2025 upon us, we ventured out on January 2nd to Shenandoah (SNP) for two nights of backpacking to start hiking in the new year and take in the hunter-free woods on this, the last week of rifle season in Virginia for every public forest in the state not federally protected like this national park. There was no snow yet; it would arrive in spades everywhere in the region two days later, but plenty of bitter wind and seasonally low temperatures kept us navigating layers and insulation throughout our three days in the park. For those who completed the circuit as planned, we hiked about 36 miles, including an 18-mile day that took in mountaintop vistas and waterfalls galore, and topped almost 9,000 feet of elevation gain with a similar amount of elevation lost. Now, the story here isn’t just about those six who completed the trip as planned. It’s also about the others who chose their own adventures along the way, one way or another.
36 hours before our trip began, 13 people had signed up and were ready to go. I posted the outing only a couple weeks before so I hoped for a pretty realistic RSVP from people. Alas, Sophie, Logan, and Mark V. dropped at the last minute for understandable reasons, and the morning of Aileen also couldn’t make it for another very understandable reason but kept us guessing a bit at the Vienna Metro Kiss and Ride before we hit the road. They chose their own adventures for the week. The rest of us drove out and parked on Skyline Drive at the Wildcat Ridge Trailhead, which can be risky in the winter because of frequent closings. Though I had a plan B to hike in from the boundary, I liked the idea of an SNP proper outing. Kyle and I made sure we had paid backcountry permits ready to go. With the wind already brisk, the nine of us took a picture, high-fived, and hit the trail for a planned nine miles that would take us along the Wildcat Ridge Trail, the Riprap Trail, and over to the Appalachian Trail (AT) to connect to Blackrock Hut for the afternoon and evening.
Once on the trail, Mark R. and I were rolling along and enjoying each other’s stories while we took in Calvary Rocks and Chimney Rock, only to be worried a bit when we saw the rest of the group huddled along Skyline Drive at one of the frequent AT road crossings. Fearing an injury, we hurried over to the rest of the team. No one was hurt, but one of our crew got some bad family news and needed to get back immediately. With many drivers and plenty of cars to get the rest of the team back to DC as planned, Aneesh heroically volunteered right away to cut his trip short and drive back to help. Let me say this: DC UL is an amazing group of backpackers, and folks like Aneesh make this not only a group but a family who helps each other. Though he only hiked a handful of miles this trip, he gets my MVP award for the week.
Not all choices are choices, and not all adventures live up to that name, but the remaining seven pushed on to Blackrock Hut. We got in early, set up our tents in full sunlight, and all of us but Mark R. hiked over to Blackrock Summit Vista to perch on the rocks and take in a glorious sunset.
After a lovely evening around the Blackrock Hut campfire, which we built the trip around in the spirit of needing a winter fire to keep us cozy and together, we hit the sacks early. (Otherwise, fires away from the AT shelters are forbidden in SNP.). Come the morning, several of us packed up early to take in the sunrise from the very same near-360-degree view at Blackrock Summit, and we were off. Mark A. left camp last and oddly didn’t see Mark R, who had departed before him. Veronica chose her own adventure at this point to hike a few different trails then pack up and head back to town early so she could go to her son’s hockey game early the next morning. Kyle, Adrian, Chet, and I largely stayed together for the day. Mark A. unleashed his mountain slayer mode to pound out the miles ahead of us speedily.
The core crew enjoyed the views of Furnace Mountain, hiked down and up Austin Mountain with its scree fields, and met up again with the AT. Kyle chose another adventure variation as we went: making sure he hit every spur or connecting trail along the way in order for it to count toward his eventual goal of completing the Shenandoah 500. We figure he added an extra 1K of elevation gain to his day but always caught up with the rest of us.
The highlight of the day for me was the many resplendent falls along the Doyle’s River and Jones River trail. Even without snow for a better backdrop, it was pretty spectacular. As we finished the waterfall circuit, we met up again with Veronica, who parked near the top and wanted to see a few waterfalls, too. She noted she saw Mark R. early at camp, and he insisted to her he had hiked the full 18-mile plan. We found that odd since we still had more than two hours to go, and Mark R. was a decent hiker but still, this seemed a little improbable.
Photo: Mark A.
We pulled into Blackrock Summit shortly before yet another sunset, and I stopped to take it all in. Sure, it was cold and windy. But starting the year with sunsets like this was backpacking at its best.
Once dusk set in, we all met up at Blackrock Hut again for another great evening by the fire. Mark R. reiterated to us that he hiked it all hours faster than us. He chose to think that was his adventure for the day, and maybe it was.
Our final day ended up being the coldest yet, with a strong wind dropping temps down into single digits with wind chill. Though we only had about six miles to return to the cars, it was classic up and down nonstop on the AT, which challenged most of our comfort levels and layer management as we heated up and cooled off cyclically. We did get another splendid sunrise through the barren trees, though.
Once at the trailhead, our final challenge and mystery involved getting out of SNP along Skyline Drive, which was now actually closed because of the wind. We opted south for the fewest miles and got lucky that the gate was closed but not fully locked, so Mark A. jumped out of his truck and did the deed for the rest of us. Our final breakfast in Crozet, Virginia, was amazing – but even that needed a save when I walked up to the wrong door (a barbershop, it turned out) and sadly yelled to the group that it was closed. Luckily, Adrian walked to the open restaurant door and stopped us all from returning to our cars in defeat. While we won’t know if this is the best or worst DC UL trip of the year, it was most certainly the first.
PS: The second hero award for the trip goes to Kyle, who spotted an illegal fire ring near the falls and eradicated it.
DC UL Backpacking 
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