Whitegrass 2022

Whitegrass is coming! It’s time to start getting ready so settle in for the incredibly long yet spellbindingly fascinating logistics email.

What You Need to Bring

• Cash to cover your Whitegrass fees–day use, rentals, and lessons (if applicable). We also ask that you add $2 to your total to help us cover sales tax. Drop off your payment to Michael when you arrive.
• Bed linens are provided but it is worth bringing a towel. You’ll be a happier person if you know which towel is yours. The cabins don’t have hand soap so you may want to coordinate with your cabinmates on bringing some. We will have hand sanitizer.
• Food for breakfast on Saturday and Sunday, as well as lunch on Saturday. For lunch, Whitegrass has a great café for those spending the day there.
• Anything you want to drink that weekend.
• Appropriate clothing for skiing, cabin-relaxing, and outdoor potlucking.
• A good sense of humor!

One important note for this year. Blackwater will not be releasing the cabin numbers in advance to me—I’ll get that information when I check in on Friday. Right now, at least two of the cabins are in the last circle, and I believe the other cabin is in the middle one. (The comment about the circles will make sense when you arrive.) I will post the cabin numbers on Meetup when I get them but I’m assuming most of you will be on the road by that point. If you aren’t able to access that information, aim for the last circle and look for the DC UL sign—do not go to the lodge (it’s closed anyway). Consider this your route-finding challenge for the weekend.

Addresses and Contact Information

• Blackwater Falls Lodge: 1584 Blackwater Lodge Rd, Davis, WV 26260. 304.259.5216
• Whitegrass: 643 Weiss Knob Ski Rd, Davis, WV 26260. 304.866.4114
• Organizers: Jennifer Adach, 202.631.3206, and Michael Martin, 571.225.6763
• Driving Directions from Vienna: https://goo.gl/maps/UhEnFzXCvziStE7B9 ­

Carpooling
Use the event page to work out carpooling for the trip. Drivers should post when they’d like to leave (both Friday and Sunday), from where, and how many they can accommodate. Passengers, as per our carpooling policy, anticipate paying your drivers about $32 for the ride. ($0.10 per mile)

NOTE FOR DRIVERS: I will need to give Blackwater Falls a list of cars that will be parked outside each cabin. Please fill out this form by noon on Thursday, Jan. 27: https://forms.gle/edANzxghgNDNp4mJ9

(If you are renting and won’t know your car information until you pick it up, let me know so we can figure out another way to get that information to me.)

Plans for the Weekend

Friday

• 5:30 p.m. Cabins are available for check-in. Michael and I will have picked up the keys for the cabins. Find us—and your cabin keys—in the last circle at what will now be called Cabin A. Do not go to the lodge as they are only releasing the cabin keys to me—also, it is closed.
• 7 p.m.  Outdoor Nacho and Welcome Party (Cabin A) with meat and vegan options. Join us!

Saturday

• Breakfast on your own. (Feel free to coordinate with your cabin.)
• 9 a.m. Whitegrass opens and skiing begins!
• Whitegrass is a 30-minute drive from the cabins. If you are spending the day here, it has an excellent café for lunch.
• Not interested in skiing? There is a ton of hiking in the area, including several trails in Blackwater Falls.
• 6:30 p.m. DC UL Outdoor Arctic Potluck Dinner: Bring your warm layers! (What could go wrong?)

Sunday

• 10 a.m. Check-out from your cabins by cleaning them. Return keys to your cabin captain who will then give the keys back to Jen and Michael. This is a strict deadline for check-out! Otherwise, you will be charged a late checkout fee.
• Feel free to ski or hike during the day.

The Cabins
The cabins are equipped with the following: wireless internet, full kitchen, coffee maker, telephone, flat screen television, and a washer/dryer combo. Also provided: Linens for the beds, dish soap, sponges, and kitchen/bathroom towels. I will have extra paper towels, coffee filters, and trash bags in case they are needed. There are four bedrooms in each cabin: two with queen beds and two with twin beds.

The kitchen has pots and pans, but you may want to consider bringing your own, especially if you are preparing an item for the potluck–that way you have what you need.

Cross Country Skiing
Whitegrass opens at 9 a.m. on Saturday. Plan to arrive by that time—especially if ski conditions are looking good. Parking can be tight so also try to form carpools if you have space. Don’t forget to bring your ID for the rentals. The café accepts both cash and credit for those planning to lunch there.

Group fees are:

• Rental: $25
• Beginner Lesson: $20
• Area Use: $25
• Please add $2 to your total to help us defray the sales tax.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU PAY MICHAEL IN CASH FRIDAY NIGHT SO WE CAN AVOID ANY CHAOS SATURDAY MORNING. Cash makes life easier for us when settling the bill at Whitegrass on Saturday morning. We will supply Whitegrass with a list of what you’ve paid for (skis, area use fee, beginner lesson). When you arrive at Whitegrass, you’ll just need to check in, show your ID to confirm that you are with DCUL, and get your rentals.

If you are taking a beginner lesson, note that it usually starts first thing in the morning. You’ll want to get your skis on as soon as you get them.

Whitegrass does offer individual or small group lessons for those who have some cross-country experience and would like to improve their skills. If you are so inclined, you can set up a session at Whitegrass on Saturday.

What if there is no snow at Whitegrass? Well, fingers crossed that we do–if not, nearby adventures include hiking in Dolly Sods or Canaan Valley or snow tubing and downhill skiing at Canaan Valley or Timberline.

Just note that we (Michael and I) will not be leading or organizing an official hike if there is no snow. Feel free to coordinate with others Friday evening or Saturday morning.

Saturday Night Festivities: Potluck
The forecast is prompting us to reconfigure Saturday evening’s potluck. What’s changing:

• The two cabins closest to each other will host the potluck. We’ll have the food spread out on their decks. (This means just one cabin will have to transport their food.)
• We will compress the timeframe so that the potluck starts at 6:30 p.m. and ends when the last person decides it is just too cold.
• I will have takeout containers available for anyone who wants to scoop up food and take it back to their cabin.
• When you arrive on Friday, I’ll have the location for the potluck available so you know where to find the tasty food.

While we usually like to have everyone visit each other’s cabins, it doesn’t seem very feasible given the low temperatures and that we are hosting all large social gatherings outside… we do want this to be fun.

Cabin Assignments

Right now, we will have to use cots in two of the cabins. Those in cots will get first dibs on available space should any cancellations pop up. Sorry – we try to avoid cots but I was unable to avoid it this year. I appreciate in advance everyone for being flexible here.

Please note that the cabin assignments are subject to change. If I need to make any adjustments, I’ll follow up with you directly. I’ll also have a list available at the event so you can find people.

Cabin A

• Q1: Jen and Michael (cabin captain)
• Q2: Sandra (potluck organizer) and Paul
• T1: Cynthia, Chuck
• T2: Brian H., Marika
• Cot: Christy

Cabin B

• Q1: Kylie (cabin captain) and Karan (potluck organizer)
• Q2: Dmitri
• T1: Alex C, Jason L
• T2: Alexander, Bryan

Cabin C

• Q1: Jonathan (cabin captain) and Kristen
• Q2: Mark and Ashley
• T1: Liz (potluck organizer), Janice
• T2: Mark, Robert

Questions–send them my way! See everyone soon!
Jen