travel light, wake early, walk far
It was Tuesday, September 24th, two days before our scheduled 90-mile AT backpack and I was obsessively watching the Weather Channel to get all the details on hurricane Helene. The news was not good … Helene was expected to strengthen into a Cat 4 hurricane before landfall in the bend of Florida Thursday night. The... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
I slept fitfully. After most backpacking trips, when exhaustion meets a hot shower and then a soft bed at home, I sleep like an otter—the small mammal known for sleeping 11 hours at a time. Last night was different. I quickly fell asleep early, but I dreamt I was walking through cornrows in a farm.... Continue Reading →
There were bonus miles, getting scharfed, bailouts, beer angels, great whiskey shortages, inchworms and mosquitos, car in ditches, questionable water sources… well, yes, the list could go on.
DC UL Backpacking 