Hiking in the New River Gorge

The  New River Gorge ( in West Virginia)  has always been one of my favorite hiking areas, but a few years ago, “back problems” started to limit my excursions here. Several of the “discs”  in my lower back are severely distorted. Sometimes I can hardly walk, but after lot’s of physical therapy, I can day hike (with light gear)  and I can bicycle without too much difficulty.

When Marilyn and I decided to meet some fellow Sierra Club hikers in the gorge last weekend, I was pleased to discover a possible solution for this problem.

I’ve known about hiking with goats for some time by reading the WG0AT blog. They're excellent pack animals and have a pleasant personality. When our Sierra Club friends brought along this little five week old youngster, it was a welcome surprise.

As we hiked along the rim of the gorge, we met a group of rock climbers. In this picture, you can sense their excitement when they saw the little goat.

I’m convinced this future hiker (the goat) would become a perfect companion for future radio excursions.

Here's a picture of myself a few years ago when I was hiking in this part of the gorge. The "endless wall" is a three mile section of good climbing rock that's used by climbers from all over the world. The New River Gorge is also the best white water rafting area in the Eastern United States.

If I only owned a farm….