This edition of Trail Tracks is devoted to the National Trails Day (NTD)Celebration in Morgantown and surrounding areas.
Visitors are invited to come and hike on the Caperton Trail. The old Morgantown Depot at Riverfront Park is suggested as a place to start hiking from. You'll have an opportunity to cross some trestles and see at least one set of lock and dams on the river if you head south. The Deckers Creek Trail also connects here and you can hike along it through town.
A trestle decking is scheduled as one of the events planned for the National Trails Day celebration in Morgantown. We hope to have the trestle on the Mon River portion of the trail where it crosses Decker's Run decked by the 7th. This is at the Riverfront Park near the Depot. The Morgantown Chamber of Commerce is working with local corporations to secure funding to provide for the decking materials for this project. Again, as in Richwood (see Issue 7) local corporate entities have shown a commitment to community development. We applaud the efforts of the Chamber and encourage corporate and industry leaders to come forward and work towards improving the local landscape.
Ralph Larue of the Marion County Parks and Recreation has indicated that a bike ride is planned on the West Fork River Trail for NTD. Tentative plans are for a 10 AM departure from Shinnston. The rail-trail is a 16 mile ride to Fairmont. From there riders will be routed 5 miles through Fairmont to the Wave Tec pool. If its a hot day this will be the perfect way to cool off after a long ride. Plans had not been finalized as of press time. Please call (304) 363-7037 for final details.
More adventurous souls might want to bike along the Deckers Creek portion of the trail. The trail is rideable the entire way from the Monongahela River to Rt. 92 in Reedsville. Be warned however that mountain bikes with fat tires are a necessity on this trail. Much of the heavy gravel ballast remains and can be extremely difficult to ride on. In addition all of the trestles (there are seven between Masontown and Reedsville alone) are open tie and without any side rails. Part of the trail near Masontown is relatively smooth and offers a nice view of the creek, countryside and surrounding historical artifacts such as beehive coke ovens. As of press time no organized rides have been organized but informal groups may get together or you can ride on your own enjoying the solitude. If you have a chance be sure to check out the trash cleanup areas just north of Dellslow. (See following story) Come out and enjoy a trail that may someday form a link between Morgantown and Kingwood.
The following article was written by guest writer Scott Fogarty of FODC.
The Friends of Deckers Creek (FODC) is a citizen action group formed three years ago in response to the continued degradation of the Deckers Creek watershed. FODC has taken a holistic approach to the watershed by identifying the various sources of water pollution, solid waste dump sites, industrial runoff, timbering practices,and agricultural runoff. Through identification of these impacts, FODC has been able to develop and implement a watershed plan that will address each problem.
Additionally, FODC has identified the positive aspects of the watershed by encouraging recreation through biking and hiking along the Caperton rail-trail, kayaking the creek, and climbing at nearby Pioneer rocks. Inorder to assure these recreational activities are protected and enhanced, FODC has been very active in developing access points to these areas and by enhancing the aesthetic beauty of the watershed. Primarily this has been done through a series of trash cleanups along the trail and W.Va. Route 7 which winds through the watershed from Morgantown to Arthurdale. In the past three years FODC has removed over 35+ tons from the watershed!
FODC has been fairly successful at drawing attention to the problems faced when attempting to take a holistic approach to restoring the watershed. FODC has worked with other local, state, and federal groups and has pushed for the declaration of Route 7 as a State Scenic Byway. The hope is that this attention will create tourism opportunities which will in turn assist economic growth through the development of the tourist industry. FODC is willing to participate in any events aimed at restoring this and other watersheds within our State and throughout the nation. For more information call (304) 296-0533.
The results of a recent FODC trash cleanup at one of two large open dumps just north of Dellslow on the Deckers Creek Trail. For information on future FODC events check out their web site at http://www.labs.net/fodc.
Jigsaw puzzles and rail-trail networks are a lot alike. They both can drive you crazy, yet both offer sweet satisfaction when a major piece fits nicely in place. The Caperton Trail is a huge piece in the WV Rail-Trail Network...how sweet it is.
This trail connects the Marion County trails in the south with a major connector link in Pennsylvania. From Point Marion, PA, at the state line the Caperton trail will connect to the Sheepskin Trail and travel through Uniontown and on to the Youghigheny River Trail. The eastern jig extends the puzzle into the mountains of Preston County.
Trail networks don't come quickly and neither is this one. We are four years into this segment and still have a long way to go. Many of us are impatient and "want our trail now!" City planners and MRTC leaders are more patient, however. They want to wait a bit longer for proper designs to create a class AAA trail. When Big Money is involved we must follow their wisdom.
If you want to help out in the mean while there are trestles to deck, trash dumps to clean, hands to shake and letters to write. Everyone of us should be writing our Senators and Congressmen and urging them to continue ISTEA funding. Without ISTEA the Caperton Trail would not fit in now. Please, write to them today.
Several puzzle pieces need funding between Fairmont and Clarksburg. The East/West American Discovery Trail still needs a way through Parkersburg. Will we ever acquire the Francis Grade in the Blackwater Canyon? These are the unsolved pieces that yet remain a mystery.
Thankfully the Caperton Trail now has deed to state and an operating lease to MRTC. THAT is a major 52-mile trail puzzle piece folks...howsweet it is!
As they have done for five years now, the American Hiking Society (AHS) sponsors NTD as a day to celebrate and draw public attention to trail progress through community involvement. Come out and support local trail development.
The bridge over Deckers Creek on the Monongahela River. This is the bridge that we are hoping to have decked by NTD. Note the Morgantown depot in the background.