Something about the Wonderland Trail stuck with me out of all the cool trails on my radar. It's popular, and I know multiple folks who had recommended it. It's in Mount Rainier National Park in the Pacific Northwest, a region I'd long wanted to visit. Hiking the loop would add Mount Rainier to my "mountains... Continue Reading →
Hiking Through History
The Hiking Judge: William O. Douglas and the C&O Canal by Jake Sawyer If you talk to enough members of DCUL, you’ll find a number of lawyers in our club. If he had the chance, Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas would have been one of them. Justice Douglas hikes past a lock house on... Continue Reading →
Trip Report: Silence of the Yams (North Fork Mountain Trail) (August 23rd-24th, 2025) (25 Miles)
Beth and I found ourselves in yet another Sheetz Gas Station. This was our holy city, after all. Muslims had their Mecca, Jews had their Jerusalem, and DCUL had Sheetz. We had come to make our mandatory sacrifice before going off into the mountains for the weekend. Some say that if you skip this part... Continue Reading →
Trip Report: “Celebrities of D.C.” Hike the “Grand Canyon of the East” (West Rim Trail, Tioga Co, PA) (August (30 miles)
“Senator [Quayle], I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy.” – Bentsen, L. (1988). “Vice Presidential Debate.” In The New York Times (October 5, 1988). ##### Dmitri (“Dying Siberian Wolf” or “DSW”) stared out over Pine Creek Gorge, which is also referred to as “The... Continue Reading →
Trip Report: “What a Difference a Year Makes” Tour de Sods (Dolly Sods-Roaring Plains Wilderness Thru-Hike) (July 18-20, 2025).
“Suckers!” I thought. Two groups of DCUL backpackers were gathering at the Vienna Metro station for two different trips near each other in West Virginia. I signed on to the now-annual “Tour de Sods” expedition of the Dolly Sods and Roaring Plains wildernesses. The other group was heading to Spruce Knob and Seneca Creek just... Continue Reading →