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 →

“The sparrow hops along the veranda, with wet feet.” — Haiku by Masaoki Shiki I officially declare the Loyalsock Trail in Pennsylvania the best long-weekend backpacking trail in the mid-Atlantic. Having long heard praise of it, I weirdly never had the opportunity to experience it. Having now completed a thru-hike, I added it to my... Continue Reading →

I planned this Labor Day Weekend trip as I do any DCUL trip. I appeared for my planning appointment before the DCUL power-brokers at the national headquarters. With my PowerPoint presentation ready, I sat at the end of the 40 foot mahogany conference room table to present my plan. At the head of the table,... Continue Reading →

Ah! A low mileage, summertime hike centering around a mountain-steam-fed lake. The perfect hike for a hot August weekend. What could go wrong? Trouble: Rainstorms Eight of us arrived at the trailhead parking area at 9:20 p.m. on Friday night on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The weather forecast was good, but we still worried about... Continue Reading →

There are some people who delicately peel off adhesive first-aid bandages to minimize pain; some who gingerly wade into the ocean to get used to the temperature before swimming; some who sip and savor Scotch. Then there are DCUL backpackers. We rip off Band-Aids, even from sensitive areas; we jump into the icy ocean without... Continue Reading →