Feeding Your Soul at Cooper's Rock

“In the presence of nature, a wild delight runs through the man, 

in spite of real sorrows. Nature says, -- he is my creature, 

and maugre all his impertinent griefs, 

he shall be glad with me”  -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

There is something about being in nature that bring about a sense of peacefulness and rejuvination.  It is as if all the worries and troubles of the world disappears and you can delight in the solitude you would find there.  Ther longer you spend hiking, listening to running water, or even watching birds soar across the sky the more reflective you become.  Being in nature is the perfect place to rediscover yourself or work through issues you may be facing.  It is always a joy when you have such a place to go to close to your home.

About 20 minutes outside of Morgantown, West Virginia lies a treasure of a state park; Cooper's Rock.  I have made it a point to visit one of the numerous hiking trails at least once a year.  Out of the 21 hiking trails I have only discovered about 5 of those trails.  Some overlap fork out from one another so you could map a different path each time.  On one particular outing I spent 4 hours hiking about 7 miles down to Cheat lake and back to my car.  Cooper's Rock covers 12,747 acres of forest spanning across Monongalia and Preston Counties.  While hiking you could come across some historical landmarks including a 30 foot tall pyramid structure which was once the Henry Clay Iron Furnance which was in use between 1834 and 1835 roughly.  It remains one of 10 or so iron furnaces still standing in northern West Virginia.

During the time that I spent walking the trails, I let my mind wander with no particular agenda to focus on, but to just think and allow nature to speak to me.  I believe nature has a way of encouraging you to go outside yourself and become something new.  I didn't intend to walk 7 miles that day, but I did.  I felt a sense of accomplishment afterwards that I never felt before.  Granted my legs hurt the next day, but it was worth it to be in the cool breeze the tree canopy created.  The trail I took was the Henry Clay Furnace trail which then forked off into the Mont Chateau trail.  This took me down to Cheat Lake which surprisingly enough I have never been too.  The trail was a little more difficult than what I am used to, but who doesn't like a challenge right?  But then I remembered....I had to hike back..uphill.  There were very few people on the trail that day, and the ones I did meet were very friendly.  Some had their dogs with them, and the dogs seemed to enjoy themselves as much as their humans did.

Along my hike I passed a stream, a few hidden, unaccessable waterfalls, and heard a critter or two.  It made me realize that there is more than what meets the eyes, not just to nature, but in all life.  You never know what is hiding beneath the surface until you take the time to explore.  Cooper's Rock is one of those places that motivates you to look beneath your surface and see what you can be capable of doing and achieving.  It makes you appreciate the smaller things in life.  Being at Cooper's Rock makes you forget about being in a bigger city or surrounded by people.  We tend to forget how freeing it could be to away from other people.  We are constantly surrounded by other people that it's refreshing to step away from a busy hectic life and let nature cleanse your mind, body and soul.

While there are several overlooks to stand and view the beauty of the state, there are so many hidden gems within the trails.  There are opportunities to do so many things not just hike within Cooper's Rock and one day I do plan on taking advantage of those opportunities including rock climbing.  How fun does that sound?! West Virginia is known as the "mountain state" and "wild and wonderful".  This state forest is the epitome of what West Virginia advertises as being wild and wonderful.