This month’s featured location is the Trough on the Potomac’s South Branch; it’s a favorite of Brent Walls, Upper Potomac Riverkeeper. A 6-mile long wooded gorge carved by the river and situated in the Allegheny Mountains of Hampshire and Hardy Counties, West Virginia, the area was the site of a 1756 skirmish of the French and Indian War, known as the “Battle of the Trough”.
Brent describes it as a great float, with even better scenery. Jerry’s General Trough Store and Canoe outfitter https://www.wvcanoerentals.com/ really does their best to take care of you. Jerry is a Firefighter in the DC area for 4-day shifts, and his wife Sabrina is a local school teacher. Their two boys energetically climb all over the canoe trailers as their Dad loads them up.
So secluded, there are only two ways to see the Trough: from the ground, by boat, or train because there are no roads or public hiking trails. One great thing about the Trough is seeing the Potomac Eagle Scenic http://www.potomaceagle.com/ train scoot along the banks. Both from the train and from the river, you’ll be able to see the bald eagles who make the Trough their home.
