Snowshoeing and Winter Camping in West (by God) Virginia

OVERVIEW

This is an adventure to the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia. My desire is to do a snowshoeing/backpacking trip into the Dolly Sods Wilderness near Canaan Valley West Virginia. This area is ~3.5hrs from C’ville. We’ll be snowshoeing, backpacking, and camping. You don’t need any snowshoeing experience – it’s easy to learn. But, you should have some backpacking and camping experience to come on this trip. You also must have the appropriate cold weather clothing.

The Dolly Sods area, located at an elevation of 2600-4000+ ft., has terrain and plant life that’s atypical for this area – it’s similar to areas in northern Canada. We might even see some wildlife (or at least tracks).

Some parts of the wilderness are exposed and may be very windy. The area gets a lot of snow, 150in per year and **can get quite COLD.** Single digit or sub-zero F temperatures are possible.

We’ll leave C-ville early Friday morning and arrive in the Canaan area by noon. We’ll then hike in a few miles and set up camp . On Sat., we’ll enjoy the solitude and beautiful views while snowshoeing around the area. We’ll set up camp, enjoy warm food and hot drinks on Sat. night and then hike out on Sunday. Note: Our plans will need to be flexible depending on snow conditions, weather, access, etc. – it’ll be an adventure! If you want a trip with exact and detailed plans, well-marked trails, and warm temps., this is not the one for you. Due to the potential for extreme conditions in Dolly Sods I may move the trip to the Cranberry Wilderness if the conditions warrant it. The Cranberry Wilderness is also in the Monongahela but a little south of Dolly Sods. The trail follows a river gorge and is a little less exposed. This should be a suitable backup if conditions look poor. Safety is my first priority and I may therefore cancel the trip if the conditions would seem to risky.

Club provides:
Transportation: gas if you can drive and a seat in a car
Food: Friday night dinner, Saturday’s meals, Sunday’s breakfast and lunch
Gear: backpacks, winter sleeping bags, sleeping pads, tent, headlamps, water purification, cooking pots, stoves, snowshoes, compasses

You provide:
Everything from the clothing and equipment list located here:

**You MUST have the appropriate attire to come on this trip.** If you sign up, you also need to read the information in the links included on that list.
Email me w/ questions.