Hiking @ Peter’s Mountain and the Appalachian Trail

Hiking @ Peter’s Mountain and the Appalachian Trail


Ginny and I wanted to get out and enjoy another lovely fall weekend. This time we wanted to go a little outside of our normal realm. We thought, hey lets head down to Virginia and see what we can find!


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We found Jefferson National Forest, which is a pretty cool place. It’s only about 40 minutes from the Manor, and has lots and lots of cool hiking. I had no idea it was so close - I normally just adventure around the house. This place was a real treat. On our adventure we found this cool stream bed, the water was flowing pretty well.


We drove some more til we found a trailhead. To our surprise, we found the Appalachian Trail! I’ve always wanted to hike the Trail, but thought it was too far away. I had a few friends who spent months hiking the entire thing, Maine to Georgia. Guess I just don’t have that much time on my hands! Just as we started up the trail, I found Teaberries. I’ve been looking for these ever since I moved from NE Ohio. I loved Teaberry gum, so it was so cool to find the berries. We picked a few, and then a few more, and then a few more, until we decided we really needed to head down the trail at least a little bit farther.


The weather was amazing, and the trail was very nice. As we hiked on, the trail got more and more interesting, mostly because of the rocks and the Mountain Laurel. We only walked for about 30 mins on the trail, and Ginny found this little spot in the woods that reminded her of World of Warcraft, so we chilled out there for a bit. It was an awesome spot, a little off the beaten trail.

We played around a little more, and found a grouse! Well, we never found it but we heard it. It’s kinda scary if you don’t know what you're walking up to. We searched for about 20 mins, but never found it, though we did really enjoy the sound and the way the sound felt, kind of like when you stand in front of a bass speaker. Ginny had never heard a grouse before, and she thought it was really neat. Then it was time to adventure on back to the car before it got really dark.

Sound of Grouse

Next time we need to spend the entire day here! I think we'll be going back this spring to play around a little more. On the Baron's Adventure Scale, I will give this a 3.5, because it might get cooler as I find more cool things.



Sir Justyn J M


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Hiking @ Brush Creek

Hiking @ Brush Creek

A little off the beaten trail, pretty much only known to the locals, is a little wildlife area called Brush Creek. The Nature Conservancy maintains most of this lovely little park.

Here is the official stuff.
“The Falls of Brush Creek drop 25 feet over a sandstone ledge near the mouth of the stream's deep gorge of Brush Creek at Bluestone River. These "block" falls have been a popular local beauty spot since European settlement, though natives most likely frequented the falls for the same reason. The West Virginia Nature Conservancy, in cooperation with Pipestem Resort State Park, maintains a natural area at the falls. A rough trail leads from a picnic shelter to a ledge from which the cascade may be observed.”


If you like Mountain Laurel and cool outcrops of rocks, then this is the place for you. I always joke with friends that in the summer this is a prime spot to observe “redneck” courting practices. This is also a suspected breeding grounds too. Personally this has not been observed. LOL. During the day though, this is quite a nice park to hang out in.

I love going down to the river, and checking out all the cool crawfish and little fish you can find in the water. My friends and I like to do lots of off-path exploration. This trip we found some really cool plants and fungi.


If you want to see something off the beaten path this would be the place I’d adventure to.

The Baron rates this park a 4 out of 5, only because location isn't the easiest to get to.


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Sir Justyn

Bluestone River Adventures

Bluestone River Adventures

Hey Fellow Travelers,
It’s time again for another review of the fun things to do near Flat Top, WV. Just in case this is your first time coming across my blog, let me give you a quick recap. I’m Sir Justyn, the Baron of Mavis, an Innkeeper of Mavis Manor, an 1897 Queen Anne Victorian country Manor located in the small hamlet of Flat Top, in Southern WV. I moved down to Flat Top in Aug 2005 from Akron/Green, Ohio to build my parents a retirement business. Okay, enough about me - now to the grand adventures!


I just came across some pictures of my last trip to the Bluestone River. This is one of my all-time favorite places near my home. Here is a little secret - I was meeting a girl I’d been talking to for a little while on the phone, and I wanted to impress her with some cool serene scenery. That's why our first date was at the Bluestone River.

“The 77-mile-long Bluestone River rises along the northern flank of East River Mountain 2.5 miles southwest of Springville, in Tazewell County, Virginia (VA), and flows northeastward 83 miles through Mercer and Summers counties in West Virginia to join the New River. Eleven miles of its lower course is protected by the National Park Service as the Bluestone National Scenic River. Parts of Bluestone State Park and Pipestem Resort State Park are also located in the scenic lower section of the river. The Bluestone River is a popular warm-water fishery and canoeing is possible through mid-summer when water levels drop to a point where shoals are exposed across the stream. Kayaking is popular on the Bluestone in spring and during floods.”


The part of Bluestone River I found is easy to get to, but alas there is no way to GPS it or anything. There really isn’t any town left around my favorite part of the river, it’s just pure wilderness. It’s honestly super easy to get to. Here are directions from Mavis Manor:

Rt19 North to Ellison Ridge Rd. Follow Ellison Ridge Rd. till the road does this weird triangle thing. Turn left onto the road, (I forget it’s name but the road only goes left) and if the sign is still there it’ll say "To Bluestone NWA." Follow that road down the mountain until you get to the park's car park, and you're there.


Something about living in WV can make you forget GPS and road names, neither really seems to work. This park is totally worth the trip. The river is beautiful; the mountains are towering over you. It is definitely a sight to see.

Ps: It was a great first date… or at least it must have been because we have been dating ever since! 


Till next time.

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Sir Justyn, Baron of Mavis