Life Outside Fall 2018 - 35

HISTORY AND HIKING
Rebecca Robbins, public affairs
specialist for the national forest,
recalls the Face's origin.
"The James River Face was the
first designated Wilderness
in Virginia," she says. "It was
included in the law commonly
known as the Eastern Wilderness
Areas Act of 1975 which built
upon the initial foundational
Wilderness Act of 1964. The
Wilderness Act defined federal
Wilderness, established the
National Wilderness Preservation
System (NWPS), and designated

the first ever Wildernesses - 54 of
them in 13 states."

sites to visit within the James
River Face Wilderness.

Of course, then and now the
opportunity for a sojourn in
the backcountry was another
enticement.

For context, the best way
I can think to describe the
quartz boulders of the Devil's
Marbleyard and their association
with Old Scratch is that if a
deity decided to play a game
of marbles with thousands
of boulders, and during that
contest, the god shot the
boulders all over the side of a
mountain, then that's the image
a trekker should be prepared to
witness.

"The James River Face
Wilderness is a beautiful
and inspiring area offering
opportunities for solitude,"
continues Robbins. "The
Appalachian National Scenic
Trail and the geologic feature
Devil's Marbleyard are popular

If you go: For maps, Rebecca
Robbins suggests National
Geographic Trails Illustrated map
#789 (Lexington-Blue Ridge Mts).
Info and digital maps are also
available: wilderness.net/NWPS/
wildView?WID=273&tab=General.
Author Bruce Ingram has also
written a book on the river,
the James River Guide; e-mail
him at bruceingramoutdoors@
gmail.com. Boat rental: www.
wildernesscanoecompany.com.

DAY TWO
While on camping trips or pre-dawn fishing
expeditions, I have long played the game of which
birds will be the first three species I hear that day. I
had predicted that the great-horned owl would prove
victorious come morning, but it was a flock of Canada
geese soaring over that won with song sparrow and
Carolina wren music following. I arose, retrieved my
rod and began casting topwater patterns to rising
smallmouths. Although I caught bronzebacks, they
were all small, and a check of the water temperature
showed that it was 80 degrees-far from ideal.
Soon Pickle approached me, and we both decided
to take the aforementioned portage. After the portage, I had to forego fishing once again to run the
Class II Tobacco Hills Falls and Velvet Rock Falls,
which are, in essence, a long rock garden with the
safest path being down the river left side. Finally,
though, the river's current slowed enough for me to
fish. I paddled over to the river right shoreline and
began hurling a topwater into the boulder strewn
bend, shaded by the towering Face.
A few small fish came first, but just when the swift
water was starting to play out and the sun had risen
higher meaning the morning feed would soon be
over, a substantial smallmouth slammed the surface
bait. Immediately, I knew I had a "picture fish" on,
especially after the first two leaps. The mossyback
then bore deep under a submerged boulder near
my canoe, and I realized I had to apply pressure
before the bass abraded the line against the rock
and broke off. The gambit proved successful, and

soon afterwards I landed the 16-incher.
The last mile or so of the Glasgow float consists of
the backwaters of Cushaw Dam and is the redoubt
of large muskies, but the smallmouth fishing is
poor. Pickle pointed out several creeks entering on
river right and told me that some adventurers like
to camp along the shore there and use the streams
as guidelines to enter into the backcountry to hike
or fish. He also said these rills would be worth my
time to explore as possible brook trout streams.
Floating, fishing, and camping in the James
River Face is one of this region's premier outdoor
adventures. This is an excursion that should be on
everyone's bucket list.

CAMPING ALONG THE
RIVER
Writer Bruce Ingram camped
during his night in the Face;
numerous campsites exist
on river right.

LifeOutsideMag.com // Fall 2018

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Life Outside Fall 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Life Outside Fall 2018