travel light, wake early, walk far
I was looking forward to this trip for months. Andrew (“Camel”) posted a point-to-point hike on the Appalachian Trail (“AT”) from Dragon’s Tooth to Pearisburg, all just west of Roanoke, Virginia. This is one of my only two missing pieces of the AT in Virginia. It also filled a four-day weekend in the Fall since... Continue Reading →
“Where exactly was the last big climb? Could I have already climbed it?” After backpacking a continuous 39 miles almost nonstop, I was understandably tired, and my reasoning was fatigue-compromised. Moments ago, I had left the last of two hiker challenge checkpoints, and the Pennsylvania finish line was only five miles away. I had hiked... Continue Reading →
“Senator [Quayle], I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy.” – Bentsen, L. (1988). “Vice Presidential Debate.” In The New York Times (October 5, 1988). ##### Dmitri (“Dying Siberian Wolf” or “DSW”) stared out over Pine Creek Gorge, which is also referred to as “The... Continue Reading →
“Suckers!” I thought. Two groups of DCUL backpackers were gathering at the Vienna Metro station for two different trips near each other in West Virginia. I signed on to the now-annual “Tour de Sods” expedition of the Dolly Sods and Roaring Plains wildernesses. The other group was heading to Spruce Knob and Seneca Creek just... Continue Reading →
“We came all the way to Europe to hike the Tour du Mont Blanc trail, so why are we so focused on trying to avoid it?” Wasal (“WB”) asked. It was a good question. Six of us flew from Washington, D.C. to hike the Tour du Mont Blanc (“TMB”) trail in the Alps, but after... Continue Reading →
DC UL Backpacking 