Queer House (Mountain Backpacking) Party

OVERVIEW

Hey y’all. Idk about you but my life has been unbelievably busy these past weeks (where did October go???) and I haven’t gone backpacking in a hot minute and I wanted to change that. I’ve also noticed there haven’t been too many queer affinity trips and wanted to help change that! So come join Ed and I on what will be an amazing and awesome queer backpacking trip!

We’ll be going to a place with two peaks called Little and Big House Mountain. I’ve only seen pictures online but the views look incredible and Ed can attest to that as he has been here before. Even better, the outdoor gods decided that one peak is a great sunset view point and the other is a great sunrise view point so we’ll get to see both!

A quick rundown. We will hike about 2-3 miles into our camp spot in what’s called the saddle. Set up camp, then hike over to big house for the sunset then go back to camp for dinner, activities, talk, etc. Then in the morning wake up and hike out to little house for the sunrise before heading back and departing for cville once more.

Overall it will be about 9 miles and 2800 ft of elevation but we plan on taking it easy and thus all ability levels are welcome!

Some final notes before the gritty details below: Please be sure to eat a good lunch before we meet and leave on Saturday. Also be sure to bring enough water to last you the whole trip (2-3 liters! or more) as we are uncertain if the spring will be springing or if it will be all dried up. And because of timing on Sunday morning, please bring breakfast food you can either eat while we are hiking or doesn’t require any cooking- examples of this are below.

Here’s the sched:

Saturday
1:00 PM Meet at echols
1:10 PM Leave echols for trailhead
2:30 PM leave trailhead for camp
4? Arrive and setup camp
4:35 PM leave saddle and head to big house
5:09 PM Sunset
?? hike back to camp (need headlamp!)
6 PM Back to camp
dinner, etc

Sunday
5:45 AM Wake up
6:00 AM Leave camp
6:45 AM Arrive for sunrise
6:54 AM Sunrise
7:15 AM Head back to camp
8:00 AM Back at camp
Pack up
10:30 AM Back to cars at the latest

What to bring:
– backpacking backpack
– no school bags; you can get one at the gear room!
– sleeping bag
– aim for like a 20 degree bag
– sleeping pad
– sleeping bag liner
– This will help keep you warm too
– hiking shoes/boots
– layers!
– it will be cold, avoid cotton. bring base layers, aim for wool.
– warm socks
– puffy jacket
– fleece
– leggings
– pants
– gloves
– beanie
– etc
– rain jacket/pants
– in case it rains
– toiletries
– hand sani
– toothpaste
– toothbrush
– toilet paper
– etc
– headlamp/flashlight
– no phone lights!
– bring extra batteries
– we will be using these when hiking back to camp after sunset
– at least 2 liters of water
– we will bring extra to stash in the cars after so we are not thirsty once it is over!
– writing utensil
– camp shoes (if you want)

Food:
– snacks
– recommend bringing a little candy, it tastes even better hiking and can be a morale saver for yourself
– 1 breakfast
– poptarts
– granola or dry cereal
– overnight/cold soaked oats
– fruit
– etc
– (basically something that is quick and easy to prepare and doesn’t require hot water)
– 1 dinner
– ramen
– knorrs
– powdered mash potatoes
– powdered soup
– mac n cheese
– instant rice
– tuna packets
– etc
– knife/fork/spoon
– bowl

what we’ll bring
– tents
– please note if you have any preferences in the questionnaire
– we will also be distributing pieces as group gear so leave a little room for that
– first aid kid
– stoves
– stuff to filter/clean water (if the spring is running)
– trowel

DRIVERS NEEDED!
– Drivers get priority off the waitlist. The club reimburses for gas +50% tip!
– Drivers need to show up to Echols with a full tank of gas!
– We are looking for two cars capable of driving 4-5 people each and their stuff!

More information:
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/virginia/house-mountain-trail
https://www.hikingupward.com/OVH/HouseMountain/

Feel free to reach out with any questions, you can find our numbers in our profiles.

***This is an affinity trip, don’t sign up if you’re not queer or trans please (that being said, if you’re interested but don’t want to sign up publicly, text one of us!)