Seneca Rock & Roll

I got back yesterday from a quick road trip to West Virginia. Its purpose was mostly just to have as a quick getaway; needing some space from both work and people. I had originally wanted to wait until the warmer months to make this treck, having seen a friend travel there last summer. I was avoidant to make the trick since it’s cold out, the trees will be bare, and the horizon would be a dark brown rather than the emerald green I enjoy seeing. But as some time went on I was curious why these reasons were even reasons to begin with. I have been itching to travel and although the drive is long it’s not the worst I’ve ever done. The Wednesday before, I made the impulsive decision to book a hotel and go after work Friday. The biggest of goals was to hike Seneca Rocks and a few other excursions in the area if I had time and felt up to it, but not really knowing what West Virginia had to offer. So here are a few things I learned during my 36 hours in West Virginia:

1.) West Virginia does not like guard rails. I drove down Friday night and ended up driving through a snowstorm. If you also know anything about WV their roads are super curvy and void of guard rails in places; at least where I think, there definitely should be. So between low visibility, driving at night and never being to this state before it was PEAK anxiety. But ya boy made it down safely! But it was interesting driving with a simple visual that I was bound to slide from ice, right off a mountain. But perhaps it’s a mirror of how life goes. We’re going to have a lot of ups and downs without knowing if we’re being safely guided there. We are bound to make decisions in our life without knowing the risk to reward ratios and having to navigate tough terrain regardless. You just have to trust your instincts when it comes to what’s right and rely on what you know. Thankfully for me, I’ve driven through way worse weather so I just kept praying and know what NOT to do in this situation. Thankfully my little red Honda made it through this storm too!

2.) I saw more Cracker Barrel signs than people here. I don’t know whether it’s just the place I decided to go in WV (Elkins & Seneca) but desolate still doesn’t quite describe what I felt. Every turn on a highway or exit onto another and there in big bold letters: “CRACKER BARREL Next Exit”. I lost track counting the signs, but at least from where I adventured it felt like I could count the people themselves on one hand. The one thing about being outside of New York and traveling south is the further you go the less people and the more Cracker Barrels. Not that I’m complaining, it’s a staple of roadtripping as a northerner!

3.) Take all the space you need. I needed this roadtrip just as a way to escape. Not that this is usually how I handle frustrations but every so often it’s good to get away from what you know and be by yourself. Plus it’s great to try/see something new and be safe about it. Keeping expenses to a minimum is also a plus. But you have to know your limitations and take space to recharge. We aren’t made to sit in an office 24/7. With strategic planning you can still be a traveler or adventurer without having to fly across the pond or book a giant guided tour where you don’t speak the language. Although they definitely spoke funny in West Virginia too! But we’re meant for so much greater than work, so finding a balance between providing yourself financial stability and having fun is a HIGH PRIORITY. Even more so for your own sanity and mental health. You need to be able to take your space, it’s not impossible you just have to strategize.

4.) Be a stranger! It’s refreshing going somewhere you’re not known, you won’t be called by name nor do they know your story. You can be and do whatever you want (Within legal limits of course). But you don’t have to carry your normal day to day baggage with you into areas you’re unfamiliar with. I felt no obligation to be anything when interacting with those in WV. They didn’t need a friend, a therapist, a brother, a supervisor. Every interaction was limited to what I was doing in the moment. Even when hiking all I provided was a “Hi, how are ya?” and I moved on. I forgot about them at the same rate they forgot about me. And that’s refreshing, I don’t need to be a listener, or an advice giver. I’m not demanded to give anything. It’s a great mental and spiritual break from home and work. From the front desk manager at my hotel, the hostess at the local Applebees (Yes I went to an Applebees, move along), to the local Gas Station attendant, we were all just faces to one another allowing me to just be a nobody for once!

5.) This is kind of a two parter, involving both during and after this road trip. But Kindness is NOT universal. People in WV are so kind. Everyone fighting over who is holding the door and who will be the one to enter. Every one greeting each other with a genuine “Hello, How are you today?”. Even to the warm smile from someone who really doesn’t have much and doesn’t ask for more. WV has a warmth to it even in the dead of winter where people are probably more bothered by circumstance not life itself. Everyone is just doing their best and represents the best that have within themselves. As a New York this is wildly foreign. At least in New York, you keep your head down, don’t stare for too long, and close proximity to anyone aggravates the other without a word being spoken. And this made me realize how foreign kindness is. Even this morning back in town: My friend and I had lunch together to catch up. After about an hour a couple began hovering around our table. We then realized that they were being vultures so they could swoop in at the next available table. So my friend offered for us to wrap up and they could have our seats. They looked wildly perplexed at such an offer that they felt “bad” and that they didn’t want us to feel obligated. Neither of us did, we were more than happy to make the offer since we were really on our way out at that point with our lunch having been eaten. But their faces were a mix of surprise that someone would make room for them and perplexed that such an offer was extended without them having to ask. Kindness is not universal and such a foreign concept to so many. Which is strange because so many hold it within themselves; if we would only interact more with each other without expecting something in return.

6.) Finally, cold and miserable is a mindset. Like I said earlier, I wasn’t going to travel until after winter for these reasons. It’s cold, there aren’t any green hills and the trees are just a dead brown. But West Virginia is STILL beautiful. Having a fresh coat of snow in town, it gave Elkins, WV a winter enchantment to it. And those dead brown hills of Seneca actually exposed more of the hills and mountain. It made it more of a challenge to see the beauty on the hike and actually helped me see what is often overlooked on trails because something else takes your focus. From the signs on the trail to read to old run down shacks that gave the area an old fashion aesthetic. Things that would normally be overpowered by the greens and warmth were fully exposed. Sitting in the park after the hike I even thought that a lot of Seneca Rocks would probably be covered from this distance from the leaves. In the shots I have from my camera so much is seen! Plenty of browns but also, grays, yellows, whites, and blacks. It wasn’t miserable, it’s just a softer palette of colors to appreciate. How can anything that God has created; even be “miserable”, or under appreciated. Its comes with the challenges of weather but when the more “glamorous” of weather is not the focus you see so much that is typically unseen, underrated or often not exposed at all. It also becomes more work to find beauty within things that we typically don’t find beautiful. It reshapes your understanding of what traveling, adventure, and appreciation is all about.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the spring and summer. But I have to be better about appreciating the winter too. Although things are a different palette and a different climate you can find so many things that were once overpowered and under appreciated. Cold and miserable is just a mindset not a condition in which we live.

Although I could’ve done without the snow storm; and the one on my return trip, my trip to West Virginia served its exact purpose. Taking space and a break, exploring a new state, hiking a new place, seeing something breathtaking, and redefining what I had already thought was defined.

I’d highly recommend traveling to Seneca Rocks. It’s not an intense hike! Definitely go across the street for a double cheeseburger from Hokum’s Store & Motel afterward! Because of the snowfall I wasn’t able to do any other excursions I had researched but being in another town with a different vibe than New York was relaxing. Even just to get away for a bit. There’s always time to go back and see more! But for now West Virginia gave me a break and so much more to appreciate.

Seneca Rocks, Virginia. January 16th, 2026.