West Virginia
#10 Spruce Knob, elevation 4,863 ft.
Salamanders of Unusual Size.
At the northern reaches of Appalachia is the storied trifecta of the West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania highpoints, all about an hour's drive from one another.
Heading north from Virginia, you reach Spruce Knob first. In the general vicinity I came across Hellbender Burritos in the very small tawn of Davis. A “hellbender” refers to a large (up to 2 1/2 feet long) endangered salamander (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) typically found in the clearer streams of the Mountaineering State.
Both the salamanders, which are the largest amphibians in North America, and the clear streams are fewer and fewer in number. Endemic to the eastern and central U.S., they are now listed as a “vulnerable” species. The etymology of the name, as outlined on Wiki (with further internal citations), is worth quoting:
The origin of the name "hellbender" is unclear. The Missouri Department of Conservation says:
The name 'hellbender' probably comes from the animal's odd look. One theory claims the hellbender was named by settlers who thought "it was a creature from hell where it's bent on returning." Another rendition says the undulating skin of a hellbender reminded observers of "horrible tortures of the infernal regions." In reality, it's a harmless aquatic salamander.
In a study conducted in Indiana, informing the public about the rarity and locality of the hellbender resulted in more positive attitudes toward this species than were previously held. Other vernacular names include snot otter, lasagna lizard, devil dog, mud-devil, mud dog, water dog, grampus, Allegheny alligator, and leverian water newt.
The generic name, Cryptobranchus, is derived from the Ancient Greek kryptos (hidden) and branchion (gill). The subspecific name bishopi is in honor of American herpetologist Sherman C. Bishop.
Hellbender Burritos was serving local garlic scapes on the day I ate lunch there, and they had a roaring fire, as I recall. Happily, they are still in business as of March 2024. The burritos are excellent, as is their logo:
The summit area of Spruce Knob is a circuit through conifers leading to a squatly proportioned observation tower. It resembles a grandiose outhouse by Frank Lloyd Wright, or perhaps Tolkien's Weathertop.
I encountered paragliders up there, as I did on Mount Brace in New York, which is unsurprising given that the best paragliders tend to jump from the highest places.
The Effects of Sequestration
This video has become a kind of time capsule thanks to the inadvertent narration by NPR, which I was listening to on the long backcountry drive through Virginia. The Boston Marathon bombing suspects were on trial, and Congress was sparring with President Obama over the Federal budget, with the threat of something called “sequestration,” incomprehensible to most, promising ruin for some. Heady times.