Seneca Rocks, West Virginia

During my last days off I went to Shenandoah National Park and to West Viriginia for a Via Ferrata rock climb.

I drove 2&1/2 hours to West Virginia to participate in a Via Ferrata rock climb. I had been told about it by a trail maintainer while listing off things to do in the area. He mentioned that it was one of only a few Via Ferrata courses in the U.S. I'm not so into rock climbing but when I found out it was so close and one of a few, I figured I should check it out. Via ferrata is Italian for iron way. It's a permanent climbing route on a rock face. They use iron rungs and cables fastened into the rock. It was used to move soldiers around the mountains during wartime in Italy. So basically, it's rock climbing for novices, without a belay system; it's like climbing a ladder. However, as soon as I started climbing vertically up the rock face, I thought man this is hard, what did I get myself into. But the further I progressed the more comfortable I got, and I even did the optional 40ft vertical climb and back down. I'm not scared of heights but there were definitely times that made me nervous and my hands started sweating. It also wasn't all vertical climbs, sometimes there were rock scrambles or going sideways on a rock ledge. It was a challenge but an awesome experience with great views of the Allegheny Mountains. I recommend looking it up to find a course near you! Here's some pictures...