Allen Hamrick
There isn’t a speck of doubt in anyone’s mind that January to May has been a cool and wet period of time. In late March and early April, taters were planted and taters rotted in the ground with just a few to survive. The sun made a few appearances, but the temperature stayed fall like on the John Deere thermometer hanging on the front porch. The local school system is nearly ready to close the doors on another year as students and teachers are set to herald in the summer with all the passion of a Harlequin romance novel if only the calendar would stop being extended due to emergency closures.
Summer trips were marked on the calendar in the dark days of winter and camping gear was taken out of storage and replaced due to mice damage…but hey, a new and improved tent was in order anyway. All this in hopes that summer will return from the South Pole in time for the summertime fun that will end as quickly as it begins.
West Virginia is full of streams, trails, rivers, lakes, and camp grounds that draw a person into a world of peace and coal black coffee heated to perfection on open flame grills. Fresh trout on an open spit and steaks on hot coals, it just doesn’t get any better than that. That’s, of course, if you’re a true blue, bib overall wearing West Virginian who prefers the smell of camp smoke deodorant.
Quite a few will head to the beaches that line the coast line and get their much needed soul stirring ocean sun rises and sunsets along with the fresh baked lobster tan seared evenly over a span of a week. Many will just hang around home and utilize the many trails hidden in the mountains and valleys of good ol’ Almost Heaven to get the heart pumping after all the days of sitting the bench over the lingering winter and spring.
Biking is always available for those that are up for adventure whether it’s on mountain trails, flat trails or endurance rides. The Elk River Trail is wide open now from Gassaway to Clendenin. If you’re truly up for an adventurous ride, don’t forget County Route 30. This is a route littered with obstacles that will prove to test mental and physical endurance to the limits.
This road has been used by the people who settled this area years ago as well as logging companies and mining companies that have both ceased operations for the most part. County Road 30 is roughly a 14 mile stretch that begins in the wilds of Nicholas County and snakes through the hills to end up in Dundon, Clay County. It isn’t a ride for the faint at heart and you’d better make sure there is a chuck wagon that follows the group. It’s a ride full of creeks, rocks, stretches of mud, brutal up hills, and high speed down hills. It’s an epic ride and just surviving it is a daunting task.
Little League will hopefully be up and running soon, and later on new seasons at CCMS and CCHS will begin with summer flex practices. The Elk River is running, kayaks will start filling the pockets and the small jaws will be biting. Clay County Schools will have a summer camp offering for both elementary and secondary students and will begin on June 23 and end July 31.
There will be sessions in music, art, sports, theater, wood working, fishing lure making, leather work, RC Cars and more at CCHS as well as equally exciting activities at Clay Elementary for younger attendees. Parents and students interested in any of these opportunities need to be sure to check out 21st Century activities on the Clay County Schools website, claycountyschools.org. Summer is just around the corner in Clay County, and there’s a lot of fun to be had. Get out and enjoy it somewhere between work and bed.
