Planning a 3 day fishing trip with my Pa. We are going to Sutton Lake in Braxton County, West Virginia. It will be kinda hot, but anywhere not at work is all good. I will update with our facts and figures.

Cooking kit

This is a project to create a light weight cook set. Requirement is to be under 6 ounces total weight and nest together.
So, here it is:
Heineken cook pot (24 ounce can) with lid.
Wing "stove (for fuel tabs) and aluminum wind screen
Cup (7 1/2 ounce coca cola zero can) with lid and foam cozy (1/4 " thick foam).
Bowl (2 1/2 cup plastic bowel) with a "bubble pack" cozy
Light my fire spork
Small lighter
Nylon stuff sack
Roll up windscreen and put in Heineken can, put cup with lid in Heinie pot, put wing stove (in plastic bag) into cup, put lighter in cup, put lids on all of these. Put in stuff sack, nest this into bowl, place bowl in bubble cozy and wedge spork down between bowl and Heinie pot.

Total weight 5 3/8 ounces! Not bad. I will test this set up next hike to see how well it works.
Possible changes might be to switch to a folding spoon, so that this will also go inside the cook pot

Roaring Plains West Wilderness, July hike

Well, a friend and I decided to head for our local hills to get away from the heat. So we head to the Dolly Sods area, specifically the Roaring Plains West Wilderness (one of WV's newest wilderness areas). I have hiked this area for a long time, but it never fails to surprise and tantalize. We camped only a short ways up Roaring Plains Trail (Yes the roaring plains roar!). We then hike up the gas pipeline that acts as the east border of this wilderness. We discovered a trail we did not know existed (no I can't tell yah, or I will have to kill yah). WOW, what a sweet place. We plan to return for further exploration of this trail; gotta know where it goes.
Wildlife seen: 2 deer, 1 timber rattlesnake, a frog, a gray squirrel, vultures and countless other birds.
Wildlife heard: Coyotes briefly just after dusk.
Other animals seen: 1 very tired bear dog, that had "seen action" with the bear (he followed us out the forest service road).
Other people seen: Only the owner of the dog; so at least the dog will spend tonight at home in his dog box.
Hiked with Grabow and Top Bunk (Trail names).
Weather: Hot, humid and very windy; no rain or storms.
I totally recommend this area if you want outstanding hiking and very little company.

Went fishing with my Pa on Friday. We went to Mt. Storm Lake in WV. The water is as warm as bath water. How the heck to fish live in water that warm! We caught a few sardine-sized channel catfish. I have caught nice bass in this lake, up to 2 pounds; but have never caught a decent sized catfish. Has anyone ever caught eatin' sized catfish at this lake?

We had a pretty nice time. We explored a bit. Got off the lake at the perfect time; about 45 minutes before thunderstorms started.

Valley Falls State Park in West Virgina

Went to Valley Falls State Park this past Saturday. It was a very nice day. This park has about 18 miles of lightly used trails. Not a lot of people hike here because the main attraction is the falls. Many folks have their wedding here. There were folks setting up for a wedding during my visit. To get to the park from the west, take route 50 east (from the East go west to the other side of Grafton) to route 310 near Grafton, WV, wind your way about 7 or 8 miles out this nice country road then follow the signs to the park. On your way you will pass Rock Lake, a private lake. The water lillies were in full bloom! They are very beautiful. I would certainly recommend this park for just sitting and thinking. It is a photographers dream park!

First ever blog post!

What the heck, I decided to give this a try. This blog is to share my hiking and other outdoor adventures with other like-minded folks. I will include trip reports, gear reviews and hopefully some awesome pictures. Kinda neat the way ferns grow.