#kumbrabow

[appalachianbacchus]

On August 20th 2023, @lizadomuch and I went with some friends to visit my two favorite waterfalls.

We started with Mill Creek Falls but the weather was a little too cold for the cold mountain water. I swam for a little while but it was just too cold. In the shaded valley, the area around the water was probably only 75°F (24°C) and the water was in the 50s (10°C-15°C).

Because of all the wider shots I've already taken of this waterfall, I decided to focus more on patterns and closer shots. I relied more on my telephoto lens.

I’ve always loved the rich emerald color of this waterfall pool and I liked the way the sunlight lit up the water striders.

[appalachianbacchus]

My two favorite waterfalls in West Virginia are Mill Creek Falls in the Kumbrabow State Forest near Huttonsville and Whitaker Falls on the Elk River on the Webster and Randolph County lines near Bergoo.

Due to the difficult mountain roadways during the winter, I have not spent nearly as much time at these places at this time of the year.

In December 2015, I was working on learning long-exposure shots and I decided to take advantage of an overcast day to try to take long exposure shots of these waterfalls.

I started with Whitaker Falls, but I realized it wasn’t dark enough yet.

Whitaker Falls was the normal depth and the weather was around 40°F (4.4°C). The water was cold enough the temperature dropped 10°F (4°C) as we walked toward the falls.

Mill Creek Falls was darker so those long-exposure shots were more feasible. I was able to catch the waterfalls in motion.

I loved that bright cold green in the small rapids.

My friend caught a shot of me hopping on the rocks.

And with that, we wrap up my revisit of 2015.

[appalachianbacchus]

Two waterfalls served as my inspiration for my fascination in the ~275 waterfalls in West Virginia. My several greats grandfather showed me Whitaker Falls and I found Mill Creek Falls on a road trip with friends.

Whitaker Falls rests on the Webster/Randolph County line near Bergoo, WV. As a little kid when we would go camping nearby at the cabin of my (two greats) grandfather, local legend and storyteller, Coy Fitzpatrick (1909-2002), he took us to this waterfall.

Coy was a WWII photographer from Clarksburg, WV and when he came home, he decided to live in a cabin off the grid. He worked as an electrician until he retired in his cabin where he slept on an old army cot on the porch under the starlight.

In the 1980s, local artist Glen Barnes did a series about people living in the mountains. Coy was one of his subjects.

Coy taught me how to live off of the land if necessary. He showed me the different types of plants and creatures in West Virginia. He gave me an old stargazing book and showed me how to gut a fish. I was only 11 when he died, but he inspired my passion for nature and my love for West Virginia.

Since he died, the fish hatchery nearby became Elk Springs Resort, an important place to the fly-fishing community. They have a section of small rentable cabins across the road from Coy’s old driveway. The resort made a memorial stone for him by these cabins.

The other waterfall I love is Mill Creek Falls in the Kumbrabow State Forest near Huttonsville, WV. It has a 15ft (4½m) pool at the bottom and in the right light, it shimmers with a rich emerald glow.

In August 2015, I went to these two waterfalls twice. I rented one of the Elk Springs cabins for a weekend with some friends who had not seen these places and I took a day trip with a friend who visited from Germany (this was not her first time at these falls).

This pool at the bottom of Mill Creek Falls is not only a great swimming spot, but it also holds some of the best skipping stones.

Kumbrabow State Forest has cabins by the falls too, but campers need to be on board with no electricity and no running water.

[clamchops]

i would love to be hiking right now.

but i'd probably have a stroke just getting to the beginning of the trail!

wahhh miss you west virginia :(