Written by Mark Wenzler
West Virginia has more than its fair share of mysterious creatures, from Mothman and the Flatwoods Monster to Wampus cats and, of course, Bigfoot himself. Most frequently spotted during twilight hours deep in foreboding hollers, these creatures have eluded me for as long as I’ve sought them out. But on a perfectly fine afternoon last June, standing high atop West Virginia’s tallest peak, I did happen to see a shark slowly stalking a skeleton sporting a tie-dyed skull.
While it may sound like I was hallucinating, I wasn’t the only one who saw it. I spotted this bizarre duo in the skies among many other airborne oddities during the annual Spruce Knob Kite Festival.
Topping out at 4,863 feet, Spruce Knob is not only the highest summit in the Mountain State, it’s also the highest ridge in the Allegheny Mountains, which run for about 300 miles from north-central Pennsylvania through western Maryland and eastern West Virginia. This rugged mountain range can receive high winds year-round, as evidenced by the many wind-deformed red spruce scattered across its rocky ridges. As the proud owner of a wind-damaged tent, I can attest that you could probably fly a small appliance in the skies above these ridges.
Photo courtesy Becca Myers / Experience Learning
The Spruce Knob Mountain Center, where the Kite Festival takes place, is tucked into a protected shoulder of the mountain, with expansive high meadows perfect for flying kites. Its large Mongolian-style yurts, with evocative names like Almaty and Ulan Bator, give the campus an otherworldly feel that’s fitting for being atop the roof of West Virginia. The setting also creates a perfect backdrop for the phoenix, flying dragons, and other mythological creatures that fill the sky at the kite festival.
Held on the last Saturday of June, the Kite Festival is a free event hosted by Experience Learning, a nonprofit outdoor education center. The meadows and forests of the Mountain Center offer an ideal location for Experience Learning to deliver a robust offering of programs, including outdoor education, adventure and stewardship courses for kids and adults, and opportunities for kids from underserved communities—both from within West Virginia and surrounding cities—to get outside and enjoy the rugged Appalachian wilderness.
Photo courtesy Becca Myers / Experience Learning
While Experience Learning has been around for about 10 years, it continues the legacy of several preceding organizations, including the Woodlands Institute and the Mountain Institute, dating back to 1972. Experience Learning has remained true to these roots by focusing its curriculum around a wilderness-based “learning beyond the classroom” approach.
Vicki Fenwick-Judy served as Executive Director in 2017 when Experience Learning emerged from the Mountain Institute. At the time, Vicki understood that wilderness and adventure-based programming did not always feel accessible to the local residents who live adjacent to Spruce Knob, many of whom had long wondered what folks were up to on the mountain.
Vicki and her team created the Kite Festival in 2019 to welcome both their neighbors and the broader community with a family-friendly event. “We wanted people to come and see who we really are, that our campus is open to everyone. We thought, if they come for the Kite Festival, maybe they’ll return as campers,” she said.
June of 2024 was just my third time attending the Kite Festival, but I’ve made the Mountain Center my base camp for many hiking, biking, and running adventures over the years. If you see a wind-battered tent with a bike next to it, it’s probably me hunkered down inside.
Photo courtesy Becca Myers / Experience Learning
The Kite Festival is an opportunity for Experience Learning to give back to the many communities that help make its work possible. It’s a day where old friends reunite and new friends are made under a sky filled with remarkable flying contraptions of every variety imaginable: an octopus, a crab, a turtle, a butterfly, even a fighter jet. During the monster kite demos, giant kites, each as long as a school bus, take to the skies. If you can imagine a shape, someone has figured out how to make it fly. Attendees can bring their own kite, try a kite, or buy a kite on site from local vendors.
In addition to kites, there’s a science, technology, engineering and math festival for kids of all ages, with multiple vendors, activities, and regional nonprofit educational programs. Grabbing the reins of a colorful kite is the perfect opportunity to introduce little ones to the marvelous physics of flight.
Photo courtesy Becca Myers / Experience Learning
After wrangling a tethered aerodyne for a couple of hours, folks tend to work up a mighty thirst. Fortunately, the Kite Festival features a fine selection of West Virginia craft beer and cider, along with local food trucks and vendors.
And when the magical twilight arrives, if you’re not off searching for Wampus cats, you can gather around the bonfire and stay for an evening of live music and camping in the serene mountaintop meadow.
If you’ve never been to Spruce Knob Mountain Center, the Kite Festival offers an ideal chance to visit one of the most unique alpine venues anywhere. I’ve come to think of it as West Virginia’s own Shangri-La. But unlike the Tibetan Valley of the Blue Moon in James Hilton’s 1933 novel “Lost Horizon,” this earthly paradise can be found on Google Maps. I hope to see you high up on the mountain this June. I’ll be the guy tangled up in the kite strings.
The fourth-annual Spruce Knob Kite Festival will be held on June 28, 2025. Mark Wenzler is chair of the board of trustees at Experience Learning. He’s also a part-time resident of Tucker County and is terrible at flying kites.
