Fabulous Fall Overnight Backpacking- Elliot’s Knob

OVERVIEW

Late-October, Virginia’s scenic canopy of late fall, cool mountain breezes to counteract the horrid midday heat, eating some gourmet jet-boil pasta while watching the vibrant sun dip slowly behind our beautiful Virginia mountains from a little fire tower nestled atop Elliot Knob. If you imagine this to be your ideal Friday night after a long week of being in the sterile indoor cages that we call classrooms, you’re in luck!

Elliot’s knob is a 4 mile, mostly uphill hike to a super cool fire tower!! We’ll get all cozy in the fire-tower with our sleeping bags, make some pasta, and perhaps tell some spooky stories to get in the halloween spirit. We’ll provide dinner (pasta and sauce… if you want something more advanced bring it yo self!), but everything else is bring-your-own (as in breakfast and snacks and water and oxygen and whatever else you will need to intake friday afternoon-saturday morn).

The hike is 4 miles with 2500 ft of vertical gain, so we recommend everyone to be fairly comfortable with physically demanding hikes (both of us will definitely be winded, so don’t worry too much). The fire tower provides 360 views in every direction since elliot’s knob is one of the highest peaks in Virginia! While we would normally promote a one night backpacking trip as very beginner friendly, we do want to assert that the trail is steep up to the summit– basically two miles straight uphill on gravel, and that you need to be comfortable hiking 4 miles with this much vertical gain. More info about the trail can be found here: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/virginia/elliott-knob-trail.

Schedule:
Friday
2:30 pm: Meet @ corner of Echols Dorm
3:45 pm: Begin hikin
6:30 pm: Summit!
6:45 pm: sunset and dinna
9 ish: (head)lights out ?
Saturday
7 am: sunrise + bfast
8:30 am: pack up and head on down
1 pm: back @ grounds wooooo

To bring:
-backpacking backpack
-sleeping bag and sleeping pad
-WATER (3-4 Liters)!!!!!
-hiking shoes
-clothes + layers (lows of high 50s), BRING A JACKET IT GETS COLD AT THE TOP
-headlamp
-breakfast, and snacks (we will provide pasta for dinner but feel free to bring extra food)
-bowl and utensils
-toiletries

We will bring:
– Tents
– Pocket rocket, pot, and fuel
– first aid kit
– dinna

If you’re missing any gear on the list grab it from the gear room! Gear room hours are sent out via email every week and if you have any questions / need either of us to pick up gear for you just text one of us (Cam: 703-488-8892, Lizzie 434-906-0509).

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!

See you there 🙂
-Lizzie and Cam