewart. A contemporary tale of walking across Afghanistan. Stewart was a member of the British foreign service and has incredible insights about the Middle East and Western efforts there.

Bold Spirit, Helga Estry’s Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America, Linda Lawrence Hunt. This is next on my list of ‘walking’ reading.

November 17, 2007.

The walk through North Bend State Park was exceptional. Our path took took us along the winding banks of the North Fork of the Hughes River, over hills still colored by the leaves of oaks and beeches and along the newly created lake within the 2500 acre park. It was a beautiful day to be walking with cool, crisp, fall air and sunshine. We did not see the blue heron who lives along the river, but saw many deer, witch hazel in bloom and evergreen ferns atop the many boulders and cliffs of the park.

Our Wednesday, November 14, 2007 walk was along the North Bend Rail Trail from the Smithburg Depot to the Central Station Tunnel just west of West Union and back. After a few sputters and sparks with car issues, the walk continued in stellar fashion along the beautifully maintained trail.  The North Bend Trail is part of the American Discovery Trail that goes from coast to coast.  We detoured through West Union to get a better look at some of the outstanding19th century architecture the town is famous for and to tour a local church, thanks to the friendly invitation of woman working there.  Lunch was at a trail shelter near the Central Station Tunnel.  Hot soup and sandwiches were ideal for the cool fall weather.  The rain, which had been threatening all morning, held off until the last half hour.  A tradition of rainy finishes is starting for walks along the North Bend Trail.

October 13, 2007

Big smiles at the end of a fantabulous walk into the High Falls of Seneca Creek.

 The day started out a little cool on Spruce Knob, West Virginia’s highest point, but we warmed up soon enough on the trail along Seneca Creek.  The trail starts out through a large stand of Red Spruce overlooking  a boggy meadow that may have been created by beavers.  There were several creek crossings which, on the way in, we daintily crossed by jumping from stone to stone, but on the return trip we just sloshed through having abandoned any hope for remaining mud-free.  We stopped for lunch at the incredible High Falls of Seneca Creek; the sound of the falling water was a perfect background for lunch.  By that time we had entered the hardwood forest the area is famous for, especially in October.  The fall color was beautiful, though not quite at ‘peak’ - I think we were a week early for that.  Interestingly, although the walk into the falls did not appear to be downhill, returning on the same trail to the parking lot was uphill for the entire way. ;-)