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An epic week for the books 🛶⛷🥳

Just when we thought Ullr had officially wrapped up his time in the Mountain State, a historic snowstorm dropped up to 20 inches of snow across the West Virginia highlands from Canaan Valley all the way down to Snowshoe over May 1 - 3.

But hold that thought for a minute, because the weekend before the snow hit, we were fortunate to join a crew of friends on their annual float down the Smoke Hole Canyon once again. Over in the lower elevations of the river bottoms in Pendleton County, spring had sprung. The myriad hardwoods were fully leafed-out, the redbud blooms had already dropped, and the temps and flows were primo.

The HO Mobile converted to basecamp mode. Photo by Dylan Jones

Canoes, friends, brews, and views. What more can you ask for? Photo by Dylan Jones

Meanderthals mosey on as the 600-foot limestone escarpment of Blue Rock looms over the South Branch Potomac River. Photo by Dylan Jones

When we arrived back home on Sunday after the float, our friend told us to prepare for a mega snowstorm—one that wasn't on my radar at all. Having fallen for one too many overblown forecasts this past winter, I must be sincere and admit that I didn't believe him, despite his expertise as a fellow weather nerd.

But heavy the snow fell for three wild days, often with whiteout conditions that made me squeal with joy. Snow lovers—Nikki and me included—yanked their skis right back out of the deep, dank recesses of the gear closets in which they had sorrowfully placed them in early April. We ventured out in droves to shred the heavy, chowdery powder and celebrate Ullr's late-season gift.

The powder hounds at White Grass know the secret to a happy life. Photo by Dylan Jones

Pure magic, 'nuff said. Photo by Dylan Jones

The wet snow stuck to every conceivable surface and looked absolutely stunning in contrast to the tender, green leaves popping across the bottom of Canaan Valley. Up high, the red spruce trees were hermetically sealed in pillows of snow. They appeared as mythical beings shrouded with glistening cloaks, leaning over the narrow ski trails and granting passage beneath their burdened boughs.

Early spring greens were visible on the hardwoods populating Canaan Valley's floor. Photo by Dylan Jones

One of many shrouded beings watching over our ski through the woods atop Weiss Knob. Photo by Dylan Jones

Official weather data reported by Bob Leffler (aka the Fearless Canaan Weatherman) showed that the storm broke several records, including maximum May snow depth (11 inches on Canaan Heights), greatest May 24-hour snowfall (10.1 inches on Canaan Heights), and all-time maximum monthly snowfall of 20.3 inches (as recorded on Canaan Heights). For reference, the previous maximum monthly snowfall for May was a paltry five inches.

Interestingly, accumulation was extremely elevation-dependent. Canaan Heights, where National Weather Service volunteer weather reporter Dave Lesher recorded the official data for this storm, sits at an elevation of 3,750 feet. But down in Davis, just 500 feet below Canaan Heights, snowfall totals were significantly lower due to higher air and ground temperatures. Conversely, snowfall totals were potentially upwards of 30 inches on Weiss Knob, Tucker County's high point at 4,460 feet.

But it gets even nerdier. My favorite statistic from this storm was the astonishing liquid equivalent of 3.46 inches of water contained in the snowfall, especially given that the storm was mostly an upslope snow event. According to the Fearless Canaan Weatherman, this figure "may be close to, if not the greatest, liquid precipitation equivalent amount for any upslope event in WV."

White-out conditions above 4,000 feet on Cabin Mountain. Photo by Dylan Jones

Simply put, this was the 100-year flood of spring snowstorms, and I think it'll be a while before see another extraordinary weather event like this one. Just one day later, temps were back into the normal realm of the 50s, and we headed down to Albright for the 29th-annual Cheat River Festival. If you've been to an installment of Cheat Fest, you probably recall heavy rain, cold temps, and knee-deep mud. It rains nearly every year at Cheat Fest, and we can often be heard yelling "Ain't no river without the rain!" to keep spirits high anytime they begin to dampen.

Nikki in front of the legendary Cheat Fest stage. We were proud to be a VIP Party Presenting sponsor again this year. Viva la fiesta! Photo by Dylan Jones

But this year, the stormy weather cleared up just in time for the weekend, ushering in beautiful, clear skies and daytime temps in the low 70s. The warm temps caused the heavy snowpack in the mountains to quickly melt, and that high liquid precipitation equivalent I mentioned above caused the rivers to swell with thrashing, brown snowmelt.

We were fortunate to snag a high-water run down the Cheat Narrows, paddling the water on which we had skied just two days prior. Normally a relatively relaxing class III run with fun, easy rapids punctuating big, calm pools, the Narrows became a whitecapped ocean of massive waves, including one horrifying hydraulic called The Hand of God. I'd like to say I wasn't legitimately frightened on Friday's float, but the heart rate data from my sport watch suggests otherwise.

The Hand of God—a massive recirculating hydraulic that appeared to lead to another dimension. A pair of paddlers had to be rescued from this feature after their raft got caught in the hole. Photo by Gabe DeWitt

There weren't many spots where taking a photo was a good idea, but this was one of them. Photo by Gabe DeWitt

Basking in the euphoria of making it down the rio unscathed, we returned to the hallowed Cheat Fest grounds to celebrate all things river-related. Fueled by adrenaline, some choice libations, and the full moon, we were transformed into a festival wolfpack, howling with delight into the wee hours. We're already looking forward to next year's festival. Who knows—maybe we'll have another blizzard to swell the banks of the Mighty Cheat!

The Cheat Fest Art Market on a hoppin' Saturday evening. Photo by Gabe DeWitt

The Larry Keel Experience brought lightning fast pickin' as the headliner for Saturday's superb music lineup. Photo by Gabe DeWitt

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Remember back when...

This is a new section that looks back fondly upon some of the best of Highland Outdoors. We'll recap events, articles, fun stories, and whatever else strikes my (and hopefully your) fancy.

To kick things off, I wanted to pay a nod to our Highland Indoors Quarantine Edition, which we published digitally in May of 2020—a time when we were stuck inside, quarantining our mail, and Clorox-wiping our produce in fear of the then-unknown virus that was upending modern society. Nikki and I created this partially as a passion project, partially as something to keep us busy, and partially to make sure we kept the mag going even when everything else had seemingly stopped.

If you missed this gem of an issue, I highly recommend giving it a skim. You can relive all the fun moments of lockdown with classic stories like Cross-Carpet Skiing, Bedroom Backpacking, Indoor Bike Skillz, Kitchen Multipitchin', and Stand-up Paddlebathing. Nikki and I had an absolute hoot creating all the silly articles for this issue and hope you enjoy it as much as we still do.

Read Highland Indoors Here

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You know the drill—subscribing is the best way to support Highland Outdoors. If you love the mag and want it to continue, please consider joining our 380+ subscribers (thank you!) to get each issue delivered right to your door—and to continue reading it in the future.

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Have you seen these yet?

Opportunity Knocks: How I Answered the Call of West Virginia's Outdoor Recreation Economy

Join Andrew R. Walker on a deep dive into WV's outdoor economy and how it transformed his life in the first installment of our series on this important topic.

Highland Profiles: Attila Szilagyi

Attila Szilagyi—aka Attila the Fun—is a legendary paddler and boat builder who created the crowd-favorite Thrillseeker. Nikki sat down with him to chat about his experience river guiding, designing boats, and paddling throughout the Mountain State. 

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Stay tuned for our next installment in early June, featuring a sneak preview of the Summer 2023 issue, a recap of our Colorado spring travels, giveaways, and more.

Enjoy, and thanks for reading #westvirginiasoutdoormagazine!

Dylan Jones

Editor-in-Chief

Highland Outdoors