2025 upon us, we ventured out on January 2nd to Shenandoah (SNP) for two nights of backpacking to start hiking in the new year and take in the hunter-free woods on this, the last week of rifle season in Virginia for every public forest in the state not federally protected like this national park. There... Continue Reading →
Trip Reports & More
Trip Report: Trans-Catalina Trail (Dec. 27-29, 2024) (38.5 miles)
Santa Catalina Island is located just off the coast of greater Los Angeles and features a gem of a trail called the Trans Catalina Trail or "TCT" for short. You may have heard of Santa Catalina Island from the movie Step Brothers (queue the Catalina Wine Mixer memes). With the weather on the island usually... Continue Reading →
Trip Report: Quehanna Trail (~75 miles). Election Week Escape From DC w/ Geiger Counters, Coyotes, and Altoona Pizza
Photo: Logan. We love our traditions around here. One week after DC UL’s annual Four State Challenge, we launched our third post-presidential election week escape from DC to the 75-mile Quehanna Trail in north-central Pennsylvania. In 2016, I vividly remembered our shell-shocked faces after a surprisingly tumultuous week as we gathered at the trailhead on that... Continue Reading →
Trip Report: 2024 Four State Challenge (~44 miles)
The 2024 DC UL Four State Challenge was one for the books! A cool and clear fall weekend set the perfect backdrop for a trek across four states (VA, WV, MD, PA) in a single day on the Appalachian Trail. This year, our participants were Austin ("Citrus"), Brian, Steve ("Baconator"), Kyle ("Water Dog"), Aneesh, and... 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 →