Bear takes a break next to Hartley’s backpack and trekking pole along the rim of the Gorge. The dog accompanied the Fayetteville man on all 100 miles of his New River Gorge hike.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — When Melvin Hartley of Fayetteville decided to take part in the New River Gorge 100 Mile Challenge, he didn’t let any grass grow under his feet.
The Challenge, sponsored by the New River Gorge National River, Active Southern West Virginia and the YMCA of Southern West Virginia, was designed to acknowledge the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service while promoting fitness and an appreciation of nature by encouraging participants to hike 100 miles of trails between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31 of this year.
Hartley completed the Challenge in 14 days.
“My goal was to finish by the end of January, but I ended up getting into kind of a flow and kept hammering out the miles,” he said. “I ended up finishing in two weeks, getting my mileage in before the big storm hit. You’d need snowshoes to get any hiking in now.”
Those taking part in the challenge must do their hiking on trails in the New River Gorge National River or the Bluestone National Scenic River…
