There are strange things done ’neath Virginia sunBy hikers with frozen hands,The Massanutten trails hold wind and galesAnd more rocks than grains of sand.The ridge winds bite with frosty spiteThough forecasts look sincere—But the wildest tale I’ll ever tellIs the hike we survived this year. I said with cheer, “The fall’s prime here—We’ll hike through... Continue Reading →
Trip Report: Splashing Around Otter Creek
Is there really anything better than spending a summer day soaking in cool waters? I’m hard-pressed to come up with a better way to spend an August weekend, and that’s just what we did on our recent adventure to Otter Creek. Over the past few years, Michael and I have been leading swimming hole trips... Continue Reading →
Adventures in Southern Shenandoah
I’ve been slowly picking off trails for the Shenandoah 500 and had a decent stretch along the Appalachian Trail (AT) at the top of the southern district that I still needed to cover. The first version of this trip was just the AT, but severe storms prompted me to reschedule it. My original plan had... Continue Reading →
Trip Report: Fall Foliage and a Spooky Surprise (Duncan/Strickler Knobs) (Oct. 26-27, 2024) (19 miles)
Somewhat last minute I posted a DCUL trip to Duncan Knob/Strickler knob. Because it was near the end of October I billed it as a “Fall Foliage / Spooky Trip.” It seemed like the perfect time to check out this section of the Massanutten area: the fall colors were anticipated to be at their peak... 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 →