Come out for the long weekend to see some of the best fall foliage in the east! Dolly Sods is in a gorgeous area of West Virginia near Seneca Rocks and Canaan Valley. The colors and landscape are amazing, and you’ll feel as though you’re in a different part of the country entirely! This trip is open to all levels …
Announcements
Fall Backpacking at Dolly Sods
Alright, time for the (my) third annual backpacking trip to Dolly Sods, WV. A magical early October world of fall colors and beautiful vistas. The last two years’ trips have been spectacular! This trip will leave Friday night from Echols Dorm @ 5:30Pm. We’ll drive the 3 hours to Dolly Sods, grab some dinner and coffee (bring some ca$h) on …
Hiking and Swimming at White Oak Canyon and Cedar Run
The weather’s supposed to be pretty nice this weekend, so let’s get out and enjoy it! We’ll be doing White Oak Canyon and Cedar Run, which combine for a not-too-strenuous 8-mile hike that will feature some of the finest swimming holes in the Shenandoah National Park. For more information, go to http://www.hikingupward.com/SNP/WhiteOakCedarRun/ What to bring: 1-2 liters of water, lunch/snacks, …
Hiking at Riprap Hollow
The weather’s supposed to be pretty hot once again in Charlottesville this weekend, so let’s escape to some cooler weather while enjoying an excellent hike as well. Riprap Hollow is a classic, 9.6-mile loop in the southern section of the Shenandoah National Park which provides great views of the Shenandoah Valley and several opportunities for swimming in the adjacent stream. …
Backpacking to Waterfalls in Wv
This weekend is supposed to be hot, so lets get outta here and go somewhere with some sweet water. The place is in WV about 2hrs 45 min away (says google). the hike is a loop about 7 miles the first day and 6 on the second. the campsite is along a beautiful wooded creek featuring a waterfall with a …
Outdoors Style Beach Week for Free!
Outdoors style beach week for FREE! Want to go to Beach Week? Don’t want to spend loads of money? Gotta see mommy for Mothers Day? Monday the 12th we are going to travel down to Oregon Inlet, NC. This is a SWEET campground right on the beach in the Outer Banks. There is a layer of awesome dunes between us …
Multi-Cache Geo Party – 3×3 Treasure Hunt @Old Rag
Alright, so some of you have heard me mention this in the past – it’s time to finally give it a go. We’re taking 3 teams of 3 people out to Old Rag for a multi-cache weekend event. If you have not heard of Geo-caching before it can be thought of as treasure hunting. The catch being everything is done …
Intro to Outdoor Climbing for Beginners
//TRIP CANCELED Spring is finally here and so is the climbing season! This will be a basic beginner/intro to climbing course where we will go over all the basics of rock climbing (how to tie in, how to use basic equipment, how to belay, etc.) and discuss some of the things to keep in mind while climbing outdoors. So if …
Backpacking: Mcafee Knob, Tinker Cliffs, Dragon’s Tooth
McAfee Knob and Tinker Cliffs have some of the best views on the Appalachian Trail. This section of the AT will give us amazing 360 degree views of forested valleys near Roanoke, just turning green with the first signs of spring. Come enjoy the views with fellow outdoorsy-folk, learn some basic backcountry cooking, and scramble around on the rocky outcrops …
Spring Backpacking in Cumberland Island, Ga
If you missed the boat on Cancun, but you’re still looking to go somewhere warm for Spring Break, this trip’s for you: come to Cumberland Island National Park! Cumberland Island is on the southern coast of Georgia. This island boasts over 50 miles of hiking trails, as well as many designated backcountry camp sites. The island has several scenic hiking …
Backpack N. Carolina’s “Grand Canyon of the East”!
If you love adventure and dramatic landscapes, but can’t devote all of spring break to a trip, then this one is for you! Linville Gorge is frequently dubbed “The Grand Canyon of the East” for its deep ravine, raging river, and rocky cliffs. Very popular among frequent backpackers, the trail descends down to the river on rocky cliffs and through …
Raft the Rio Grande
Come get ya some majestic desert beauty this spring break. Some guarenteed sunshine, too. Big Bend is a large and magnificent but little known corner of the national parks landscape. The park is named for a huge curve in the Rio Grande river, which flows from Colorado to the Gulf of Mexico, forming the Texas-Mexico border for hundreds of miles. …
Hot Chocolate! and Stove Workshop!
Want to learn how to use our kickass MSR Whisperlite backpacking stoves without singing your eyebrows off??? Want to share hot chocolate on a cold evening with fellow outdoors-folk??? Then come to my house on Tuesday evening for a short lesson on how to use the club stoves! We’ll be making hot chocolate once we figure out how to light …
Trip Leader Workshop 2
Want to learn how to lead trips or how to lead better trips? We will be going over all the basics of trip leading in the club, reimbursements, trip descriptions, basic logistics and info, activities, etc. Also, we will go over several common problems and go over how not to lead trips (mostly by examining all of the situations Ive …
Trip Leader’s Workshop
Want to learn how to lead some EPIC outdoors trips? Come get the nitty gritty from Brian and I at the first of a series of trip-leader’s workshops, and be activated as an Outdoors Club trip leader! We’ll go over how to create trips through our website, what types of trips are fair game, and basic club rules behind trip-leading. …
Humpback Rocks, Sunset Hike
Start off the new semester with a brisk, short hike up to Humpback Rocks in Shenandoah National Park! We should be up there to see the sun set. If we get snow on Thursday, I might have to cancel, so check your email before we meet. Bring: water, hiking boots, warm layers, hat, glove, camera, headlamp if you have it, …
Camping/Stargazing/Sunset&Rise/Backpacking-Ish
Cold Mountain and Mount Pleasant form a easy to moderate figure 8 hike about an hour south of C-ville. We’ll meet at 9:30am Saturday and start the trip by hiking the Cold Mountain loop (5.8miles) as a day hike. When we get back to the parking lot we’ll grab our packs from the car and hike about 3 miles to …
F#$& Cars!- the Beginning
Problem #1- We use cars way to damn much these days. Problem #2- There’s a lot of great places around this town that are unexplored Solution- Explore this town without using those cursed coffins on wheels. We’re gonna start something here. Once a week we’re all gonna get together and explore the options for post-fossil fuel recreation. Some weeks we’re …
Trip-Leader’s Workshop Round 1
Want to lead a trip, but don’t know how? Want help with trip logistics or certain types of trips? Come to our officer-led trip leader workshops next week. The first one will be held in a classroom Monday at 6:00 pm in a classroom TBA. We’ll go over how to set trips up, how reimbursements work, the leader’s manual, expense …
Balcony Falls Saturday Trip
Sorry its so last minute, but let’s get a group together to go play around Balcony Falls! hike, bike, paddle…whatever, its a gorgeous Saturday!
Fall Foliage Backpacking in the Rich Hole Wilderness
Take in panoramas of fall color from the top of Brushy Mt. in the Rich Hole Wilderness in Alleghany County. The Rich Hole is a federally protected wilderness area located in the George Washington National Forest. The trail will be 12 miles of orange and yellow Appalachian wonderland. If we get another good rain next week, the bubbling brooks may …
Backpacking Over Fall Break
This 2 night, easy paced trip is for those who want to get out but actually have to read on reading days. Spruce Knob and Seneca Creek are supposedly a don’t miss for any backpacker. There are great views from high meadows, a ridge walk, a waterfall and its stream, and what one person claims to be the best campsites …
Pre-Raft Backpacking Overnight in Wv
Are you signed up for the rafting trip during fall break? Would you like to go for a backpacking overnight the Saturday before we raft? Then this trip is for you! We’ll be heading out relatively early Saturday morning. A specific destination is yet TBD, but we will be setting up camp in West Virginia, probably either in Monongahela National …
Old Rag Midnight Hike! (That’s Right. Let’s Do it in the Dark)
The Old Rag Mountain hike in the Shenandoah National Forest is one of the most popular hikes in the mid-atlantic region. You’ve got some serious vistas from multiple overlooks during the day. Now let’s do it in the dark! Familiar trails during the day are completely different beasts by night. The first 2/3 of the hike is scenic switchback, with …
Rock Climbing 101
Never climbed before? Want to learn? The weather is getting just right for some amazing climbing, and trips are going to be leaving left and right in the coming weeks. We will head out at 900 am from Echols Dorm (we meet at the brick wall), and go to Hidden Rocks (about an hour and a half away). I will …
Backpacking @ Dolly Sods (Overflow)
So I was talking to Gen the other day about backpacking at Dolly Sods and he suggested adding another trip in order to enable more people to enjoy the beautiful scenery up there. So here you go. I will be leading a trip to BEAUTIFUL Dolly Sods, starting on Friday, September 21 and returning Sunday, Sept. 23. This trip will …
26th Annual Aldha Gathering
Update! This year’s schedule of events has been released. For a description of what events will be happening at this year’s ALDHA Gathering, please see: http://www.aldha.org/newsletr/07prog.pdf Has the thought of thru-hiking one of the country’s long trails ever crossed your mind? If so, join us at ‘The Gathering,’ an annual event held by ALDHA, the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association. …
Overnight Backpacking @ St. Mary’s Wilderness
We’ll start from the Blue Ridge Parkway on Saturday and hike about 3-4 miles to a waterfall and some swimming holes. We’ll try to claim a good site to set up camp and spend the afternoon and night relaxing by / in the river. On Sunday we’ll escape the way we came. Club Provides: -Transportation: gas if you drive and …
Backpacking Dolly Sods
Come explore rocky plains and upland bogs while catching some autumn vistas on the Allegheny Plateau during this two night backpacking trip. We will arrive Friday night and hike one to two miles by headlamp to our campsite. On Saturday we will explore wind swept plains and set up camp along a creek. On Sunday we will return to our …
Beginner Camping and Service Project
Picture this: You’re on a backpacking trip and the rain has soaked through your pack and gotten the paper you wanted to use to start a fire all wet. You’ve strayed off of the trail and can’t find your way back to it because you’ve never really used a compass before, and you have no idea what all of those …
Dolly Sods Hiking/Camping/Backpacking for the Memorial Weekend
Dolly Sods is one of the most spectacular places nearby. If your school is over and your summer is still not started, lets do it from 3 days, 2 nights backpacking in Dolly Sods Wilderness. The place has more than 25 miles of trials from easy/moderate to ‘painful’. Our hiking plans will be settled on the group strength and wishes. …
Surf and Habitat for Humanity in Costa Rica
We’ve still got a little time.. not too late to join the trip! I’m going to learn to surf and build houses for Habitat in Costa Rica for 4 weeks, and you should come too!!! Here’s the price and activities breakdown (but if you see a “deal-breaker” let me know and we’ll see if we can work something out): General: …
Tent Workshop with Free Food!
Have you ever wondered how to pitch a tent, pack it, clean it, find a good location for it….? This workshop is recommneded if you intend to do backpacking, lead club trips, borrow club tents or to buy your own tent. We will quickly go over tents and differences like 2/3/4..people, symmetric/unsymmetric, light tents/ 3 season/ 4 season/ expedition tents …
3 Days on the Appalachian Trail (Intermediate Level)
WHAT: backpacking WHERE: the NOVA portion of the AT WHEN: May 15 (10AM) to May 17 (3PM) Got a week before work starts? Not doing Beach Week? Then this trip is for you. We’ll be hiking the northern VA portion of the Appalachian Trail, starting in Front Royal and working our way up. The goal is to make all the …
New River Gorgathon
TRIP CANCELLED, sorry
Backpacking at Three Ridges (3 Times the Fun!)
Lots of scenic views to be had on this 13.1 mile circuit in the gorgeous three ridges wilderness. We’ll hike in a couple miles friday evening and sleep at the Maupin Field Shelter. Saturday’s hike will be spent atop the ridges for 6 miles with some moderate elevation changes. We can have lunch at Chimney Rocks after about 4 miles. …
Trip Leader Workshop
At this workshop, we’ll talk about how to lead different types of trips, what to do about gear, how to handle trip expenses, what types of trips are allowed, and how to set trips up online. As an incentive to lead, we’ll reimburse your dues after leading four adventures. I’ve only reserved the room for an hour, so that’s the …
Snowshoeing and Winter Camping in Dolly Sods
Gen is helping me lead this trip (and providing his back country culinary expertise as well). This is an adventure to the Dolly Sods Wilderness area in West Virginia, ~3.5hrs from C’ville. We’ll be snowshoeing, backpacking, and camping. You don’t need any snowshoeing experience – it’s easy to learn. But, you should have some backpacking and camping experience to come …
Spring Break: Utah!!
When you get back from spring break this year, you can tell your friends that you flew halfway across the country to see some rocks. Cool. Or, maybe, you should tell them that you saw some of the world’s craziest geological formations when you visited Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks. Yeah, now that’s COOL. Rock on. We’ll spend the …
Intro to Mountaineering in the Pacific Northwest
**Aarash is the real leader of this trip** – I’ll just be organizing some of the logistics. We’ll fly from Washington, DC to Portland, OR together and spend 5 days there (~2 days are for traveling). We’ll first camp low on a glacier to learn and practice alpine camping and climbing techniques for ~3 days. Some of the techniques will …
Capture the Flag in Dolly Sods
yeeehaaaawwwww
Trip Leader Workshop 3!
I’ve heard from several of you that you can’t come to the Thursday workshop, so here’s another chance! We’ll learn about trip-leading from 5-6ish, and we’ll finish in plenty of time to attend the Monday Night Gathering at Newcomb. At this workshop, we’ll talk about how to lead different types of trips, what to do about gear, how to handle …
Trip Leader Workshop!
Everyone is encouraged to lead trips, and it’s easier than you think! At this workshop, we’ll talk about how to lead different types of trips, what to do about gear, how to handle trip expenses, what types of trips are allowed, and how to set trips up online. As an incentive to lead, we’ll reimburse your dues after leading four …
Workshop – Long Distance Backpacking / Thru-Hiking
Have you ever thought about embarking on a backpacking trip lasting a month or more? Perhaps you’ve considered hiking one of the country’s several National Scenic Trails but don’t know where to go for information or have entertained it as a side thought, thinking, “Some day, I could see myself….” If you’re one of these people, come to this workshop …
Workshop – Leave No Trace
If you go on day hikes, backpacking trips, outdoor climbing trips or any other trips in the wilderness then you should familiarize yourself with Leave No Trace (LNT) techniques. If you lead trips this is especially important so that you can pass on the proper etiquette for backcountry living. I will cover why LNT is important, the basic principles behind …
Workshop – Ultralight Backpacking
Want to impress your friends by going on a multi-day backpacking trip carrying only [what looks like] a daypack? At this workshop I’ll teach you how to reduce your base weight to 7 or 8 lbs! This is the weight of your pack (including the pack) with everything but food, water and fuel. It’s the ultimate survivalist kit. In you’re …
Workshop – Stovemaking
Some of the best stoves in life are free. Come to the workshop and I’ll teach you how to make your very own ultralight backpacking stove from two aluminum cans! Usually weighing less than 1 oz, alcohol stoves are the top choice among ultralight backpackers and long-distance hikers. At the workshop I will teach you how to make a stove …
3rd Annual Devil’s Marbleyard!
Become part of this fall foliage tradition! This natural jungle gym is one of my favorite hikes in Virginia. This is an awesome hike that has fun scrambling and great views. The drive to the trailhead will take 1 1/2-2 hours, and we’ll start with an easy 1.5 mile hike through the woods. From there, the mountain opens up into …
[Size Expanded] Hike Intermediate Hike at Snp Rocky Mount
The SUN is coming out and Sunday will be a beautiful day! Wanna catch some scene of the fall color before it’s too late? Come join us hiking the Rocky Mount in SNP. The hike is about 9 miles and will take about 7 hours. that’s why it’s rated as intermediate. we will have lunch at the middle of the …
Thanksgiving Break Backpacking
[Note: The trip is set up as a seven day trip. If you cannot make it for the full seven days, you can still sign up and we may be able to accommodate you.] Looking for something to do during the week off over Thanksgiving break? Why not go backpacking over the amazing Roan and Hump Mtns in Tennessee! We …