False Cape State Park is unique among Virginia's state parks in that it's inaccessible except through Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge. You have to bike or walk to get there. Similar to other barrier islands the eastern side faces the ocean and the western side faces the bay. Because Back Bay doesn't have overnight parking,... Continue Reading →
Trip Report: Not At All According to Plan (August 29, 2026) (0 / 8 miles) (Intro to Packrafting / White Rock Cliffs)
Intro to Packrafting: Pray for Rain Originally I'd planned for this weekend to be the latest Intro to Packrafting trip. DC UL has occasionally done this trip which involves backpacking along part of the Massanutten Trail, camping overnight, then paddling back to the starting point on packrafts. While researching this trip I found helpful trip... Continue Reading →
Trip Report: The Ascent of Strickler Knob with Apologies to Robert Service (19 miles)
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 →