Along the way you'll pass many strip pits, signs, and other vestiges of old coal mining camps. Many of these pits are from the 1930s, when massive coal shovels ripped into the earth (some to a depth of 100 feet) leaving barren land and piles of gob (discarded coal waste) in their wake. But now you'll see strip pits in their restored glory, brimming with water in a new wooded environment that attracts birds, wildlife, hunters, and fishermen.