Want to ease into backpacking? Like eating handfuls of blueberries? Are you curious about mushrooms? Well, then this is the trip for you! We will gather together at 10am on Saturday and drive over to the Dolly Sods. (With a lunch stop in Franklin, WV.) When we get to the Sods, we’ll set up camp within 2-3 miles from the …
Announcements
Hike to Campbell Creek and Swimming Hole
Sorry for the last minute posting but it’s too beautiful a weekend to pass up hiking! This hike starts at the trailhead at Love Gap on the Blue Ridge Parkway, sixteen miles south of 64, about 50 minutes driving time from UVA. We will join the Three Ridges trail and then head down the Mau-Har trail to some beautiful pools …
Sunset Hike
Take a break from class and come watch the sunset at Humpback rocks! It’s a short, approximately 1 mile hike to the top, but don’t be fooled–it’s very steep although worthwhile for the spectacular views! It is also very close. The weather forecast is good and the sun sets around 7:44 pm, so we’ll get there by 7 and hike …
Rip Rap Hollow Hike and Swim
Rip Rap Hollow was featured in Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine as one of the best Blue Ridge swimming holes! We’ll hike 3.5 miles to the 50 ft swimming hole after admiring an elegant but stately view of one of the trail’s waterfalls. At the swimming hole we will swim and eat lunch. Judging by our level of exhaustion or the …
Learn to Be a Trip Leader Workshop #3
Hoping to lead some AWESOME trips this year? Come to our trip leader workshop and learn the ropes!!! We’ll cover a variety of important points about leading trips, including: – How to plan your trips – Tips for making sure adventures run smoothly – What expenses the club will reimburse you for – Benefits of being a trip leader, including …
Learn to Be a Trip Leader Workshop #2
Hoping to lead some AWESOME trips this year? Come to our trip leader workshop and learn the ropes!!! We’ll cover a variety of important points about leading trips, including: – How to plan your trips – Tips for making sure adventures run smoothly – What expenses the club will reimburse you for – Benefits of being a trip leader, including …
Learn to Be a Trip Leader Workshop #1
Hoping to lead some AWESOME trips this year? Come to our trip leader workshop and learn the ropes!!! We’ll cover a variety of important points about leading trips, including: – How to plan your trips – Tips for making sure adventures run smoothly – What expenses the club will reimburse you for – Benefits of being a trip leader, including …
Beat the Heat: Dollys Sods Backpacking with Blueberries and Mushrooms
It’s way too hot this summer, so we’re headed to West Virginia where the temperatures will be 10-20 degrees cooler. The Dolly Sods Wilderness Area is a great place to try out backpacking. The area is relatively flat, so you won’t be stressing to climb mountains with a heavy pack… There is some variation, but it is on the order …
Hike to Swimming Hole and Blueberry Picking
Looking to swim in cool water and hike in the shade to get there? We will hike two miles up from the lower entrance to the Riprap Trail on the Shenandoah Valley side of Shenandoah Park and arrive at a refreshing swimming hole. Those who wish to hike further can walk a short ways up to a blueberry picking area. …
Hike and Swim at Sugar Hollow(Rescheduled)
If you’d like to take a relatively short hike past some berry bushes to a good swimming hole this might be the adventure for you. We will hike along the Moorman’s River trail, stopping to pick whatever wineberries and raspberrries are still left and stop to swim where the trail crosses the river at a nice swimming hole that’s usually …
Berry Picking and Swim at Sugar Hollow
Now that it’s July the blackcap raspberries and wineberries are out and blackberries are on their way! The plan is to hike up the Moorman’s River trail from Sugar Hollow, picking the edible berries we find along the way and stopping for a swim at the swimming hole where the trail crosses Moorman’s River. It’s usually less crowded than Blue …
Outdoor Survival Skills
If you’ve ever wanted to learn some basic outdoor survival skills that will allow you to find shelter, water, and food and stay out in the woods comfortably without modern camping gear this might be the adventure for you! We will hike along the trail that follows the creek into the St. Mary’s Wilderness from the Shenandoah Valley side near …
Three Falls!
Hey Guys, You saw the interest email yesterday about the hike, and it looks like we have enough for a real trip. Read the email or go to hikingupward.com—click on Three falls to see more. Let meet at echols at 1pm tomorrow. You need: Hiking boots, food–lunch/snacks, a few bucks if we stop for food on the way back, 2 …
Three Falls!
Hey Guys, You saw the interest email yesterday about the hike, and it looks like we have enough for a real trip. Read the email or go to hikingupward.com—click on Three falls to see more. Let meet at echols at 1pm tomorrow. You need: Hiking boots, food–lunch/snacks, a few bucks if we stop for food on the way back, 2 …
A Short and Hopefully Tasty Three Ridges Hike
Instead of hiking the whole Three Ridges Loop we will hike down to the AT shelter and follow the Mau-Har trail down to Campbell Creek and to a small swimming hole that is refreshing, but a bit cool! Bring a swimsuit, etc. Roland is likely to come, so we may also identify a few of the abundant wild edible plants …
Crabtree Falls Memorial Day Hike
Let’s go hiking at Crabtree Falls on Memorial Day! It is supposed to be a beautiful hike with amazing waterfalls. It’s about 6 miles total (~3 miles each way), with an elevation gain of about 1500 feet. We will depart from the brick wall besides Echols at 10:00am on Monday. Bring lots of water, sunscreen, and snacks, and wear appropriate …
Memorial Day Weekend in West Virginia: Spice Run!
Tried of the usual backpacking trips where we just slog between known campsites on well-marked trails and then head back to the car? Well, this Spice Run trip is the answer. We’ll leave town Friday, May 28th (say 5pm-ish) for the newly designated Spice Run Wilderness Area in West Virginia. The first night, we’ll car camp at Watoga State Park. …
Humpback Rocks Saturday Morning
Let’s go to Humpback Rocks on Saturday! If you haven’t done it, it’s one of those hikes you have to do when you’re in Charlottesville, very uphill but short with a rewarding view… Also not far away. It’s very popular so be prepared to see a lot of people but the view is still amazing at the top! You bring: …
Three Ridges Day Hike
Lets meet at echols at 1230, hike for 14-16 miles, and head back to cville Bring: water–2 liters, snacks/lunch, money for dinner possibly, headlamp. The club includes: first aid kit and gas. here is the description of the hike: Three Ridges is one of Virginia’s most popular backpacking circuits. Situated in Central Virginia, just 30 miles southwest of Charlottesville, the …
Short Three Ridges Hike
Instead of hiking the whole Three Ridges Loop we will hike down to the trail shelter and follow the Mau-Har trail down to Campbell Creek and to a small swimming hole that is refreshing, but a bit cool! We may also identify a few of the abundant wild edible plants and animal tracks along the way as we pass some …
Hiking at Mint Springs!
Mint Springs is a park near Crozet with some sweet trails. AAAND, it’s closer than Shenandoah! I’m going to head out there late Monday morning, hike a few miles (probably 3-5), and head on back. It will be a shorter trip, a great study break, and a chance to explore a new place if you haven’t been! You’ll need: Hiking …
South River Falls Hike
Need a break from studying? Come out for a short enjoyable hike to the third largest waterfall at Shenandoah National Forest. We will depart from Bonnycastle circle at 10 AM. The hike will start from mile 62.8 on skyline drive at South River Picnic Area parking lot. The trail is 4.5 miles long and moderate in skill level. This may …
Hike at the Creekathon
Come out for a short hike in the woods at Walnut Creek before enjoying all the good food! We will hike from the parking lot towards a creek crossing where we should be able to identify nature’s antidote for poison ivy and some animal tracks if we’re lucky and maybe some wild onions to add to the burgers and take …
Hiking at Mint Springs!
Mint Springs is a park in Crozet with some sweet trails. AAAND, it’s closer than Shenandoah! I’m going to head out there late Saturday morning, hike a few miles (probably 3-5), and head on back. It will be a shorter trip and a chance to explore a new place if you haven’t been! You’ll need: Hiking shoes Water Loads of …
Seaside Playtime
Outdoors style beach week for dirt cheap!?! Want to go to Beach Week? Don’t want to spend loads of money? Saturday May 15th we are going to travel down to Outer Banks. There is a SWEET campground right on the beach. Most of the costs for lodging, food and gas will be covered by the Outdoors Club. Some activities might …
Cheat River Festival!
Whitewater, music, gear, and great folks – could it get any better? Let’s go to the 16th Annual Cheat River Festival! Cheat Fest has been described as “the biggest little river festival in the country”. For more details out the following sites: http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Article/view/articleid/30719/display/full/ http://cheat.org/festival Activities: The emphasis of this trip will be to enjoy whitewater.There is plenty of class III-V …
Backpacking at Dolly Sods!
Foxfields Shmoxfields…let’s go backpacking instead! We’re heading to Dolly Sods- an amazingly beautiful wilderness area in the mountains of West Virginia. Check it out: http://potomacappalachian.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=317&Itemid=43 We’ll leave Friday afternoon, drive 3 hours there, grab some dinner and hike the 1-2 miles to the campsite. Saturday, we’ll hike 8-10 miles and camp out. On Sunday we’ll make the 5-6 mile trek …
Hike at Riprap Hollow!
It’s going to be Saturday again soon…let’s go hiking! Riprap Hollow is a 9.5 mile loop in Shenandoah. We’ll leave at 9, drive there, hike about, eat some lunch, hike about some more, maybe even go swimming if it’s warm enough and people are interested, and come back! Check it out: http://www.hikingupward.com/SNP/RiprapHollow/ You bring: Plenty of water Lunch Something to …
Brms Discount Night #2
Hello fellow gearheads, Our discount night at Blue Ridge Mountain Sports is coming up fast! Mon April 12th from 8:15-9:15pm you’ll be part of an exclusive 20% sale to Outdoors at UVa members only. **Don’t forget: If you plan on buying gear that you’ll need to get fitted for (e.g. shoes, packs, etc.) you must go in this week prior …
Pilgrimage to Ragged Mountain
Incase you havent celebrated Easter in another way so far which is far to common in college students as there are no traditions of particular interest to college students connected with Easter. Anyway back to what i was saying, come Pilgrimage to Ragged Mountain with me. Feel free to bring painted eggs along preferably those yogurt covered chocolate ones. So …
Sherando Lake and Rock Scramble
If you’re looking for a hike to really get you in shape for spring and summer fun this might be the one for you! We will start on the Blue Ridge Parkway, hike to Sherando Lake, scramble up the rocks to Torry Ridge, drop down to Mill Creek, climb up towards Bald Mtn. and complete the loop back along the …
Devil’s Marbleyard!
I’ve been waiting for it to warm up enough to go to Devil’s Marbleyard, and if the weather holds out it’s gonna be AMAZING! This is my favorite hike! The drive to Devil’s Marbleyard will take around 1.5-2 hours, and we’ll start up with a moderately easy 1.5 mile hike through the woods. From there, the mountain opens up into …
Cedar Run & Whiteoak Canyon Hike
Get ready to hike a trail which boasts a series of six waterfalls, with the uppermost fall being the highest at 86 feet. We will depart from Bonnycastle Circle around 9:00AM and start hiking the Whiteoak Canyon Area at Shenandoah National Park by 10:30-10:45 AM. Its going to be strenuous 8.2 mile circuit hike for 5-6 hours. The waterfalls on …
Saturday Traipse Down/Up the Rocky Mount Trial!!
For those of you that cant make it out for the Sunday hike for whatever reason (mine being that 9am would be the apocalypse on this particular Sun.) here is Saturday hike of similar caliber. So I have heard lots of good things about this trail. It no doubt has some awesome views to gawk at and possibly have some …
~Shenandoah Sunday: Trayfoot Mountain/Paine Run Loop~
Yawwwn… Yeah right… time to wake up and start your week off right with a great Sunday hike through the beautifual Shenandoah National Forest! This week’s loop is the: Trayfoot Mountain / Paine Run Loop The plan is to depart from Bonnycastle Circle around 9:00a Drive to the Paine Trail parking lot in Shenandoah National Forest Then to hit the …
Riprap Take 2
I can make the hikes Saturday, so I want to hike this Sunday! The riprap loop is not too far away, although we will have to avoid skyline drive, and it is about a 9.5 mile loop. So the plan: leave from echols at 11am (sleep in!), hike a decent pace (not too fast, But this is not a beginners …
Lets Hike Ragged Mountain!
The weather is finally nice again, let’s go outdoors to enjoy it! We will do the 3-1/2 mile main trail at Ragged Mountain Natural Area, which is only about 15 minutes outside of Charlottesville. Make sure that you bring: 1. Appropriate hiking shoes 2. Either a snack or a light lunch if you cannot wait for campus to eat (for …
~ Riprap Hollow Loop: 3/20 ~
I don’t know about y’all but it’s definitely time to lace up those hiking shoes and go out for a beautiful day hike, hangovers welcome! The plan is to depart from Bonnycastle Circle around 9:00a Drive to the Riprap Hollow Trail in Shenandoah National Park Then to hit the trail and have a great time hiking and viewing the two …
A Glorious, Gallent, Imposing, and Monumental Adventure to Cumberland Island
This trip is gonna be hopping for sure and you wont want to miss out on this journey of a lifetime. Spring break on an island in the southern reaches of the U.S. its gonna be goodies for sure. This is an awesome chance to hit up some warm weather and beaches without having to sell yourself out on the …
Winter Survival Skills
Have you ever wanted to learn how to find shelter, food and water and start a fire in the winter without all of the modern camping gear we are used to having? In this adventure we will make a basic snow survival shelter, unless it rains a lot between now and Sunday in which case we’ll use forest debris, start …
Intermediate/Advanced Weekend (Snowshoeing) Backpacking to Laurel Fork!
Whoops! Trip Canceled! Come join Becca (one of the cook’s outstanding cooks) and me for a backpacking trip this weekend! We’ll convene at 4pm on Friday, pack up at Becca’s, and head towards West Virginia and backpack/hike/camp at Laurel Fork. Some info about the area is at http://www.hikingupward.com/GWNF/SlabcampRunLocustSpring/ http://www.hikingupward.com/GWNF/LaurelFork/ All details of this trip are variable. We will use our …
Outdoor Survival Skills and Crafts Rescheduled
Since I had to cancel the adventure last Sunday due to snow conditions, it’s been rescheduled for Wednsday. If you are still in the area and would like to practice some fun winter survival skills such as making snow shelters, starting a campfire in snow and how to make a fire-sculpted wooden bowl come out for this winter wonderland adventure. …
Outdoor Crafts and Survival Skills
If you’re still around during break and would like to try your hand at being creative with natural materials from the woods this might be the adventure for you! We will travel up to some wooded land my family owns up in Madison County, hike a short ways into the woods, and build a campfire. We can then use materials …
Tramp Through the Woods.
So I am sure you are all as burnt out on Clem as I am. So lets get outside on Sat. for a little roaming through the woods. We will go hit up Ragged Mountain Area to keep time to a minimum. So not sure about how far we will hike but it shouldnt be more than 3 miles. We …
Moderate Dayhike: Bear Church Rock in Snp
New Plan: Park at the end of 662. Plan A: hike at 12 mile loop passing Bear Church Rock. Plan B: hike out and back to BCR for a total of 7-8 miles. Plan C: Hike somewhere else. In full disclosure, I’ve planned this hike with Sergei. Despite what you may have heard about him or his trips, this trip …
Hiking Around Moorman’s River
Hey Guys! here is what we are doing: Drive out to Moormans River Reservoir, hike up the Turk gap branch to AT and continue to Turk Mt summit with a great view, have lunch at the summit, return the same way. About 2500 ft Elevation gain, around 12mi total distance. There is a 20% of rain, so rain gear is …
Ramsey’s Draft Day Hike
Awesome hiking weather in the forecast for tomorrow! This will be a 14mi loop. Bring water, lunch, snacks, HEADLAMP/FLASHLIGHT, and crocs/sandals for numerous stream crossings. Drivers get off the waitlist first. Club provides gas money/seat in a car.
Intro to Rock Climbing
Come to the local rock climbing gym and learn how to climb! I will teach some basics of rock climbing and how to belay another climber and we will spend the rest of the time going at it. Climbing is an awesome sport and I’m hoping we can get lots more people to join us on peak trips and outdoors …
Bike to Old Rag Trailhead/Hike Old Rag
The plan is to drive to Madison, leave the cars at the house of a club member, Carolyn Farnsworth, and bike to the Old Rag trailhead on scenic backroads (approximately 20 miles one way), hike the 9mi loop on Old Rag, and bike back to Madison. Carolyn graciously offered to host a post-ride dinner, hence late end time. Drivers will …
Meteor Shower for Those Who Like to Go to Bed Before 2!
Hey guys! So peak time for the leonid meteor shower is from 11pm to 4am. I want to hit the earlier part, as i am old and like to go to bed a decent hour. 🙂 so here is the plan: Meet at echols at 1030 so we can hop in cars and head to Humpback rocks. We will take …