Georgia Wilderness Society
Adventures on the Greenbrier River Trail, WVa
September 25-29, 2023
In late September 2023 GWS reprised its 2021 cycling trip on West Virginia’s rail-trail hall of fame Greenbrier River Trail. The idea was to give a second chance to folks who missed the first trip for various reasons, but sadly those folks once again missed this visit. The weather forecast was for a horrible hypothermic cycling week with temps in the fifties and high rain chances, but our GWS luck held and we had only a little mist on one of the three rides. The 60-65 degree days made for brisk but pleasant cycling over the 80 mile gravel trail. The deep hardwoods in the Monongahela Mountains had just begun to change colors. This riverside trail remains mostly remote and is truly beautiful. Four of the six cyclists used increasingly popular E-bikes; the other two used a mountain bike and a gravel bike. There were no falls or other mishaps on the sometimes wet trail. Members also took various hiking and touring excursions in Watoga State Park and surrounds. We took advantage of one group of folks having a large riverside cabin, with volunteers cooking and serving suppers for all eight campers on the first three nights and also for one lunch. Instead of camp chairs around a bonfire, we had good food, spirits, and conversation at full tables in front of fires in the stone fireplace.
Campers were Ben Thompson, Trace Butler, Denise Kelly, Barry O’Neil, Bob O’Neill, Alex O’Neill, Jane Mangum and trip leader Joe Mangum.
