As we start 2023, we are 1,645 members strong! We took 61 trips in 2022, along with a number of social events throughout the year. Backpackers joined us on the trails 432 times for fellowship, gear talk, and hiking. Our members hail from all over, not just DC. Here's where Meetup tells us you are... Continue Reading →

Cover photo credit: Trisha Most of the group (Adrian, Mark R., Trisha, Emily, David, Karan & I) met at Vienna on Saturday morning. We picked up Alexander on the way and made it to the trailhead a little after 10am. There was a dusting of snow up at the trailhead, but little enough that most... Continue Reading →

The final Corbin Cabin journal entry read: 1.8.23 — This cabin exceeded our expectations! From the Michelin star dining, to the butler turn-down service, to the surprise music appearance of the Eagles, we had no complaints! This was a true luxury camping experience compared to our usual ones—sleeping on the ground outside. —DCUL: Washington, D.C.’s... Continue Reading →

“Do you see over yonder, friend Sancho, thirty or forty hulking giants? I intend to do battle with them and slay them.” Don Quixote (Miguel de Cervantes) Hiner Spring, a delightful mountain spring in a grove of pine trees, sits on top of the Ramsey’s Draft Wilderness, west of Staunton, Virginia. It is a terrific place... Continue Reading →

I almost cancelled this Veteran’s Day Weekend backpacking trip. The pre-trip weather report showed the remnants of Hurricane Nicole crashing into our path at the start of the trip, followed by a gale-force cold front dropping wind chill temperatures to the single digits. Wet and frigid weather is an unwelcome combination for a 60 mile... Continue Reading →