Ours is a tough neighborhood. The Shenandoah National Park (“SNP”) is, relatively, in our backyard—a bit over an hour from Washington, D.C. But don’t let the proximity to civilization or the “park” name fool you! This 36-mile loop of ours skirted a densely packed rattlesnake den, unusually savvy fish, a coyote kill zone, complicated rock... Continue Reading →

DCUL News and Updates Upcoming Trips/Events Saturday, January 24th — Social: Potluck and "Big Trip" Celebration Saturday, February 7th — MO V1: Assateague Friday, February 20th — Social: Blackwater Falls Winter Weekend Saturday, March 21st — Wilderness First Aid Certification Class Friday, May 22nd — VMO: C&O canal towpath bikepacking Friday, June 5th — IO/VMO:... Continue Reading →

It couldn’t have been worse. A co-worker invited me to her in-office baby shower held during lunch break. I arrived 15 minutes late and immediately regretted accepting the invitation. The woman-only crowd was deep into corny “baby shower games.” I gamely tried to fit in during the “baby trivia” game. However, when someone passed around... Continue Reading →

In case you all were worried, we did survive the frozen wastes of central Shenandoah during the ~Polar Vortex~ a couple weeks ago! We originally planned on trekking out to the Pocohantas trail in West Virginia, but due to a snowy forecast during the week I chose to opt for a shorter drive this weekend... Continue Reading →

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 →