Write-up: Bobbie Scarpino 
Leader: Bobbie Scarpino

On a beautiful sunny, perfect temperature day, 30 Tramps headed north from Pipestem Resort State Park to explore part of the New River Gorge, one hour and fifteen minutes away. New River Gorge just became a new national park. So new, in fact, that most of the literature about the park is still in print.

From the Canyon Rim Visitor Center, we drove the short distance to the trailheads for the 5-star rated Endless Wall Trail. The first, Fern Creek, proved to be too crowded, since it’s on the map as the place to start. But we found ample parking spaces 0.5 mi. down the road at the second less populated Nuttall trailhead. The trail could be considered a loop, but the rangers did not recommend walking the 0.5 on the road to complete the loop back to our cars. We decided to do the shorter out to Diamond Point Overlook and back for 2.5 mi along the outside forested edge of a cliff wall. The wooded area was like walking in a tropical rainforest with rhododendrons creating a canopy of beautiful pink blossoms. Several spurs led to the edge of the cliff with views of the New River and the gorge. Diamond Point afforded a spectacular view of the gorge and partial view of the bridge that spans the New River. We stayed a while here taking in the beauty and enjoying our lunch. Upon the way back, a ladder used by rock climbers to access the cliff wall was discovered. Lu, Kathy, and Jean let curiosity get the best of them and climbed down the ladder to the bottom of the cliff, while the rest of us watched and took pictures of their perilous journey down into the crevice.

Returning to our vehicles, 18 of us ventured back across the New River Gorge Bridge to the Long Point Trailhead on the other side of the gorge for an additional 3.5 miles. This trail boasted a variety of plant life, including a rhododendron and mountain laurel forest, all in bloom. High up on a rock- outcropping at the end of the trail we were rewarded with an awesome view of the New River Gorge Bridge. The entire day was definitely a once in a lifetime experience!

More photos of this wonderful Tramp trip