Camping on Cole Mtn: Queer Backpacking Trip

OVERVIEW

Hey y’all!!!
Want to have a good time backpacking with a group of fellow queer people? Then this is your trip! This is going to be a pretty chill/beginner backpacking trip, specifically for queer and/or trans people! We’re gonna do a 6 mile loop (we’ll do 1 mile on Friday evening to Cole Mountain, where we’ll camp, then about 5 miles back to the car on Saturday morning). Here’s the AllTrails link if you want to check out the route! https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/virginia/cole-mountain-via-appalachian-trail

Here’s the plan:
Friday
4pm: Meet at corner of Echols dorms
5:45pm: Get to the trailhead
6:30pm: Get to Cole Mountain, set up camp, eat dinner, hang out, have a good time
Saturday
8:30am ish (or honestly, just whenever we get out of camp, I don’t know what a reasonable expectation for that time is, nor do I really personally care): hike 5 miles back to the car
noon ish (again, ???): Get to cars, drive back to cville
1:30pm ish: Back at UVA

What to bring:
2L of water (We’ll have a couple of water filters in case anyone needs more water)
Sleeping bag
Sleeping pad
Food (enough for dinner, breakfast, and snacks)
Something to cook ur food with, if necessary
Any toiletries you might need
Some layers, it’s October and it will probably be pretty windy up on the balds
A rain jacket
Headlamp (shouldn’t need it, but always a good idea)
Hiking shoes
Backpacking backpack
Tent (They have 2P and 4P tents in the gear room, if you get a tent that’s bigger than 1-2P, think about if you’re willing to tent with other people, that way you could split the weight of the tent and it would just make more sense logistically)

Other PSAs:
-As mentioned in the description, this is an affinity trip, meant specifically for queer and/or trans folks! (So, respectfully, don’t sign up if u don’t consider yourself to be a part of those communities 🙂
-We’re trying to make sure this is beginner-friendly, so if you need to reach us for questions about packing/food/anything really, our numbers are 757-647-6745 (Marian) and 434-326-8868 (Ed)
-If you don’t have some of the gear that you might need, please please check out the hours for the gear room & get anything you might need before the trip!

DRIVERS NEEDED!
-Drivers need to show up to Echols with a full tank of gas!
-Drivers get priority off the waitlist. The club reimburses for gas +50% tip!

Can’t wait to see y’all!
-Marian & Ed 🙂