At 41, Hash is an all-out river rat—a wild-haired and fun-loving man who runs Tangent Outfitters. You’ll seldom find him without a cell phone in one hand and a fishing pole in the other. He’s been running all parts of the New River for nearly 25 years and guiding folks down the river since 1992. He grew up in nearby Dublin, and now his homeport is Giles, a thickly forested county lying on the sunset side of Virginia Tech, abutting the West Virginia border along the Appalachian Trail.
It’s easy to sum up the treasures of Giles County: Think of hiking trails, waterfalls, covered bridges and the New River—believed to be one of the world’s oldest—all of which grow more appealing as the temperature climbs.
The Jefferson National Forest flanks the outer edges of this 357-square-mile county, which was created in 1806 and named for William Branch Giles, a U.S. senator from Virginia at that time and later a Virginia governor. Arguably the best waterfall in Virginia can be found in Giles County, near Pembroke in the Jefferson National Forest. Called The Cascades, it’s a 66-foot-high cataract that creates a dazzling splash as it lands against a sloping rock wall. Today, it’s a ritual for Virginia Tech students to hike to the Cascades along a two-mile path. For many people, Giles is the untamed backyard of Blacksburg, an outdoor sanctuary with spellbinding scenery, whether one is standing quietly at overlooks in the Jefferson National Forest—named Wind Rock, War Spur and Angels Rest, all reached by hiking trails—or taking wide-eyed trips on the river.
Latest Comments