Spruce Knob, West Virginia 4,863 feet

Climbed 10/15/2014

It rained steadily the night before our assault on Spruce Knob. The drizzle started just about the time we turned off the interstate onto the dark mountain road that led to our motel. Around midnight it poured hard enough to wake Mike. He looked out the window and watched a drenched skunk trundle across the parking lot to take shelter under the overhang outside of our door. The skunk was gone by morning, as was the rain, but the forecast was uncertain. Would we find the summit wet, or shrouded in fog, or crowned with fall colors? The Weather Channel and NOAA disagreed.

The sky was overcast but our windshield wipers stayed off as we drove through the Allegany Mountains alongside the beginnings of the Potomac River. The fall colors were in full bloom. By the time we reached the winding road up to Spruce Knob, we were encased in reds, oranges, and yellows.

Autumn in the Monongahela National Forest

At the higher elevations, the deciduous trees had lost their leaves and the increasing number of evergreens showed the aptness of Spruce Knob's name. The road took us all the way to the summit; we parked right next to the highpoint marker.

The top of West Virginia

Conditions at the top were perfect: no rain, no wind, no clouds except for dramatic ones in the valleys below. We strolled over to the observation tower, then along the trail that circles the summit area, enjoying the views in all directions.

Overlooking West Virginia

From Spruce Knob we drove back north, stopping for a hike up to Seneca Rocks on our way to Backbone Mountain, the highest point in Maryland.