Canaan Valley has become a trendy tourist destination. That's good for business but it's also straining the resources of a county with just one stoplight and 7,000 year-round residents.
The Dolly Sods Wilderness is the site of an annual nature walk called the West Virginia Wildflower Pilgrimage. This year was the 59th time that wildflower and birding experts descended on the area for the event.
Mason Adams grew up in Clifton Forge, Virginia and covers mountain communities and the issues affecting them. His work has appeared in Southerly, Daily Yonder, 100 Days in Appalachia, Mother Jones, Huffington Post and elsewhere. He lives with his family and a small herd of goats in Floyd County, Virginia.