Doesn’t seem like Mother Nature has blessed us with usual winter weather  this year, so February is a great month to pack up your winter gear and head for the hills to a Winter Paradise— Tucker County, West Virginia. Love is in the air and President’s Day provides an extra day off to enjoy time with our loved ones and be one with nature. Detach from city life and focus your attention on quiet simpler things—  like playing in the snow or getting to know your neighbors by name— like the American woodcock, golden wing warbler, or the northern flying squirrel. This is a place where congeniality is second nature. It is a way of life for people who reside in this region and they welcome visitors from all over the world to do the same.

Nestled in valleys, with four rivers flowing through, Tucker County is conveniently located in the northeast region of West Virginia, approximately 185 miles/3 ½ hours travel time from the DC metro area. The county lies in the Alleghany Mountains and consists of 421 square miles. It was created in 1856 from part of Randolph County, then part of Virginia. In 1871, a small part of Barbour County, West Virginia was transferred to Tucker County. It was named after Henry St. George Tucker, Sr., a judge and Congressman from Williamsburg, Virginia. Today, a steady population of nearly 8,000 people resides there providing plenty of solitude to enjoy the wilderness.

It is the home of quaint towns such as Davis and Thomas. There are plenty of natural habitats to explore—Blackwater Canyon; Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge; Dolly Sods Wilderness and the Monongahela National Forest. More than a few people have fallen in love in these here parts. As your car rolls over the windy country roads to Tucker County space opens up. On a clear evening the moon and its beams will shine right into your eyes and the stars are as vivid as diamonds in the sky.

Davis is the home to Canaan Valley, a beautiful rare treasure with nationally significant wetlands, unusual character and unparalled opportunities for outdoor activities, education and research.  High altitude and a cool moist climate have created a wetland and northern forest treasure. In recognition of the valley’s unusual attributes, the Secretary of Interior designated a portion of it a National Landmark in 1974.  It was praised for its grandeur and magnificence and compared to Yosemite and Yellowstone Valleys harboring a unique boreal ecosystem—a collection of plants and animals usually found further north. Some say it is a little bit of Canada gone astray. The many northern species found here make Canaan Valley a virtual living museum of the Ice Age in West Virginia.

The valley is 14 miles long and 5 miles wide with an average elevation of 3,200 feet.  From November to April it’s not uncommon to see it blanketed in snow and its legendary weather patterns are attributed to its elevation and geographical location.  Most years the annual average stacks up to over 160 inches. It boasts a playground for cross country and downhill skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing and tubing.  You have a choice of over 76 slopes and trails, seven lifts and a terrain and tubing park at three of the mountain states premier ski resorts; Canaan Valley Resort State Park; Timberline Four Seasons Resort and White Grass Cross County Center. Timberline boasts the longest run in the Southeast-- the two mile long Salamander Run. Canaan Valley’s tubing hill is a hit with kids of all ages. Log onto www.skithevalley.com for information and friendly accommodations.

A great way to quiet your mind, body and soul and acquaint yourself with the valley is to step into a pair of cross country skis or snowshoes and challenge yourself  using every major muscle group in your body. Glide the curvy trails lined with spruce trees glistening with icicles.  It is fun, easy to learn, inexpensive, and a healthy way to spend time connecting with loved ones and be free in this wondrous space.  White Grass is located in a snowy corner of the Cabin Mountain range of the high Alleghenies picking up most of its snowfall off the Great Lakes whenever strong northwesterly winds drop out of Canada. Over 50 km of trails are maintained and 1,200 vertical feet to cross country ski up and over.  You will certainly work up an appetite so try a soup dujour— like mushroom and duck soup or a vegetarian bowl of chili from the natural foods café, also serving a sit down dinner nightly in the lodge. This unique laid back atmosphere is full of family adventures and children.  The lodge provides close access to West Virginia’s most treasured high country.  Treat yourself to the President’s Day Snowshoe Discovery Tour on February 20 at 10 am with Chip Chase, lifelong outdoorsman and former northern Virginia native. He will share his knowledge of the area as well as the history of the valley, its habitat and wildlife. Log onto www.whitegrass.com  for information.

If snow activities aren’t for you, enjoy local cuisine, entertainment or browse the local art scene in historic Thomas.  Dubbed by its welcome sign “Everyone’s Hometown” it is the home of the Purple Fiddle, a family friendly music venue offering nationally renowned touring acts on weekend nights and free shows in the afternoon.  All meals of the day are served daily and sleeping rooms and a hostel is provided.  You can settle into this cozy establishment with a good book sipping locally roasted coffee, savoring a vegetarian wrap for lunch while people watching, or challenging your neighbors at the next table to a round of trivial pursuit.  It is accessible to people with disabilities and dogs.  Did I mention it serves the finest homebrew in West Virginia from the Mountain State Brewery up the street?

Saddle up on a sawhorse for an evening of quality hand crafted beers and local merriment where you are sure to stomp your feet to some live old timey or bluegrass music.  Mountain State Brewery is co-owned by stepbrothers Brian Arnett of Elkins and Willie Lehmann of Helvetia who both dreamed of starting a brewery for years before going into business together. They built the interior themselves -- Willie's stone work decorated the bar.  The brewery has a capacity of seven 31-gallon barrels a day and offers four styles that were derived by old family recipes: Cold Trail Ale, Almost Heaven Amber Ale, Seneca Indian Pale Ale and Miner's Daughter Oatmeal Stout.  Larry Keel and Natural Bridge will be the featured act Saturday, February 18 at 10 pm. 

Are you ready to go?  There’s so much more you will find in the Winter Paradise then what I’ve described. “Tucker County Time” is a song on the CD titled “We Live Here” by area musicians pooling their talents to display the spirit of living and working in the Tucker County area. Come and get out of the congested city, turn off those smart phones, media devices and computers and connect consciously with family, friends, your new squeeze and above all, nature, in one of my most beloved places.