Beat the Heat: Dollys Sods Backpacking with Blueberries and Mushrooms

OVERVIEW

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 of 50-200 feet at a time.

We’ll leave Charlottesville Friday, July 30th, drive over the mountains, and backpack in one mile downhill to camp near a creek.

On Saturday, we’ll day hike around Dolly Sods seeing the sites and eating lots of blueberries. Also, last year, Sergei showed us where two types (aspen scaber stalk, birch bolete) of easily identified mushrooms are. If people are interested and we get enough, we’ll serve them up for dinner.

Sunday, we’ll optionally day hike some to see more of the area. We’ll likely hit up a pizza place on the way back.

The trip will be pretty easy since we won’t carry the packs far (provided we get the campsite I’m hoping for) and we’ll just day hike on Saturday and Sunday.

Club provides:
-A ride there and back again. (Gas + 30% for drivers)
-Gear. (Backpacks, sleeping bags, tents, headlamps, water filter, cooking stuff.)
(As a note, it’ll be cooler at night, so I’d recommend at least a 30 degree bag or some more clothes.)

You provide:
About $20 for food we’ll eat on the trip. I’ll be organizing meals from Saturday morning to Sunday lunch. The club doesn’t cover this over the summer. It might be a few dollars less, but $20 should be the ball park…

-Money for Food on the way there Friday night (or a packed dinner) and more money for Shenandoah pizza (say $10-15).
-Comfortable clothes for hiking. And a jacket. Except the weather to be cool at night.
-Shoes you don’t mind getting wet. Wool socks are a good thing. (I’ve been to Dolly Sods in every season and it is always muddy somewhere we want to go. Always.)
-Rain gear.
-Things to eat on and with. (Bowls, spoons, forks, mugs.)
-Water bottles/containers. (At least enough space for 2 liters.)
-Toiletries (Toothpaste, etc.)

As a note about the fee for food, if you’re really hard up for money, let me know and let’s see if we can work something out. Last summer, the club was able to cover everything, so trips were pretty much $0 except for what you bought on the way there and back again. I’d like to try and include as many folks as possible.