“Take your pick: heavy water, beaver water, or sweaty Russian water.” — Anonymous. For the 5th year in a row, DCUL sponsored the running of the Tour de Sods in the Dolly Sods Wilderness and the adjacent Roaring Plains Wilderness. One of the most popular backpacking adventures of the year, the trip filled up with prospective... Continue Reading →
Trip Report: “Feels Like the First Time” Ultra-LM (Kennedy Peak at Massanutten, Va) (June 14-15) (9 miles)
You’ve probably heard of us. They are calling us the “Kennedy Peak Four.” I always hated that tag. To my ears it makes us sound like a boy band, as in: “Now opening for the Backstreet Boys, the Kennedy Peak Four!” However, I cannot deny the national interest in us. Most of what you’ve read... Continue Reading →
Trip Report: “Surviving Man-Eating Fish on the Foothills Trail” (Foothills Trail Thru-Hike, South/North Carolina) (May 24-27, 2024) (77 miles)
When our backpacking club, DCUL, hiked a section of the Appalachian Trail south of the Shenandoah National Park last year, we called our trip: “Whale Watching in the Blue Ridge Mountains.” It was really just a joke, though. Whales rarely hide in the trees of those mountains. We simply riffed off the name of a... Continue Reading →
Trip Report: “Dry Feet in a Wet Desert” (Utah/Arizona: Escalente NM: Paria Canyon + Death Hollow Canyon + Harris Wash + Buckskin Gulch + Pine Creek Box) (April 13-23, 2024)
“You probably won't even get your feet wet,” the Ranger said as he handed us a permit and a bunch of wag bags. “The conditions in Paria Canyon are unusually perfect. The low chance of rain tomorrow has cleared, the temperatures are warming, and the reliable springs are all flowing.” He saved the best for... Continue Reading →
Trip Report: Hiner Spring Rescue Mission, Part Deux (Ramsey’s Draft Wilderness) (March 29-31, 2024) (29 Miles)
Three backpackers stumbled off the Wild Oak Trail onto the giant mountain top campsite of Hiner Spring. One held a bloody rag to her face as her companions hovered around her with deep concern on their faces. They dropped packs and rushed to the spring. A few moments prior, a windy squall whipped in from... Continue Reading →