Note: This trip report is broken into four pages because of the huge number of images.  Links to each day's report are provided at the top and bottom of each page.

Yesterday...(click here)

10/15/06 - Big Run Falls and Canyon Rim Cache

We got up after Jim and Beth but before Chris.  I got the kids to pack all their sleeping gear and to organize their clothing and pack up the trunks.

Jim and Beth were feeding Chris and Maddy breakfast when we got started boiling the water for oatmeal and coffee. 

I mixed some Tang and got the kids fed.  Then like the day before I set to cleaning up everything, making lunches and also started packing for the trip home.

Chris came along and told me they were headed down to the waterfall nearby and then to the Canyon Rim cache.  I decided to pause the packing activities since I had everything pulled together except the tent, and this was a good time to take a break and go see some sights.

Big Run Falls

The kids agreed and at about 10:30 AM we set out for Big Run falls just below our campsite.  Chris had scouted a likely approach and we all scaled the river walls down to the falls.  It was a steep climb down that took me and Ted several minutes to complete. 

This was one time that the trekking poles were a liability.  Once down at the river level, we were treated to a beautiful sight.

After we'd spent ten minutes watching the falls, Ted started climbing on some rocks on the river bank.  He had found the "official" trail down to the falls. 

Everyone gladly climbed back to the campsite using this much easier route.  Way to go Ted!

We spent a couple minutes getting reoriented and then set out for the Canyon Rim Cache at about 11:10 AM.

Canyon Rim Cache

The trail for to the cache started right at the campsite, crossed the river, then after a brief climb, followed the canyon rim all the way to the cache. 

It was a beautiful walk which soon passed the location we sought.

Chris (Jim and Beth's son) was checking his GPS as I pulled mine from my pocket and together we realized we had reached the cache location.  As was the case last time, this one was challenging to reach.  I gave some advice to make it a little easier, after all there were eight of us and the area around the cache site was treacherous.  Not only that but the exact location was going to be hard pressed to accommodate all of us at once.  The kids followed the clues to a tee and soon we heard Maddy exclaim "Found it!".  The rest scrambled up the steep climb and in turn exchanged stuff with the contents of the cache!

We all signed the log and carefully climbed back down to the trail.  Somehow Chris the elder beat us down.  I think he took the "easy way", wherever that is...

Everybody headed back.  Ted, Tom and I stopped off at a small outlook that Beth had scouted on the way in.  Too small for the whole group of eight, we managed to get on it for a few minutes without losing anyone.

After that we got back on the trail and by 12:20 PM we had made it back to camp.

We took a break and had lunch.  Then while Jim and Beth, Chris and the kids headed out for Big Run Scenic Outlook and Olson Tower, we finished packing the Jeep.

Packing mainly involved packing the tent and securing the trunks and stuff to the roof rack.  Then, about 1:40PM, we headed up the trail toward the tower.

Olson Tower

We got to the tower at 2:00 PM and climbed it. 

The kids went right up.  I found I was a little tired from the morning and quit a couple landings from the top.  The view from there was just fine.

With that, we said our final good-byes to Chris, Jim, Beth and the kids.  We were sad to leave knowing they'd be there another day.  But we wished them well and hope they had as good a time as we did!

Tomorrow...(click here)

Here's some pictures Chris took after we left.

October 13, 2006 | October 14, 2006 | October 15, 2006 | October 16, 2006

Epilogue

(We went home on Sunday afternoon.  Chris, Jim, Beth, Chris and Maddy stayed overnight.  Be sure to go to the October 16 page for Chris' photos!)

The trip home held lots of pretty scenes.  We wanted to get home so did not stop.  We did drive through the Smallest Church in the lower 48 states.

We made good time and by 3:50 PM we were back in our own driveway.  It had been a very packed weekend.  Everything went exceptionally well.  It was good to see Chris again, and to meet Jim, Beth and their family.  I highly recommend this time of year and this location to any outdoors people who like strenuous activity and are not afraid of the cold.  It it rewarded many times over by the beauty and simplicity of this place!

October 13, 2006 | October 14, 2006 | October 15, 2006 | October 16, 2006

Chris Shontz Photos in high resolution and more:

This is the lot: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cshontz/sets/72157594334335200/

Pictures that pertain to ppro: http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=ppro&w=19972326%40N00&z=t

Pictures that pertain to jim65wagon: http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=jim65wagon&w=19972326%40N00&z=t

You can also view the approximate locations for each picture on a Google map by clicking on the following links. Please be patient and allow these pages to load completely. There is a large amount of photo and track data being processed.

Displaying w/out track lines: (faster performance)

http://ixplor.us/map.php?u=cshontz&s=72157594334335200&f=expo_wv_1006_4.gpx&c=7200&r=0

Displaying with track lines: (slooow performance)

http://ixplor.us/map.php?u=cshontz&s=72157594334335200&f=expo_wv_1006_4.gpx&c=7200