| The Greenbrier River Rail Trail
Text and photographs by Ed Rehbein
A seasonal illness as common as the cold strikes some folks every year around January or February. It’s cabin fever. Those who downhill ski, cross-country ski, or ice fish are somewhat immune to this dread disease. But avid hikers are especially susceptible to it, since hiking in winter can be difficult, if not dangerous. Deep snows conceal many trails, making a hike on them impossible. But even if a trail is well marked, trudging in knee-deep snow saps the enjoyment and enthusiasm of even the most ardent hikers.
During a particularly bad bout of cabin fever last winter, my wife, Phyllis, and I discovered the curative powers of hiking a rail trail. Unlike forest trails in winter, rail trails, with their gentle grades and textured, gravel surfaces, offer the perfect venue for a winter walk. So during a break in frigid temperatures, we decided to hike the Greenbrier River Rail Trail.
After downloading a trail map at the very helpful Web site www.greenbrierrailtrailstatepark.com, we chose to start at the southernmost end of the trail at North Caldwell, the closest trailhead to our home in Beckley. It was an easy drive on I-64 East to Exit 169 at Lewisburg. From there we drove north on U. S. 219 for 0.5 miles, turned east onto Brush Road (Rt. 30), then, after 0.5 miles, turned onto Stone House Road (Rt. 38), which led to the trailhead.
 From the North Caldwell Trailhead (milepost 3.13), we hiked north on the trail. Our goal was to reach Hopper, an old railroad freight and passenger stop, at milepost 5.6. This would give us a five-mile hike round trip, which we thought would be manageable for our first exploration of the trail. We started with few, if any, expectations, other than a refreshing respite from cabin fever, but we were rewarded with much more.
The Greenbrier River Rail Trail follows the banks of the Greenbrier River for almost 80 miles, through rural Greenbrier and Pocahontas counties. Next to the trail, the river meanders in a wide, shallow, gravel-lined bed that comforts the eye and, in summer, invites fishing, wading, and canoeing. With 19 trailheads scattered along its length, the trail can be broken into dozens of short hikes, either round trip or one way. There are a few primitive campsites along the trail, as well as lodging adjacent to the trail, for those who want to take a few days and traverse the entire length. Sources of drinking water and toilets are scattered along the route, as are grocery stops.
 The trail also passes through the Monongahela National Forest; Cass, Watoga, and Droop Mountain state parks; and Greenbrier and Seneca state forests. Indeed, the Greenbrier River Rail Trail is a state park, too, and as such is maintained by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources.
It is little wonder that the trail is busy with bikers and hikers during the summer. And for the longest time, I only thought of the Greenbrier River Rail Trail as a fair-weather destination. But our winter hike convinced me that it has much to offer year round.
After hiking just a quarter of a mile or so, Phyllis and I discovered that the trail is surprisingly scenic in winter. With the leaves off the trees, a landscape emerges that is impossible to appreciate in milder seasons. Hikers enjoy an almost unobstructed panorama of the river and its environs.
 Nearly every foot of the river can be seen and admired from the trail. The rapids, the quiet pools, the rocky sections, and the backwaters-all the wonders of flowing water-stretch before you like a painting on a canvas. What’s more, the cliffs on the surrounding slopes stand out in greater relief. To me, the river and its environs appear so different along the trail in winter as compared to summer, it is as if there are two Greenbrier River Rail Trails.
Another aspect of this trail in winter caught us by surprise-color! Until recently, I considered winter to be drab and colorless. Though blankets of white, freshly fallen snow are lovely at first, with a little melting, they quickly drape the hills with dull grays and browns. The skies of winter wax gray as well. But on our winter walk along the Greenbrier River, colors abounded.
Leaves that once adorned the trees with soft greens carpeted the ground with shades of gold, yellow, and beige. When bathed in direct sunlight, the winter slopes along the trail glowed with gold. What’s more, the winter sky was a shade of blue not often seen in summer. The dry, arctic air creates crystal-blue sky not seen in humid weather.
 The Greenbrier River, like most rivers and streams in winter, is quite clear and free of silt and mud because it is sourced by slowly melting snow and thawing frozen ground. The water is not generally as clouded by runoff from rainstorms as it is in summer. Thus the sky, reflected in the clear river, gives the water a deep, rich, blue hue. On the day we hiked, the contrast of the deep-blue river and the crystal-blue ky was breathtaking, and it blessed the entire length of our hike. We also admired many clear, emerald-green pools scattered along the shores of the Greenbrier.
To be sure, Phyllis and I have always considered winter ice to be a nuisance, not a pleasure, but not so on this trail. To our surprise, the frozen stretches of the Greenbrier River captivated us. The rise and fall of the river level had broken the ice packs along the shore into heaving ridges and blocks. The resulting ice surface resembled a jigsaw puzzle. As a photographer, variations in light, color, and texture attract me. I found the play of sunlight on the river ice both subtle and striking. Some melting ice coated the ice sheets with a thin veneer of water, which acted like a mirror. The images reflected off this mirror were intriguing. The upside down landscapes and the near-shore inversions of trees and sky multiplied the colors and textures of the wintry scenes along the trail.
 In addition, the day we hiked, the rock ledges and cliffs bordering the trail were covered in icicles. They hung like tapered crystals from the rocks in a multitude of shapes and sizes. Though the icicles themselves were lovely, I found the play of sunlight on them to be even more fascinating. Instead of acting as flat mirrors like the river ice, the cylindrical icicles took the radiant sunlight and returned it as a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes. Reflected in the icicles, the sky and hills were compressed into vivid montages of blue and gold - a modern art museum in miniature.
Phyllis and I reached Hopper and then retraced our steps. Our cabin fever cured, we were already planning our next venture to the Greenbrier River Rail Trail. We highly recommend it for those feeling feverish for a winter hike.
Award-winning writer and photographer Ed Rehbein of Beckley is a frequent contributor to Wonderful West Virginia. His photography can be viewed at Tamarack and at the following Web sites: www.flickr.com/photos/rehbeininwvphotos and
http://westvirginiaphotographyerehbein.blogspot.com/.
|
The Greenbrier River Rail Trail
