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Mt.Storm, WV--- I left my engineering career after 11 years, with it's many financial perks and certain security, to seek a more peaceful life in the mountains. I was 38 years old and a long time resident of Northern Virginia when I bought an undeveloped 20 acre forested area and adjoining stone home near Mt. Storm, WV in 2004. For the past five years, I have worked diligently on my dream, now manifested in full reality as Abram’s Creek Lodge and Family Campground. The eco-friendly camp is an active vacation spot and retreat with 40 forested campsites, a sweat lodge, a geodesic dome, two authentic tipi’s, 10 cabins, and a 6 bedroom guest house. I created the only eco-friendly campground in the regoin, to my knowledge, just a short 3 hours drive from Washington, DC and devoid of the usual asphault and concrete RV padsites that turn most campgrounds into trailer parks.
Having traveled all over the world, I can honestly say that I am very happy to settle into such a peaceful environment consumed with mosses, lichens, ferns, hemlock trees, rhododendruns and mountain laurel trees. The extraordinary bio-diversity of this small piece of Potomac Highlands river valley is now in my care. I have spent my whole life preparing to be the steward of such a place. As few trees as possible have been cut down to make each campsite accessible to it's guests. While cars are allowed by each camp site, the graveled parking pads have been created to make as little impact as possible. LED spotlights are used as needed as there is no light source more eco-friendly. Further back into the campgrounds are many trails where there is little evidence of human intervention and mother nature rules supreme, as she was meant to. While it would have been easier to have plowed everything flat and pave it over, as many campgrounds have done, I would have never have bought this beautiful piece of property if that had been my intent.
Having traveled all over the world, I can honestly say that I am very happy to settle into such a peaceful environment consumed with mosses, lichens, ferns, hemlock trees, rhododendruns and mountain laurel trees. The extraordinary bio-diversity of this small piece of Potomac Highlands river valley is now in my care. I have spent my whole life preparing to be the steward of such a place. As few trees as possible have been cut down to make each campsite accessible to it's guests. While cars are allowed by each camp site, the graveled parking pads have been created to make as little impact as possible. LED spotlights are used as needed as there is no light source more eco-friendly. Further back into the campgrounds are many trails where there is little evidence of human intervention and mother nature rules supreme, as she was meant to. While it would have been easier to have plowed everything flat and pave it over, as many campgrounds have done, I would have never have bought this beautiful piece of property if that had been my intent.
This is a river valley where the Indians once roamed -- Some refer to the regional group as the Appalachian Tribe. West Virginia was home and hunting territory to Shawnee, Cherokee, Delaware, Seneca, Wyandot, Ottawa, Tuscarora, Susquehannock, Huron, Sioux, Mingo, Iroquois, and other tribes.
Mother Nature gave a great gift along Abram’s Creek here, and to despoil it for the sake of making it accessible to the masses would have been tragic – as people need to experience nature in it’s most awesome form, with comforts, but in it’s full glory. I can take you on a walk around the campground and river valley and show you that many changes that have been made to the place over the past five years, while still preserving much of wild beauty. This is the essence of eco-friendly and mindful camping and campground stewardship.
One of the most striking features of the campground is the sound of Abrams Creek heard just about in every location on the site. There’s a calmness to the sound of the rushing water, especially for one used to the jangling noises of city traffic. Many people specifically arrive early on the weekends to get their favorite camp sites by the stream, just so that they can be lulled to sleep by the sounds of the flowing water. When you look at the sparkling beauty of Abram’s Creek as it roars over the boulders, only seven or eight miles from its source, you know that at least the headlands of this small branch into the Potomac River will be protected as long as I have my way. For more information and available photos, please go to http://www.abramscreek.com/
Mother Nature gave a great gift along Abram’s Creek here, and to despoil it for the sake of making it accessible to the masses would have been tragic – as people need to experience nature in it’s most awesome form, with comforts, but in it’s full glory. I can take you on a walk around the campground and river valley and show you that many changes that have been made to the place over the past five years, while still preserving much of wild beauty. This is the essence of eco-friendly and mindful camping and campground stewardship.
One of the most striking features of the campground is the sound of Abrams Creek heard just about in every location on the site. There’s a calmness to the sound of the rushing water, especially for one used to the jangling noises of city traffic. Many people specifically arrive early on the weekends to get their favorite camp sites by the stream, just so that they can be lulled to sleep by the sounds of the flowing water. When you look at the sparkling beauty of Abram’s Creek as it roars over the boulders, only seven or eight miles from its source, you know that at least the headlands of this small branch into the Potomac River will be protected as long as I have my way. For more information and available photos, please go to http://www.abramscreek.com/
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