Ah, the Dolly Sods. I think I still have a map of the area around here somewhere. If I recall, you can see the Canaan Valley on the way up to the Dolly Sods. My buddies and I had a tradition that lasted for a few years. We went backpacking to the Dolly Sods in the Winter. First, we typically had to follow the snowplows over the Blueridge and Allegheny Mountains. Then, we would stop at the old "poor farm" near Franklin, WV. One of the guys owned the property so we would stay a night or two at what had been the caretakers house. It was heated by wood and we cooked on the wood burning stove. I still remember the smells.
Then off we went to the trailhead to the Dolly Sods. It took several stream crossings in 32 degree water, often in the sleet or snow. Talk about COLD!
My wife and I had Thanksgiving dinner a few times at that caretaker's house with the family who owned the property. Oil lamps, woodburning stoves, water from an artesian well across from the house, and an outhouse. THAT was a Thanksgiving dinner to be remembered!
Oh, and we learned that the outhouse was too close to the house during the summer and too far away during the winter - and it never moved.
To keep the theme - we did see bear during the warm seasons.
Ron