North Bend Outfitters, a lakeside concession at North Bend State Park, offers kayak and canoe rentals to Quest participants and other park guests. Photo by Rick Steelhammer.
Whether its backpacking or birding, kayaking or canoeing—if you want to learn an outdoor recreation skill or get reacquainted with an activity put on hold due to job or family obligations, North Bend State Park has a program for you.
North Bend’s new Quest program provides guests with customized outdoor experiences taught by skilled instructors. “You can use our gear and learn an activity for the first time, and then decide if you want to buy your own kayak, backpack or mountain bike and continue on your own,” said Ken Zebo, North Bend’s activities director and naturalist.
Many of the Quest program’s most popular activities are based at North Bend’s 305-acre, 7.5-mile long lake, where two-, four- or six-hour flatwater kayak and canoe excursions not only teach basic paddling strokes and safety skills, but acquaint participants with the lake’s natural life.
“He’s told us what to do and we’re catching on,” said Susan Cockerham of Parkersburg of Quest instructor Jonathan Bassin. Cockerham was taking part in a learn-to-canoe session on a weekday afternoon with her husband, Ken, and granddaughter, Kelsey.
“It’s also nice to have a guide to tell us about the lake and all the wildlife that lives in and around it,” said Ken Cockerham.
The trio of new paddlers all indicated that they planned to continue canoeing on their own after their Quest session ended.
Quest leader Jonathan Bassin instructs, from left, Kelsey, Susan and Ken Cockerham of Parkersburg on basic canoe paddling strokes at North Bend Lake. Photo by Rick Steelhammer.
Quest’s biking program includes two-, four- and six-hour options covering such topics as seat and handlebar adjustments, pedaling cadence, when and when not to shift gears, speed control and navigating simple obstacles. North Bend State Park is an entry point for the 72-mile North Bend Rail Trail and its array of tunnels and trestles and contains dozens of miles of single track trails within park boundaries.
Shuttle services are also available for bikes or boats in the park or for cyclists riding the North Bend Rail Trail.
“We’ve set up two sites for remote camping, and we have all the camping gear and cooking gear needed to learn about backpacking and backcountry camping,” said Zebo. “We can show people how to cook anything from freeze-dried backpacking food to steak dinners.”
Other Quest programs include learning such navigation skills as GPS basics, map and compass land navigation and geocaching and guided nature hikes covering topics like bird or tree identification, animal tracks and scat and local history.
Quest also has a yoga component, with classes offered indoors or outdoors by a certified instructor covering nine topics, including a beginner-friendly Gentle Yoga Flow session and Yoga for seniors. With a $10 per session fee, the program makes possible customized yoga retreats for groups of friends.
While Quest sessions are available as day-only adventures, those choosing to add a day of instruction—or to spend a day practicing what they learned the previous day—have a variety of lodging options, ranging from primitive to pampered. The lodge’s restaurant offers catered meals, including meals cooked and served at camps, or traditional restaurant dining.
For a complete listing of activities and costs, call 304-643-2931 and ask to speak with a Quest leader, send an email to northbendsp@wv.gov or visit the park’s website at www.northbendsp.com.
About the Author
Rick Steelhammer is a longtime reporter and feature writer for The Charleston Gazette-Mail and a published author. He can be reached at rsteelhammer@wvgazette.com, 304-348-5169 or on Twitter at @rsteelhammer.
