Hey y’all!! Anyone else love the song Sweet Virginia by The Rolling Stones??? If not, let me serenade you with my favorite lyric: “got to scrape that shit right off your shoes” Anyone else inspired to go backpacking because they want to scrape that metaphorical shit [exams/finals/school] right off your shoes [aka soul] ??? Come rejoice in the soul-cleansing powerwash …
HELLO ALL tik tok users, “Demon CopperHead” enjoyers, and foxfield avoiders. Join me and Ella on a backpacking/swimming trip to THE DEVIL’S BATHTUB. Devil’s Bathtub is a deep water hole in Scott County Virginia, right near the Tennessee border. Devil’s bathtub has crystal clear, aquamarine colored water, created by algae on the bottom. It is said that the water is …
Hellooooooooooooooo peoples! What better way to close out your semester than by frolicking in the spring west virginia wilderness?? Come join Ben & I for a three-day backpacking extravaganza at Dolly Sods!! This place is Ben’s and my absolute favorite spot to backpack: the landscape resembles the arctic tundra and has incredible mountain views and forests and fields. The spring …
Hello friends! We are assembling a group of high rollers to conquer not one, not two, but three whole ridges! And we want YOU there! Three Ridges is a cool backpacking circuit that has nice views within an hour of Charlottesville. Those new to backpacking are more than welcome. Hiking experience is valuable as we will rack up some hiking …
Friday March 29 – Saturday March 30 Do you hate spring and all that is green (except exuberant moss carpets, ferns, and spruces)? Did you miss out on some good-old-fashioned winter backpacking this season? Well I’ve got news for you – your last chance to experience all this has not yet evaded you. Join Chris and I on our journey …
Hello nitty gritty dirty little freaks, For those who do not know, a wildfire hit Matts Creek, near Big Island, VA back in November. Around 11,000 acres were affected, and as you could imagine, the area has dramatically changed. But in what ways?? Join us on this backpacking adventure of re-entering the area with respect and curiosity to see how …
So like I haven’t been on a backpacking trip since November which is just criminal so that paired with this semester flying by, I’m making things happen. I’m all about finding cool places to hike and backpack and I think I’ve found a good one; Roaring Plains which is actually just below Dolly Sods which if its even half as …
**Drivers get priority off the waitlist & gas reimbursement 🙂 Hey y’all It’s sooo hard to fit in the amount of backpacking I want to do when I’ve got this much HW… so… Friday night backpacking! This should be a fun trip. It’ll just be a 5 miles out-and-back type of deal, but we’ll stay at this cool shelter that …
This April (8th), coming to skies in a state near you, watch the sun goddamn disappear in the middle of the day! Want to see every animal freak out and feel the temperature drop ten degrees while watching the Sun’s magnetic field blazes above you for three minutes? Then join us as drive up to — well, we’ll get to …
Join Ed & Carson for an XTREMEEE Backpacking Workshop this Monday!!! This is NOT YOUR ORDINARY BACKPACKING WORKSHOP, although it will teach you all the essential skills of backpacking and principles of Leave No Trace (L! N! T!), this is also an exploration of backpacking stoke through an extreme lens, learning about things such as such as desert backpacking (brush …
Are you looking for an awesome adventure over Spring Break? Maybe you didn’t get on Moab, maybe you’re looking for something cheaper and more local? Maybe you’ve been backpacking a time or two and want to expand your backpacking experience? OH BOY, do I have the trip for you. *Plz read the whole trip description (I know its long) before …
Howdy all!! Are YOU thinking “wow it’s going to be so sunny and nice this weekend I wish i was going backpacking?” well if you are (or still if you arent) come join Ben & I as we backpack Three Ridges!!! This is a beginner friendly trip so NO experience necessary! That being said we plan on doing upwards of …
Hey y’all! I want to go backpacking, but I also have shit (homework) to do this weekend. Solution: the world’s shortest backpacking trip. We’ll only be hiking 2 miles in/out to Maupin Field Shelter on the AT, so this not much hiking, mostly just going to sleep outside. There’s nothing spectacular about the place, but this is a good beginning …
Hello outdoorsy souls, If you guessed the backpacking season was over, guess again. If you guessed that no one would be willing to trade studying in the dark hellish armpit that is Clem with two days immersed in the beauty of nature, guess again. Because guess what? Claire and I are about to do JUST THAT and you should join …
Hello outdoorsy souls, If you guessed the backpacking season was over, guess again. If you guessed that no one would trade studying in the dark hellish armpit that is Clem with two days immersed in the beauty of nature, guess again. Because guess what? Claire and I are about to do JUST THAT and you should join us!! We are …
Shredders, senders, and aspiring desert sand frolickers, welcome to the last week of fall classes. Your reward: the glorious emergence of the most LEGENDARY, only ONCE an earth revolution, GNAR JOURNEY. We begin preparing now to rise from east coast hibernation and mass migrate to the land of canyons, red rocks, ultimate gritty-ness and cryptobiotic crust: MOAB, UTAH. Approximately 44 …
Hi everyone!! I feel like going backpacking this weekend and you all should come. This is very late notice but I can grab any gear you may need from the gear room so no problems there!!!! Come!!! Current plan is to do the Wil Kohlbrenner Memorial Loop. The game for this trip is LAYERS!! Also…ONE FOOD CHALLENGE!!!! I’ve talked about …
Hey y’all. Idk about you but my life has been unbelievably busy these past weeks (where did October go???) and I haven’t gone backpacking in a hot minute and I wanted to change that. I’ve also noticed there haven’t been too many queer affinity trips and wanted to help change that! So come join Ed and I on what will …
Like Zeus with the birth of Athena, one sunny day in slaughter a brilliant idea emerged from my brain. It is a combination of my two favorite things, bread and backpacking hereby termed Baguette Packing! The emergence of Baguette packing as a sport has been prophesied since the dawn of bread. It involves participants taking a baguette into the wild …
Do you HATE the Sunday scaries?? Do you always plan to get work done but end up doing absolutely nothing?? Well let’s go AVOID THAT and GET OUTSIDE!!! Our plan is to do a Thanksgiving themed trip, where we’ll cook some thanksgiving dishes at the top. We’ll eat our yummerz dinner and revel in the joy of backpacking on a …
I’ve been looking to do the full Triple Crown Loop for a long time, and with the forecast projecting freaky high temps for this time of year I want to take advantage of it. We’ll be doing the full loop (~34 miles) over the course of 3 days at a relatively moderate pace – I love backpacking but I’m not …
Yo who couldn’t get off the waitlists for NRGE?? Me neither soooo…. thought we’d ditch those losers and go backpacking. Elliot Knob is a pretty sick trail that leads up to a fire tower we can campout in for the night. Its an 8.3 out-and-back trail with some pretty good elevation gain of 2400 feet so its a pretty chill …
Howdy fellow lovers of dirt, Has this perfect fall weather been putting you in the mood for some EPIC backpacking? Well you’re in luck because Chelsea and I are running back our beautiful, fall-foliage-and-riddle-filled backpacking trip from last year! We are pumped to take advantage of this beautiful weather with an overnight backpacking trip through the Brown Rocky Mountain trail …
Hey y’all. I love backpacking and I’m loving the cooler weather. I’ve seen some cool trips to elliot knob in the past (specifically ones of people camping in the fire tower) and I’m jealous so let’s go do just that! The goal is to hike up elliot knob, secure the fire tower for sleeping in, enjoy the stars, and hike …
An animal howls off in the distance, the pines whisper to each other, and the smell of fire smoke fills your nostrils as you gaze up into the vast starry sky. To be alone with the world for a moment is all you need and everything you’ve been missing. Let’s go spend some time away from our beloved Cville hustle …
Hey all. This is going to be a really amazing trip down to the highest elevation area in Virginia, with the tallest mountain + some other runner ups. The mount Rodgers area is known for its unique open landscape, that’ll remind you much more of being out west than being in the east, unique biodiversity, and of course wild horses …
Next weekend seems to be The Weekend of Backpacking … so for all those waitlisters …. here’s one more! Three Ridges is a 13.2 mile loop in George Washington Forest (~45 minutes from Charlottesville) made up of the Mau-Har and Appalachian Trails. The elevation gain for the entire loop is 3,848 … which is definitely …. a decent amount! I’ve …
It’s TIME for the first backpacking workshop of the year! WOOHOO As you may have noticed there are countless backpacking trips posted on the website right now… Take advantage of this magnificent opportunity to get started with the ✨art of backpacking✨. On Thursday we’ll learn all about backpacking gear and skills in this specially made workshop for NEW MEMBERS and …
Are you queer? Do you want to go backpacking in Grayson Highlands w/ some other queers (and also wild ponies)? Great, this is the trip for you. Jenna & I are ecstatic to be leading another queer backpacking trip! **We need drivers. Drivers get priority off waitlist and gas reimbursement. Here r the deets: Loose itinerary: Saturday 8am- meet at …
Outdoorsclubians we must go back! We must return to Elliot Knob! Join me one and all as I return to the summit of Elliot Knob to crest the fire tower at its peak and look out upon the world below. Close to Charlottesville, about an hour away, sitting at the summit of Elliot Knob lies an abandoned fire lookout tower …
Hello my fellow outdoor friends!! I hope everyone’s first week of classes went well (and more importantly that no one was swamped with too much homework this early in the semester). I am leading an intermediate backpacking trip out to Spruce Knob out in West Virginia this upcoming weekend. The hike round trip is 16.5 miles with about 6-8 miles …
Helllooo hellooo friends, anyone else hear the blue ridges calling?? Chelsea and I sure do, and we’ve decided to answer them the best way we know how: with a backpack, tent, campfire, and a whole lotta love. That’s right, it’s time for some backpacking. And not just any backpacking – it’s RIPRAP TIME. This will be a hybrid trip, which …
What is up lovely odc-ers. I have missed our lovely SNP this summer (altho the white mountains of New Hampshire aren’t too bad) and want to hit the ground running this semester. You might notice this trip is basically a carbon copy of a trip from last fall (its actually literally 1 year ago, shoutout ed and sophia too), and …
Come cool off at Dolly Sods, WV: my *favorite* place to go backpacking within a handful of hours of Cville. Its Wilderness is unique, and different every visit. Much of the vegetation on Dolly Sods’ 4000-foot plateau is interesting and rare in the Southeast USA, more typical of arctic tundra northern Canada! Look forward to awesome views, challenging wet mushy …
This is a easy to moderately challenging overnight backpacking trip. Will total to a little over 5 miles. Itinerary: -Leave grounds 2PM on Friday -Arrive at trailhead ~3:30PM -Hike 2.5ish miles to camping location -Camp for the night -Hike back to the parking lot the next morning (2.5 miles) -Get back to grounds by 1PM! You bring: -sleeping bag/sleeping pad …
yeah, you read that correctly… BIKEpacking. Not backpacking. All the fun of biking, with all the self-reliance and minimalism of backpacking. And all while taking in so many beautiful views and soaking in the remote scenery of the Appalachian mountains. Over the course of two days, we’re going to ride a ~50 mile loop that circumnavigates and summits Reddish Knob …
This is a 7.3 mile loop with over 1,300 feet of elevation gain. Along the route, we should see waterfalls, Camp Rapidan (President Herbert Hoover’s getaway retreat), and views from Hazeltop/Jones Mountain. This should be a fairly strenuous, most-of-the-day hike with three stream crossings, but I anticipate a moderate pace with plenty of breaks. https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/us/virginia/laurel-prong-rapidan-camp-jones-mountain-trail-via-appalachian-trail https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/mill-prong-laurel-prong.htm Itinerary: – 8 AM: …
Hey loves, Lately I’ve been sick and tired of being surrounded by cement buildings and artfully planted trees. To combat this, I need mountain time. So join me on this epic backpacking trip!! The Doyles River/Furnace Mtn loop is ~17 miles on the south side of the park. According to the Shenandoah National Park Backpacking Guide, there are “spectacular mountains, …
School is hard and homework sucks but we have just the remedy… BEACH BACKPACKING!!!!!!! How would you like to spend 3 days (and 2 nights) frolicking in the sand, soaking up the sun, and body surfing some killer waves? False Cape State Park is a gorgeous park located in between Back Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, which means sick views, …
One year ago from next weekend, we went backpacking in Grayson highlands. Despite it being mid April in Southern Virginia, it decided to snow on us, like 5 inches the first day. Everyone agreed this was a very pleasant experience (especially Phillip, whose decision to snuggle with his nalgene landed him a free backcountry shower). Ok admittedly it was a …
What’s up outdoor lovers? I’ve been craving a nice little overnight backpacking trip so join me and Ed as we set out on the Rip Rap Loop for a journey consisting of walking, hiking, more walking, def some talking, hopefully some sleeping, and possibly even swimming ?? During the course of this journey, we will be sure to take many …
What’s up shredlings!? Nathan and I have been wanting to lead a backpacking trip for a while and what better weekend to do it then two weeks after St Patty’s day?? We’re planning on hiking Three Ridges, a 15 mile loop with some great views and waterfalls. We will hike the hikes and see the sights and then settle in …
This sun has me dreaming of a beach and I’ve never been to Virginia Beach so here we go! False Cape looks quite beautiful and (rumor has it) one of the cleanest beaches you’ll ever see. The logistics are a little funky because there is no public vehicle access to the park so we will be parking/starting at the Back …
Fellow queer folks in ODC…LET’S GO BACKPACKING! Jenna and I want to take y’all to 3 ridges, a gorgeous loop only an hour from grounds. It’s got vibrant streams, stunning views, and an Appalachian Trail shelter we might be able to stay in. Also, I need to take a new picture at 3 ridges, the trip photo is almost 3 …
**BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY: The exact dates/leave time for this trip are negotiable! It’ll be sometime over spring break, but we can figure out what works for people’s schedules Howdy!! I was a bit bummed to not get on the Moab trip, so I decided to create my own Spring Break Extravaganza, in the hopes that maybe a few of …
**BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY: The exact dates/leave time for this trip are negotiable! It’ll be sometime over spring break, but we can figure out what works for people’s schedules Howdy!! I was a bit bummed to not get on the Moab trip, so I decided to create my own Spring Break Extravaganza, in the hopes that maybe a few of …
It’s time for me to lead a backpacking trip!! I’ve always wanted to do the priest… so let’s do it (with ED!!!!) We will hike up 4.5ish miles to the Priest where there’s a shelter, and then go back down the next day. The trail can be found here: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/virginia/appalachian-trail-tye-river-to-priest-shelter the itinerary: Jan 20 130: meet @ echols + leave …
Hello! Have you always wanted to go backpacking but felt like it was intimidating? All the gear and food prep, not to mention carrying a heavy pack up a mountain? Well don’t worry, Rory and I are here to help! We encourage you to sign up for this trip if you have limited or nonexistent backpacking experience as we will …
.jpg){kind=small}
Howdy from my lab job where I pretend to do stuff for minimum wage, So Charlie Miller hit my line and was like “wanna hike?” and so I said “Uhyah (ooh yeah)” and so now there is a plan. We plan to do one side of the Three Ridges Loop Trail, The Priest out and back, then the other side …
My exam schedule is such that there is a perfect backpacking sized hole in the middle! Join Jenna and I as we pursue wintry views along the classic Three Ridges loop! This is an intermediate backpacking trip just because it will be a bit colder than average (low 40s maybe down to 30s?), and we are planning on ~7 miles …