Wanna go hiking? Wanna go hiking with our good friends and another awesome club? Wait, that club is Black Girls United? ohhh shooottttt! This is a DEI collab hike with BGU! This hike will be super beginner-friendly and about 4 miles out-and-back. It will be such a lovely landscape as spring flowers blossom. This hike is for everyone and welcome …
Announcements
Whiteoak Canyon + Hawksbill Summit + Cedar Run Loop Hike
Spring is here! How exciting! I’d like to see some wildflowers and spring blossoms, and I figure those with a waterfall background would be pretty cool Thus, we’re doing this awesome loop trail with an optional but also awesome Hawksbill summit at the top for some additional views of the startings of shenandoah spring. Maybe we’ll also encounter some early …
Birdwatching
Have you been putting off signing up for birding because it’s too early in the morning? Well here’s your golden opportunity to wake up at 6am and start ignoring your poor sleep schedule! We’ll be back for people’s 9:30s. Alex is the avian ecology expert this week, and will gladly inform you of whichever species’ call we are hearing at …
WEEKLY WANDER #11: SPRING FLOWER CELEBRATION WITH ALANA!!
hi all! spring is springing and the flowers are in peak bloom. what better way to start off your friday evening than wandering around the uva gardens at golden hour and admiring all the flowers? join alana and I to celebrate this beautiful season at sunset and let’s frolic in the beautiful weather!! this is a pretty open-ended trip; all …
SPRGE: the musical
Magical, musical hike during the magical, musical SPRGE! Join me for a riveting adventure: scouring all of Fayettesville for music (who knows where it could be hiding? at a store? on the ground? in my bag? in your soul??) and then taking our newfound music to Stone Cliff Trail (~5.4 miles) where we’ll make endless music in honor of the …
magnolias so yummy (foraging on the lawn)
Join me and Ethan to consume magnolia flowers this Thursday. We will be foraging them on the lawn and then heading to my apt (5 min walk) to make magnolia lemonade and perhaps magnolia snap cookies. The flowers taste like ginger kinda. If that sounds yummy you should meet us on the lawn at 3pm! We are aiming to wrap …
chill long time coming saturday hike
My original ODC shenandoah trip was to the cavalry and chimney rocks trail a whole year and a half ago. It’s one of my favorites but I haven’t done this trail in what seems like forever because every time I’ve planned to lead a trip there skyline drive has closed at the last minute and made me very sad. the …
Triple Crown Sufferfest II: Return of the King
Hey y’all! About a year ago, Finn and I led this trip. Was it fun? Mostly. Were there times we regretted our life choices? Yeah. Are we stoked to do it again? Fuck yeah. For those who don’t know, the Triple Crown is normally a three-day backpacking loop that hits three big viewpoints (Dragon’s Tooth, McAfee Knob, Tinker Cliffs) along …
WEEKLY WANDER #10: SIT SPOTS WITH STEVIE!
Hi all! exams and semester craziness got you down? join me and stevie for some sit spotting this Friday afternoon! What is a sit spot, you ask? it’s the magical art of walking into the woods, finding a nice spot, and sitting there. This is a common practice to calm your brain, slow down your day, and enjoy time in …
SPRGE MAIN CARPOOL – Banjo: Reckoning – SPRING EXPLORATION OF THE NEW (RAT CITY)
This is NOT an actual SPRGE adventure. This is the CARPOOL for SPRGE. This is how the SPRGE leaders will keep track of drivers and attendees. DO NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS TRIP UNTIL YOU HAVE BEEN ADDED TO A SATURDAY SPRGE TRIP AND PAID THE TRIP FEE. MORE INFO BELOW. SPRGE TRIP LOGISTICS– READ CAREFULLY: PAYPAL LINK: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=TMFYZWLD6ALRQ HOW …
Trayfoot Mtn Paine Run Trail (no running involved)
Spring is springing, and the weather should be nice this weekend. What better way to enjoy it than a day hike to maximize that vitamin C and time away from screens? (yay hike) Trayfoot Mountain Paine Run Trail is a 10ish-mile loop that starts at Blackrock Gap Trailhead Parking. It goes along part of the AT and it has 2 …
GET BLITZEDDD (Morven Ridgeline Adventure!)!!!
GET EXCITED FOR A MORVEN COLLAB!!! We are working with the Morven Sustainability Lab to have the first bioblitz hike on Morven’s ridge!! A bioblitz is an intensive, time-limited biological survey that brings together scientists, students, and community members to document all identifiable species within a defined area. Using the iNaturalist app, participants contribute geotagged plant, animal, bird and insect …
Beginner Fly Fishing Trip! (and also sufferfest)
The weather is warming up and the fish are starting to bite! Let’s welcome the Spring with a nice fun easy beginner fly fishing trip (and also superduper fun little walk)!! No fly fishing experience needed but you will have to be pretty good at walking! The club has some fly rods so we’ll be taking those out to try …
ODC x OCVT COLLAB HIKE TO DEVIL’S MARBLEYARD!!!!
Greetings everyone! We have VERY EXCITING NEWS. After countless years of rivalry and hatred, UVA and Virginia Tech are finally becoming friends. We know what you’re thinking: heavens to betsy! How is this possible? Well, folks, it began with a dream. One day, Evelyn and Haley thought: what if tech people are just like us? what if they also like …
WEEKLY WANDER #9: WEEKLY WANDER 8 REDEMPTION!!! (spring ohill walk w/ emma)
Hi all! So last week we were supposed to have a beautiful sunny gallivant around the ohill trails… and then crazy snow/rain/hail(?) had other plans. So this week we’re back at it!! The wonderful Emma is joining us (emerging from the depths of basketball season to return to ODC) and we’ll mosey around the trails on what should be (this …
chilly not-as-scary st patricks day-y blackrock sunset (sunset series #2)
so remember how last week we went from 80 degrees to snow in 24 hours? Well get ready for round 2. If you’ve seen the “12 seasons of virginia” thing it really needs to get updated because we’re now looking at a third winter, with severe storms on monday followed by more cold (temperatures at only 40 degrees) on tuesday. …
Redbud Flower Foraging 🌸
When I got back from spring break, I saw all the eastern redbud trees were flowering so now we can go foraging for their edible flowers! They taste similar to snap peas and go great on salads or made into jam. All you need for this trip is a container to hold the flowers, or you can eat them right …
WEEKLY WANDER #8: SPRING OHILL WALK WITH EMMA!
Hi guys! The weather is GORGEOUS and what better way to celebrate than by jaunting around the O’Hill trails on a lovely Thursday afternoon. Spring has sprung and we can mosey around and look at all the new leaves and flowers!! ALSO: this week’s wander features the mystical hiking guru EMMA who is just now emerging from the depths of …
spooky scary windy friday the 13thy turk mountain sunset
basically the title. Ok fine there is a little bit more to it than that. over spring break i realized i haven’t been to shenandoah since last year because of the stupid snow and ice and cold, but now its warm(er) and things are looking up. This friday is friday the 13th which is crazy because it is actually our …
Birdwatching
It’s been a while since I’ve been east coast birding, and spring break proved I need to get my head back in the game. Thankfully Charlie is a local expert in avian ecology and will be a guest speaker on the trip, so make sure to hang onto his every word to be enlightened about birds. Bring some binoculars if …
Collab Hike and Bonfire with QSU & LovEd on OHILL trails !!!!!!
Welcome back from Spring break, because it’s time to get back to bonfires and hikes with ODC! This hike will be at the Ohill trails, around 2 miles, and will be a lovely COLLAB sunset hike with LovEd and the Queer Student Union! After the hike, we will have a lovely bonfire in the backyard of the Shrack! This hike …
WEEKLY WANDER #7: PRE-BREAK JOURNALING IN THE GARDENS!!
Hi all!! Are you shocked at how quickly spring break arrived? Does the swift passage of time concern you? if so, join me for an hour this lovely Wednesday afternoon (high of near 60 degrees!!) and take a moment to reflect on the semester/life in general and journal in the gardens. feel free to bring yourself and a journal (optional) …
WEEKLY WANDER #6: rainy poetry edition
Greetings weekly wanderers! ‘tis Loreley and Lizzie, taking Evelyn’s place this week since she has been swamped with work, just as we are about to be literally swamped with a 60% chance of rainfall thursday evening. We are availing ourselves of this opportunity to get a little fresh air, a little mud, and a little poetic expression into our systems. …
Summiting The Priest
Within George Washington National Forest passes this segment of the Appalachian Trail, The Priest. More of a workout than the average hike, this summit is 9 total miles with 3000 feet elevation gain. I anticipate it will be about six hours of hiking, alongside an hour drive there plus the hour back. I have read that this summit features a …
Top Secret Niche Indie Underground Hike Deluxe: the Hunt for Jombo’s Gold
Historical Info: Though this hike may seem unassuming, (very) local legend has it that philanthropist Jean Beauregard (Jombo) buried half of his inheritance in them there hills of Crozet, VA. Nobody knows for sure where ol Jombo buried it, but residents/oldheads tend to think the most likely spot is in the mountains near Mint Springs Park. This hike takes us …
WEEKLY WANDER #5: CELEBRATE NICE WEATHER WITH LITTLE OHILL HIKE!!
Hi all! What better way to celebrate the suddenly-not-freezing weather than with a little jaunt on the ohill trails? This week’s wander is back to the basics (in part because it’s somehow already Thursday) so we’ll just mosey around the trails and enjoy the sunshine and celebrate nature on a nice Friday afternoon. Come join! This is part of the …
Collab Hike with BGU at Humpback Feb 22!
Hello hikers! The DEI committee is doing a collab hike with Black Girls United. This club aims to foster mentorship and bonds among 1st- and 2nd-year African-American women. Last year we did a collab hike with them, and it was a super fun time, so we are running it back! We are hoping to do the Humpback Rocks hike, but …
WEEKLY WANDER #4: CARDBOARD SLEDDING WORKSHOP
Hi all! Are you so stoked that we still have this ice/snow/slush mix everywhere? Katie and I are! To celebrate, we’re going to go to Ohill and teach you the art of cardboard sledding. This is an extremely elite and exclusive sport and Katie happens to be a cardboard-sledding guru so this will be a grand old time. Come get …
Ice Ice Ohill
Hello frigid folks!! Everyone needs a little shock in their system, but maybe you (yes you, the reader) are not crazy enough to do one of the billion polar plunge trips right now. Those guys are nuts, but we? We are chill and shall be a little chilly… at OHILL (Ohill…Ohill, ohill.. *echo). Come with the legendary Gabe Cohen and …
❄️❄️THE SNOW IS MELTING ❄️❄️
The snow….is melting…. sort of… SO… this calls for a (VERY CHILL (and chilly)) wander around the O’hill trails. I would absolutely love to go to Shenandoah for a beeeautiful snowy hike this Friday, but my car….is stuck…in the ice. A lot of ice. Too much ice. So until it gets a bit warmer, we will be showing O’Hill some …
Canoeing into Canada (Almost): Boundary Waters Canoe Trip!
You know what I love? Canoes. You know what I love even more? Overnight canoe trips. And you know what I love the most? The Boundary Waters, one of the most beautiful and epic and fabulous wilderness areas in the United States which is ALSO an International Dark Sky Sanctuary! *Please read the ENTIRE trip description to get the answers …
Icicles
BRRRRRRRR. Yeah so its been a bit chilly recently. However this is prime icicle weather and so we are going to go look for and get some cool photos of icicles. I was originally planning to do this in shenandoah but skyline drive will probably not reopen until june at this rate so we will pivot to thomas jefferson’s academical …
Frosty Chilly Humpback Hike Extravaganza
Hello Hello howdy howdy howdy Cold. Feet. Cold feet? Don’t worry, cold is just a feeling, frostbite is merely just a sham made up by Big Pharma. Anyways, come to Humpback with Ben and myself and prepare for a lovely and slightly chilly Thursday afternoon hike. It will be awesome. It will be cool. It will be absolutely extravagant. Anywho. …
Intermediate Devil’s Marbleyard Hike
Do you like rocks? Devil’s Marbleyard is a lesser known gem, just an hour drive away from Cville. Millions of years in the making, the side of this mountain includes an eight acre field of boulders that I intend to summit. Alongside the sloped rock slide winds a trail that will make the walk down quite a bit easier than …
WEEKLY WANDER #3: SNOW FROLICKING IN UVA GARDENS
Hi all! Have you been to the gardens before?? really? all of them? if you haven’t (or if you have) join Haley and I on Thursday afternoon to frolic in the snow and enjoy the sparkling winter beauty of the gardens!!! we plan to mosey around and build snowmen / igloos/ fairy houses (!?) and have a grand old time …
snohill snunset
Ladies and gentlemen you’ve seen the weather, we’ve seen the weather, our local clairvoyant Jennifer (J.J.) Wagner Davis has also seen the weather ❄️ Class on monday will be on zoom and everyone knows this is a special kind of torture so skip your last class and join us for a snohill snunset snowvaganza ❄️ the sun will be hopefully …
Sled Shred Extravaganza
With all the incredible amounts of snow forecasted for this weekend, what better way to enjoy it than to go down steep hills very fast and barely in control! We will be going to either Mad Bowl or Washington park if the roads are in drivable condition. If you have sleds or sleddable object, bring them! If not, you can …
WEEKLY WANDER #2: WHAT EVEN IS THE GEAR ROOM? (guided tour of the gear room!!) (with hot chocolate!!!)
Calling all people who have ever been confused about where the gear room is!!! (should be everyone in odc). This week we are wandering to the mystical wonderful GEAR ROOM to learn exactly how to get there from first-year dorms, and how to navigate the stash of incredible gear that is FREE AND ACCESSIBLE TO YOU* (*if you are a …
The Birds Are Watching
Come look at birds at a much more comfortable time of day (evening) than normal birding trips (*cough,* Jackson)! The fun part about this is that I probably know less about birds than you do, so I will not be correcting you on how this boring brown bird is different from that boring brown bird. We can still identify and …
WEEKLY WANDER #1: CLASSIC OHILL HIKE WITH TWO LEPSCHES
Hi all, Start your first week off right with a little ohill meander with me and ben! we’ll mosey around the trails Friday afternoon and enjoy the nature. PLAN: meet in front of slaughter 3:30pm wander around for an hour, enjoy sunshine 4:30pm part ways BRING: yourself water(optional)
Haunted Spooky Tunnel?!?
After a break full of idleness and general lazing about, I’ve been feeling the urge to go do something adventurous. Come with me and Loreley to the Blue Ridge Tunnel, a historic tunnel carved into mountains that was once part of the blue ridge railroad. This hike is open to all skill levels- the trail is about 3 miles, pretty …
NOVA/DMV WINTER BREAK BILLY GOAT TRAIL HIKE WOOOO
Oh hey nova/dmv friends…Let me guess, you are so happy for finals to be over and to be back in the comfort of your home…but I can tell you are already missing the joys of the outdoors, and wondering when the heck you are going to go on a hike. However, fret not, as Gabe and I have planned a …
OLD RAG STUDY BREAK YAY
Are you feeling worn out? Are you exhausted from finals? Have you been worn-ragged?? Well frolicking experts Ben and Gillian are here to help you stop locking in and start being happy again! Come hike old ragged to see the sun set on another successful week of work! We will keep a relatively brisk pace, like walking with a purpose. …
Devil’s Marbleyard exam break hike!
Guys idk about you but these exams are KILLING me. I need to touch grass and rocks and dirt and basically anything that’s not physics. If you also do not like finals you should totally come to Devil’s Marbleyard with me n Miles! The rough plan is to meet at 9, drive there (a little under 2 hr drive), hike …
Riprap Exam Escape
Classes are finally over, and my brain is officially fried. If you also need a desperate break from studying and staring at screens, come join me for a day in the mountains! We’ll be tackling the Riprap Trail, a ~10-mile loop with roughly 2,100 ft of elevation gain. It’s the perfect way to clear your head and celebrate surviving the …
WEEKLY WANDER #12: OHILL MEANDER STUDY BREAK!!
Howdy all! Finals getting you down? join me and stevie for the last weekly wander of the semester!! we’ll mosey around ohill and enjoy the crisp winter air (high of 46 wednesday!) to stretch our legs after sitting in the library forever. we may even venture to the secret rock. join us and refresh your brain! PLAN: 1:30 meet in …
READING DAY 3 RIDGES TRAIL RUNNING
HELLO PARTY PEOPLE
Descending the chimney
I got a new national park pass as a very late birthday present/early christmas present and now I’m in the mood to spread some holiday cheer. Don’t worry we won’t be caroling but we will channel our inner santa (if you’ve got a santa hat bring it) and descend to chimney rocks in shenandoah this sunday. This is a pretty …
WEEKLY WANDER #11: Gratitude
Surprise its me max! Evelyn has sadly been taken hostage by assignments so I am subbing for her this week (don’t worry she will be back soon). It is a bit of a gloomy time of year with finals looming and sunshine lacking and temperatures dropping. however, I’ve been doing my best to practice gratitude when I can and I’d …
Buckin’ It: A short mountain run adventure
Short, sweet, and STEEEEP. Bucks Elbow Mountain. Crozet. Come experience the legendary Crozet Classic, Carlos, a 2-mile up, 2-mile down beast. With about 2,000 feet of gain, its mostly a hike on the way up and a skid, slide, and soar on the way down. Despite the difficulty, this trail run is open to all people up for the challenge. …