Trip Report: Pelotherapy (Spruce Knob/Seneca Creek) (July 18th-20th, 2025) (27 Miles)

*sigh*

I was typing away at my keyboard. It was another boring and uninspiring day at work. I was tired, stressed out, and not having fun. I glanced at the clock. It was a 7am on a Monday morning. I had only been here for 30 minutes and it was already unbearable. Why couldn’t time go any faster, huh? I needed to get out of here, and fast.

*SIGH*

I needed some inspiration. Ideas starting flowing through my brain. I wasn’t good at much, but when I needed to get outside, I always knew what to do. Lots of rain..seneca creek…mud…allegheny mountain trail…more mud…thunderstorms, wet socks…Bingo. Let’s go.

I called up Veronica and explained my plan. She gawked. “The Allegheny Mountain trail?!” “It’s going to be a mud-pit.”

“Exactly, I said. Assemble the team.”

**************************

In the lead-up to this trip it had rained…a lot. It seemed like it was raining every day for months, so I knew we were in for a treat in the West Virginia mountains. Joining me were Wesal, Veronica, Chris, Stephanie, Katie, Albina, and Hyewon. I had never been to Spruce Knob or Seneca Creek before, so my route wasn’t the best or most scenic one. But what it lacked in scenery it made up in adventure. Basically, there’s a bunch of interconnecting trails on both sides of Seneca creek, and the Allegheny Mountain trail cuts in the middle. In an attempt to make a longer hike, I made a giant loop and included the less-used trails on the west side of the creek, and included a giant piece of the Allegheny Mountain trail.

Along the way to the trailhead Katie talked about how she organizes trips with the Capitol Hiking Club. She typically will scout out the trails before the hike, give people printed maps, and even spread flour on the ground at intersections to make sure people don’t go the wrong way. Sadly, she said people still get lost. Doh! I’ve always found the differences between DCUL and other hiking clubs interesting. I felt a hint of guilt, because not only had I not brought flour or printed maps for everyone, I also hadn’t hiked this trail before. Doh! Funnily enough right as we neared the top of Spruce Knob a downpour began, but about a minute after I parked my car, the rain stopped!

Other than a few day-hikers along the Seneca Creek Trail Saturday morning, I didn’t see a soul. Veronica, playing the part of the early-bird lone wolf, was nowhere to be seen, and she wouldn’t be seen until we got to camp that night. It was my first time meeting Chris, and we chatted it up about backpacking and running ultramarathons. Perhaps there are some similarities between running ultramarathons and hiking endless miles in the mud and rain? The hiking was nice along Seneca Creek, but things changed once we turned onto the Tom Lick Run Trail and the Allegheny Mud Trail.

It started downpouring for about 2 hours once we turned onto Tom Lick Run. Now I’ve hiked in the mud before, but this was something else to behold. It felt like I was walking in a muddy soup for hours on end. I was regularly getting stuck in mud past my ankles, almost getting sucked into the abyss like quicksand. Okay maybe I’m exaggerating slightly, but it was bad. The pictures just don’t do it justice. We were slogging through mud and walking through bushes and completing our billionth stream crossing and getting stung by stinging nettles. Mark V “Brightside” was leading a trip to Dolly Sods the same weekend, and I wondered if they were doing any better. Hyewon and I finally stopped for a lunch break on the Big run Trail after the rain had subsided, and she asked me how I would describe my trips. It only took me a second before I blurted out “adventurous”. This was one heck of an adventure for sure.

Veronica had warned me about the Allegheny Mountain Trail before the hike, but at the time I had assumed she just meant muddy because of the rain. No, apparently the trail has drainage issues and is always muddy. And the mud stinks. I thought it would be ya know, scenic or something, but instead what we got was endless trekking through the mud. We eventually made it to our campsite near Seneca Falls, and not only had the rain stopped, but we had the place all to ourselves. What a treat! Albina forced everyone to make a fire, but atleast she played her part by giving us some tumbleweed. I didn’t think there was a much of a chance to get a fire going, but we did get a nice one going eventually. Albina dubbed me “Dragon breath” for my ability to continually blow on the fire to keep it going. She couldn’t stop laughing about.

And thus our muddy adventure in Seneca Creek and Spruce Knob came to a close. We finished up the remaining 6 miles back to the parking lot, got some late breakfast at the Sunset Restaurant in Moorefield, and headed back home. Overall I had a great time in the mud with you guys. A big congratulations to our newest Veterans members: Albina, Chris, Hyewon, Katie, and Stephanie! Considering the wet and muddy conditions, you guys definitely earned it! Thanks for coming out everyone! Until next time.

Pelotherapy, also known as mud therapy, is the therapeutic use of mud, peat, moss, or clay applied to the body for healing purposes.