Most DCUL assistant organizers plan DCUL trips a month or so in advance. Some, like Michael M (“Uturn”), will post international trips a year in advance. Last weekend 10 DCULers hiked a Shenandoah National Park trip planned four years ago. Hope, dispointment, and—ultimately—redemption were the mile markers of this journey. I was a new DCULer... Continue Reading →

(AT from Manassas Gap to Snickers’ Gap — 28 miles) (August 13-15, 2021) I was feeling melancholy. Neither my glass of Loire wine, nor some ripe Brie cheese, nor the faint strains of accordion music from the cafe across the plaza soothed me. I read and re-read the RSVP list on Karan and Kylie’s Roaring Plains/Haystack... Continue Reading →

Emerald Pond. Some people—mostly those who have never been to Hawaii—might call this crystal-clear, spring-fed lake on top of Massanutten Mountain prettier than a Hawaiian lagoon at sunset. This was to be the highlight of the Emerald Pond Paradise hike on June 25-27. Five DCULers threw ultralight swimsuits into our packs to seek paradise. We... Continue Reading →