travel light, wake early, walk far
Still groggy from awaking after an all night rainfall, I leaned over my freshly packed backpack, strapping my drenched tent onto it. Steve (“Baconator”) approached and we exchanged the same “how did you sleep” small-talk conversation everyone makes each morning of a backpacking trek. He then took out a stiletto knife and suddenly everything went... Continue Reading →
The diner waitress looked sympathetic as she poured the coffee. “Tough night, Sweetie?” she asked Kyle (“Water Dog”). Water Dog sat at a booth sized for eight people but with only one person, Logan, across from him. Seven people followed him into the wilderness in the aftermath of the region’s first major snowfall in two... Continue Reading →
Some day hikers approached us from the opposite direction on this final DCUL backpacking trip of 2023. Mark (“Snake Jumper”) smiled broadly and greeted them more warmly than to most hikers one passes on the Appalachian Trail. They greeted each other by name, exchanged a few words, and wished each other a happy New Year.... Continue Reading →
Photo: View from Stoney Man Mountain Eight of us sat in a circle eating our dinners and planning our future. We had just completed hiking up White Oak Canyon to Stoney Man Mountain with 2,800 feet of elevation gain only to give it all up down Nicholson Hollow Trail. The short day of only 11... Continue Reading →
Ahhhh—a November amble through the Shenandoah National Park (“SNP”)! Piecing together a few trail loops, we DCUL hikers strode up and down the mountains from Pine Hill Gap to Buck Hollow to Mary’s Rock to Pass Mountain. Solid mileage. Short Fall days. Bracing autumn chill. Nearby forest fires fully contained. Three DCULers signed on for... Continue Reading →
DC UL Backpacking 