Post by: Bryan Stealey
Town: Morgantown
Website: Reversing the Numbness

Last weekend was the first meeting of the Morgantown chapter of Grateful Dads, a group of fathers who get together with their kids and go on hikes, have picnics, etc. It was a small group, with only three dads and four kids, but you have to start somewhere, right? We had a really good time and will be meeting again in June. If anyone is interested in hiking with us in June, contact me at bryan@picturewestvirginia.com.

Our first get-together was at the Virgin Hemlock Trail, near Coopers Rock. It was probably as tough a trail as we’d want to tackle with small children. Thanks to some relatively minor human intervention, we were able to make the full loop. I love untouched wilderness as much as the next guy, but it’s cool that some trails have been made to be family-friendly, thanks to some tasteful, well-placed structures.

Annelies and Jude make the climb

No bridge, no cross for the wee ones

Chris and Alec make it across

Post By: Matt Ware
Town: Kingwood

I was raised in Kingwood, which is about 45 minutes south of Morgantown. Aside from having the state’s second largest festival (the Buckwheat Festival) behind the State Fair, there’s not much going on in Kingwood.

Luckily I had very adventurous and motivated grandparents and parents. I remember from a very young age going on long trips in the summer with my grandparents, camping at the many beautiful spots in the Mountain State and beyond. Coming from such a small, slow town, this travel gave me a constant itch to keep moving. More and more my “hometown” became a home base where I would rest between destinations. Here’s a handful of photos of some of the locations I used to frequent as a kid on jaunts from my home base.