July 8th, 2023. That was the day. It was forecasted to be hot. Oh so very hot. 90 degrees. Plus humidity. It would feel more like 95 degrees. I would make them suffer. I would give them 5000 feet of elevation gain...and 28 miles. Oh yes. It would be fun. I rubbed my hands together... Continue Reading →
Trip Report: Damnation II (Southern Shenandoah National Park Loop: Blackrock, Loft Mountain, Brown Mountain, Rockytop, Furnace Mountain, Trayfoot, Paine Run) (June 23-25, 2023) (40 miles)
This trip was damned from the start. Chandler (Willy Wonka) posted this trip for June 9, copying the trip I last posted for and completed September 17-19, 2021. I called that trip “Redemption” because when I first attempted this challenging loop four years prior, I could not complete it. The September trip, four years later,... Continue Reading →
Trip Report: New Faces; Old Trail (Trout Run Valley, WV/VA) (June 3-4) (27 miles)
This was my first trip I've led for DCUL since joining in the summer of 2021. Close to two years later and a few thousand miles of backpacking (thanks to my thru hike), I decided that it was time for me to start leading trips on trails that I've seen many times. One trail that... Continue Reading →
Trip Report: Stairway to Heaven (Standing Stone Trail/Thousand Steps Trail, Central Pennsylvania) (May 25-29, 2023) (93 Miles)
“Next year can we hike the ‘Thousand Step Escalator?’” — Anonymous hiker. I don’t curse. However a vulgar word rhyming with “duck” expelled from my frustrated throat with such force that people all the way in California stopped what they were doing to look up curiously. Walking on an excessively rocky ridge overlooking serene, green... Continue Reading →
Spring/Summer 2023 Newsletter
June is New Member Month! We plan to have at least one low-mileage (LM) trip on the calendar for each weekend in June. If you are you an assistant organizer (AO interested in leading a trip, check out our Trip Repository for ideas! Are you someone who's been thinking about doing some backpacking? This is... Continue Reading →