When you start telling people that you want an adventure, you really can’t complain when what you get is, in fact, an adventure, right? Some time ago, I decided that I wanted to reprise my section hike of the Mid State Trail, that epic footpath across the center of Pennsylvania, which DC UL had done... Continue Reading →
Trip Report: Spruce Knob/Seneca Creek, West Virginia (Sept. 7-8, 2024) (~19 miles)
Where does a DCUL backpacking trip begin? Does it start at the trailhead? Does it start at the Vienna (or Grosvenor) metro parking lot? Or does it start at a Sheetz in Moorefield, West Virginia? The plan was to meet up early on Saturday morning at the Vienna metro, driving West about 3 hours to... Continue Reading →
Trip Report: “Roan’n and Groan’n” (Roan Highlands Appalachian Trail Section Hike, North Carolina/Tennessee) (Sept. 6-9, 2024) (52 miles)
The black bear growled loudly, freezing me in my tracks. Seeing bears in the Appalachian mountains is common; having them growl at me is not. For a moment, I considered standing very still and quiet, hoping the bear was growling at something other then me. I then considered running down the trail to make an... Continue Reading →
And Then There Were Two: LM: Trout Run Valley July 5-7, 2024
Sunset Through Humidity on Halfmoon Mountain -- still hot, even when half-set. Credit: Aileen K James R. planned what should have been a straight-forward weekend backpacking trip circumnavigating the Trout Run Valley, along the Virginia/West Virginia border near Wardensville, WV. This is an area where DCUL goes often, since there are spectacular views from high... Continue Reading →
Trip Report: “Feels Like the First Time” Ultra-LM (Kennedy Peak at Massanutten, Va) (June 14-15) (9 miles)
You’ve probably heard of us. They are calling us the “Kennedy Peak Four.” I always hated that tag. To my ears it makes us sound like a boy band, as in: “Now opening for the Backstreet Boys, the Kennedy Peak Four!” However, I cannot deny the national interest in us. Most of what you’ve read... Continue Reading →