Ever since it became the trail on which I ran my first ten mile run, Kates Plateau has been one of my favorite places in all of the New River Gorge to go trail running. In addition to the convenient length (beginning at the trailhead, to run the entire trail necessitates 7 miles of running; running the 3-mile loop an additional time makes it an even 10), I love the variety in hill steepness, seeing less traffic on the trail (actually, I've never seen a hiker during any of my Kates Plateau runs), and seeing more animals here than I generally do in other NRG trail areas. On recent runs at Kates Plateau Trail, I've discovered some changes that have excited me and some others that have disappointed me.
Typically, I like to start off with bad news; this way, I don't feel as lousy at the end of a discussion (similarly, I've found that it's more enjoyable to watch the movie version of a book before reading the actual novel--that way I'm impressed at the end of the book and not disappointed at the end of the movie). So, the bad news: since I'd last reviewed it in January, parts of the trail have been severely overgrown by tall grasses, raspberry bushes, nettles, and other thorny or skin-irritating plants. Once in a while, I'll brush up against a stinging nettle and have a small fire on my calf for a while in my run. Grasses conceal ankle-twisting rocks on early sections of the trail, if you can even tell where the trail is. Raspberry bushes and other thorny plants cross the trail like barbed gates entrapping and punishing any who dare to trod the no-longer-beaten-path to the plateau. I've even come back with strange blisters on my skin after the last two times I've gone out there and braved the trail's new wildness. This agonizing adventure is all within the first two miles, and it becomes more a bushwhack than a run, to the point where this part of my once favorite trail is more discouraging and frustrating than enjoyable to me. Also, parts of this section also are precariously close to the edges of drop-offs and holes that would slow me down to a walk so I could carefully navigate even if the growth wasn't so bad there. I think that some of these drop-offs are recent, due perhaps to landslides or wasting, but I also think that, at least at one point, the trail has had to move closer to flat land's edge because of a large mess of treeishness that has gone down (I assume these changes are resultant of the huge storm we had in July).
All is not lost, however; there is good news! First, it was a sunny, calm evening when I ran today; I can't remember the last time I've run in the Gorge recently where it hasn't rained like crazy. Also, the bushwhacking section is only within the first two (or maybe even one and a half) miles. Although it's enough to ruin my run, I have faith that trail maintenance will be done soon enough to make this trail more runnable (and hikeable). Why do I believe that this will happen, you ask? Because of the other good news: if you recall, I'd found many trees down on the trail back in January, and, since then, those obstacles have been cut and moved off of the trail. Therefore, I know that the good people at the Park Service must not have forsaken this place. Even more exciting and hopeful is that active construction has been done toward rebuilding the bridge and improving the trailhead area! I first noticed this renovation on a run back in late July, and today I've seen great improvements since then:
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| The old bridge is nearly connected to both sides now! |
The last little distance of the road approaching the bridge is still closed while construction continues, but I'm glad to see that this place will definitely be easier to get to than previously. I was pleasantly surprised to find that new layers of sand and gravel have been put down on the road leading to the trailhead, filling in many of the terrorizing potholes and ruts that were such a bane to my little '93 Accord.
Kates Plateau Trail, my dear, I think you and I need a small break. I have to see other trails until you get your problems worked out. But soon--yes, I hope, soon--we will be reunited for many great adventures. And I look forward to sometime meeting your cousin, Polls Plateau Trail.
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