Not all Adventures go as Planned

Not all adventures go as planned. Snow tubing down 600-foot lanes and watching contestants compete in unusual contests at the Canaan Valley Resort and Conference Center proved just as memorable as our original West Virginia plans for the March 5 through 7 weekend.

An unusually snowy winter closed hiking trails, including one to a then-frozen waterfall, in the Dolly Sods, Smoke Canyon and Seneca Rocks area. Local residents suggested my husband, 12-year-old son and I go to Canaan Valley Resort near Davis, WV, where Wild Thing Weekend was in full force.

Canaan Valley Ski Area Manager David Vance explained that the weekend of contests and quirky events began as end-of-the-season celebration the late 1970s. Contestants competed in a challenge to untie knots in frozen t-shirts and be the first one to put one on. There were hot dog and hot wing eating contests. When asked how hot the wings were, an organizer stressed with her eyes, a single word, "hot."

Other events included saucer and border cross races, music, and evening ice-skating. About 350 spectators turned out to watch a Wild Thing mainstay, "The Infamous Pond Jump." Participants attempted to cross over on skis, snowboards and tubes and land dry in the snow on the other side.

Vance said he knows of only one person who actually crossed the pond. That contestant from 2009 did not attend the 2010 event, so the field was wide open to the 16 hopefuls. The male pond jumpers wore apparel including a prince charming costume, snorkeling equipment, swim trunks and full snowsuits. One woman wore Mickey Mouse inflatable water wings and a homemade air tank, while another braved the contest in a fuchsia two-piece.

Contestants tried back flips, crouching and leaning forward to either make it across the pond or at least get points for style while falling in. All 16 made a splash.

An announcer entertained the crowd with claims that the water was a hot 86 degrees, despite the chunks of snow floating in it and lack of rising steam. Two organizers, who also happened to be EMTS, had hooks to help jumpers out of the water quickly. Dry towels awaited contestants, most of who headed quickly for a changing area and dry clothes.

Contestant Jacob Harrell, in blue swim trunks, hung around to describe the jump to his friends and spectators before getting warm. "I can tell you one thing," Harrell said later, "it was not 86 degrees." That did not stop him from making a second jump to settle a three-way tie. Harrell's reason for wanting to take part in the first place. "There was a pond that looked like it needed jumped," he explained.

Isaac Boles won first place in pond jumping on a snowboard and third place on a boarder-crossing course. Aside from bragging rights, Boles won a stay at the resort with lift tickets for his efforts. Boles dressed as Prince Charming, in a cape of sparkling gold over a beige t-shirt. He said he asked God to help him through the event. Boles said at first impact with the water, he found it hard to take a breath. All in all, though, he had fun at Wild Thing.

Vance said 1,500 skiers turned out for Saturday's Wild Thing in addition to the 300 to 400 spectators. My family opted for Canaan Valley’s snow tubing area. A handled rope attached to each colorfully colored tube hooked up to a tow that pulls the rider back up to the top of the hill. Families, groups and individuals of all ages tried to figure out which of the four lanes gave the fastest ride.

The weather-related change in plans did not deter my family’s weekend getaway. It only made us want to return for hiking soon and a repeat of our newfound fun at Canaan.