Safety Moment – Hiking the Road
“Take Me Home, Country Roads” is a popular song written by Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert and the late John Denver that was initially released on 12 April 1971 and reached Platinum record sales on 10 April 2017. While it is a delightful song and is one of the 4 official anthems for the State of West Virginia, actually HIKING these country roads at the Summit is NOT a good idea!
Roads, such as Jack Furst Drive, have lots of traffic ranging from buses, service vehicles, cars, pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles, and delivery trucks. All of these vehicles generate a lot of dust. Also, with larger groups hiking along this road, there is an increased risk of collisions between hikers and vehicles. In these cases, the vehicle ALWAYS WINS!
Usually, the best and safest route from your campsite to any activity, like Bows and Barrels, The Trax, Skate Park, etc. is to hike along the trails and avoid Jack Furst Drive. Also, it is best to walk on the side of the road facing traffic. In the USA, driving is on the right, so if you are hiking the road, walk along the shoulder that faces the oncoming vehicles. In this way, you have both your eyes and ears to help you see oncoming traffic.
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