Trip Report — New River Gorge (aka, the epicurean climber’s guide to West Virginia)
Having left Boulder on election day for NYC (and having done my patriotic duty and gotten drunk on election night), I departed for a weekend in Las Vegas on November 11th. The plan was to climb for three days with Phil Levin and Luis and Ben, who I had previously met in Yosemite. We had outlined a few potential objectives (including the mega-classic Epinephrine) but, as is the case with most successful trips, we came with an open mind. Needless to say, we had a blast. Our first day we went up Frogland, a totally enjoyable 5.8, and our last day we decided to avoid getting baked on the Sunny Slab and try our hand at some hard sport. I wasn’t feeling well on the second day, so I took a rest day, while the guys went up Dreams of Wild Turkeys.
Back in NYC, I had hatched plans with my friend Angelique to climb over Thanksgiving. Her allergic reaction to any crack climbing basically eliminated Indian Creek as an alternative, so we settle for the New River Gorge. None of us had been there before, and we had all heard great things. We rounded up the trip with Dave, a friend of Angelique’s from the Cliffs and an excellent addition to the team. We had three days of excellent rock climbing, an eventful rest day on Thanksgiving Day, and a progressively warmer weather. We started the week in the high 20s and thankfully ended in the 50s.
Given the upcoming trip to Canada I purposefully kept things mellow, and so did Angelique and Dave. We stuck to moderate climbs, which unfortunately seriously limits your options at the New. That said, I can confirm that all the reports are true — the routes are varied, the moves thoughtful, and the rock absolutely excellent. No choss out here. We went to Summerville for our first day, our second day we went to the classic endless wall (yummy slab climbing!), and on our fourth day we went back to the Summerville area where we climbed in what I can only call Pacific Northwest-like conditions. Cold rain. It felt really, really cold at the time, but honestly it was nowhere near as bad as the awful temperatures we are having here in Canmore.
While the climbing was fantastic, the highlight of the trip was definitely our focus on finding great food. To that effect, and to aid future climbing parties coming down from NYC, I put together a quick dining guide for those coming down from the city.
NRG epicurean climbers’ abridged dining guide
If driving down from New York, it’ll be hard to find a good place for lunch without going off-route. We settled for Waffle House, and I recommend you do the same. They are excellent and who can resist smothered and covered hash browns?
Fayetteville proper has a surprisingly active and tasty dining scene for a West Virginia town of 2,800 people. Start your day at Vandal’s, which serves solid coffee and ridiculously good egg sandwiches. If you ask nicely, they’ll prepare a chicken dill salad sandwich that you can take as your lunch (delicious!). Also make sure you get one of their homemade muffins straight out of the oven. If you want to switch it up, then head across the street to Cathedral Cafe, another excellent option for breakfast. A bit more traditional, their blueberry pancakes are not to be missed. They also make solid egg sandwiches and an excellent salmon bagel that can fulfill your lunch needs.
For dinner, our favorite was the Secret Sandwich Society. The sandwiches are solid (especially the Eisenhower), and they have homemade ketchup (need I say more?). We did not enjoy their eggplant sandwich, but everything else was tasty. They also have a few guide books and an excellent beer selection. The Station is a new farm-to-table restaurant, which we found a bit disappointing. At $20+ for the entrees (close to NY prices here), you do not get good value for your money. The pork carnitas quesadilla appetizer though is commendable, and if I were to do it again, I’d probably just go in for drinks and quesadillas. We also tried Pies and Pints, and I have to say we highly recommend it. The pizza is solid with some fun flavors (you must try the Gorgonzola pizza!), as is their beer selection. It can get a bit crowded, so know that you may have to wait a bit. One last thing: Each restaurant closes for one day a week, so plan accordingly.
On Thanksgiving Day everything will close, so you have to get creative. We went to Sheetz for breakfast. A clear downgrade from the other excellent options, it is definitely better than your average gas station. Egg sandwiches are made to order, and the hash browns are serviceable. We had our Thanksgiving meal proper at Tamarack, a Greenbrier-operated kitchen right off the highway in Beckley. If you have a rest day, definitely make the trip. The place is kitschy and has a hilarious souvenir store, and the food is prepared in partnership with the Greenbrier hotel, so you know it’s solid.
Saving the best for last, we decided to split the drive back and find a place to celebrate my birthday and enjoy a nice meal. After some inspiring sleuthing by Angelique, we settled on Horn o’ Plenty in Bedford, PA. We can’t say enough good things about this place. Family-owned, the restaurant sources the majority of its ingredients from the owners’ farm! Absolutely fresh food, and solid preparation. Definitely get the greens, try the butter, and grab a pizza. I’d say you should avoid complex dishes.
