travel light, wake early, walk far
This was a fun trip to plan. Sharon, Karan, and I looked closely at maps of the Mid State Trail (MST) and Standing Stone Trail (SST) confluence in Rothrock State Forest a few weeks back and designed a loop with no car-shuttling required to make for an epic little return to one of our favorite... Continue Reading →
(Trip Report and Photos by Evan) It’s possible this trip report will be longer than our actual DC UL Backpacking Friday night to Saturday afternoon circumnavigation of Trout Run Valley. It won’t, however, be as good. We lucked into perfect weather and plenty of meaningful socially-distanced fun. And then we returned home in time for... Continue Reading →
Trip report for: https://www.meetup.com/DC-UL-Backpacking/events/270965300/ Since the 27mi Trout Run valley trip was full, I decided to lead a separate trip with my friend Steve G. We went to S. Massanutten and did an ad-hoc loop starting at 8am on Saturday morning and finishing up around noon on Sunday. We were joined by Mark V, Logan... Continue Reading →
https://www.meetup.com/DC-UL-Backpacking/events/270854486/ It had been four years since I last hiked the AFT, so I was delighted to give it another go. Between the stay at home orders and travel restrictions due to work, I hadn't been out backpacking since the Death Valley trip, so I was hot to trot. Since I had posted it so... Continue Reading →
Feature Photo Credit: Sophie! Itching to hike over the Memorial Day weekend before it got really hot, I set up a social distancing version of the Massanutten trip. 5 people joined and 5 people finished with varying degrees of foot pain 🙂 Here are some of the important aspects of the trip: Anniversary: In 2010,... Continue Reading →
by Evan McCarthy March came and went. April came and went. No backpacking. Not so much as a quick overnight adventure in Shenandoah National Park, let alone DC UL Backpacking’s annual rite of spring group hike of the 70+ mile Massanutten trail. I hunkered down with the rest of humanity. I worked from home. I... Continue Reading →
Every winter, DC UL does a few trips to the Adirondacks. These trips are a great adventure, but require more preparations to do safely. This article will cover what you should know to prepare for one of those trips. Typical Trip Overview The winter trips to the Adirondacks, (ADK), tend to be snowshoeing. We usually... Continue Reading →
Exercise It's no overstatement -- we are an active group. Heck, we relish a Mega Massanutten and look forward to the Four State Challenge. With limited opportunities for physical activity, we've listed some apps and channels that either offer free trials or are totally free. Tell yourself you're cross training. Core Power Yoga on Demand... Continue Reading →
Pics from the trip: https://photos.app.goo.gl/PbTW1fSeQ3tEcdtT6 Nine people - a mix of applicants and veterans - gathered at Grosvenor metro and drove to the Lost Turkey/John P Saylor trailhead. It was a sunny Saturday morning and we had a beautiful day ahead of us. The drive was smooth and we were on the trail around 11... Continue Reading →
