This was my first trip I’ve led for DCUL since joining in the summer of 2021. Close to two years later and a few thousand miles of backpacking (thanks to my thru hike), I decided that it was time for me to start leading trips on trails that I’ve seen many times. One trail that I have done multiple times was the Trout Run Valley Loop near Wardensville, West Virginia that straddles the WV/VA border for a long section. Furthermore, two beautiful lookouts reward hikers in the names of Big Schloss and Little Tibbet Knob (one could also add an additional lookout if one took the side trail to Halfmoon Lookout) intertwined with picturesque hiking beneath a canopy of lush birch and oak trees. These trail characteristics mixed with a strong group able to do 13/13 splits allows for an efficient excursion in the Mid-Atlantic all while only taking up a day and a half of our busy lives.
We decided to all meet directly at the trailhead instead of the general Vienna Metro carpool staging ground. Everyone had organized rides already so it didn’t make sense to make the extra stop to say hello and take off. Maddie picked me up from my apartment at around 8:00am to make the 10:00 start time at the Wolfs Gap Recreation Area. Maddie and I both brought our fly rods on this trip because at camp that night there was a trout stream. I thought it would be worth the extra weight if there was a possibility to catch and release some fish. We stopped at the Front Royal Sheetz to use the restroom and eat some pre-trail snacks. I gave the newly added gyoza a shot— I would not recommend it.
We got to the trailhead at around 10:15 and was greeted by everyone in the group. We had Will, Vera, Sophie (Scrapple), Neil, Jake, Darren, and Austin (1st trip for these last three guys) waiting at the parking lot anxiously waiting to start the trip. I introduced myself to everyone and apologized for the slight delay (unfortunately, Sheetz is a must stop). Vera was coming from Ohio, so she had actually been here since 9:00 as she stayed at a campground last night to cut the six hour drive in half. After introductions, I outlined the itinerary for the day and prepared everyone for the first climb to Tibbet Knob. It was about 80 degrees at this point, so we knew this climb was going to be a slow drudge up. The last time I had done this trail was in 2021 in the Fall, so I guess I had forgotten about the challenge of this section, especially during this part of the day in the summer. I also wasn’t in the greatest of shape.
We eventually made it to the top of Tibbet Knob and took a much needed break atop the breezy knob. The view from Tibbet Knob is, in my opinion, one of the best in the area. The view of Trout Run Valley from this point is spectacular, and the breeze from here is incredibly relieving following the hard climb up to the top. I also find it amazing to see the actual ridges that we would actually be walking on in the distance. It was as if we were walking along the edges of a giant bowl.
After some time at Tibbet Knob, we descended and met a really nice flat section of the trail. We were shaded by the forest fauna that covered the skies above us. What was probably 80 degrees in the nearest town was likely closer to 70 degrees in the forest. This was a low mileage trip but everyone were experienced hikers, so we all hiked at our own pace. Vera insisted to me that she would be the slowest but was in fact the lead of our pack. We stopped for water at a nice stream to refill before the final stretch to camp. It was warm so drinking enough water was mandatory. I still failed to drink enough as evidenced by my yellow urine (TMI!). When we got to Cherry Ridge, we looked up at the sky and started to worry if we were going to be rained on. The weather forecast before the trip actually predicted a lightning storm at 3pm. But when 3pm came around neither rain, lighting, or thunder became apparent. Just the awkward silence between the wind pulsing and threatening us every other minute or so.
We got to camp by 4:00 and started to set up our tents. We still sort of thought that a rainstorm was imminent, so we sorted out our shelters immediately. After completing our camp tasks, Maddie and I grabbed our fly rods and attempted to land a few fish before dinner. We both got little bites from little itty bitty fish but nothing substantial. We were a little disappointed, but the concept was admirable.
Dinner was great. In fact, dinner was fantastic thanks to my Helinox chair that I brought. Both Vera and I brought our Helinox chairs, and we were looking like royalty compared to everyone else. Sophie said that I should be revoked of my VMO ranking. She was clearly jealous as she only had a meager sit pad. My thoughts on chairs have evolved since joining the group. I think for LM trips I will be bringing a chair every time. It just makes sense that if I will be sitting around a campfire for a period of time, I should be comfortable. Maybe for VMO trips where we get into camp late, yes, chairs are not needed. But I stand by the chair. I felt great. Full stop.
We stayed around the campfire and talked about the usual stuff. What people are eating, how we are storing food for the night, the gear that we have, etc. Big thanks to Darren who was able to start a fire for the group! We all turned in around 9:00pm.
It rained that night. The rain started around 3:00AM which woke me up from a deep sleep. I went back and forth from sleeping and waking up for the next three hours. Though, I will say, I was still very refreshed in the morning. At 6:00 I started to hum some Grateful Dead in my tent to act as a super sneaky alarm for everyone. That seemed to do the trick as people started to rustle around in the their tents. I eventually got out of my tent and checked in on everyone to slowly disassemble camp. We started trail by 6:50.
We had a tough hike up to Halfmoon Lookout—the final difficult ascent of the trip. We rested up here for a moment. The rain had stopped but the air was still wet from the forest going through its water cycle. From now until the end, the hike would start to even out. I stopped for my morning constitutional and met everyone at the Sandstone Spring. From here we hiked towards Big Schloss. Will told us that he was going to skip this outlook and head straight towards the car. He had seen Big Schloss enough times.
Big Schloss was a fantastic 360 degree view. I sort of forgot how wonderful the view was. We also got the view sort of to ourselves. The rain must have deterred hikers from getting their in the morning. Three other hikers were up there and that was it— very rare for such an accessible view.
We descended Big Schloss and got the parking lot in no time. We said goodbye to Sophie and Vera who were heading straight home. The rest of us all drove to Spelunkers in Front Royal, Virginia to smash some burgers and fries. I was hyping up the Spelunkers chicken sandwich so Will took me up on this. He can confirm: The burgers are delicious.
I want to thank everyone for such a great trip. Most everyone were new people to me, but I enjoyed everyone’s company. Jake and I had nice conversation about our family history which I thoroughly appreciated. Once again, thank you for such a successful trip at Trout Run. Such a classic DCUL trip and without my favorite trail in the area. Doing these trails again are like visiting an old friend after some time. Oh how different was I the last time I hiked it. So very different.
–Willy Wonka
DC UL Backpacking 
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