Hiking (Backpacking)
Bonnycastle Circle
Harper's Ferry, West Virginia
This is a somewhat strenuous, multi-day hike, and will cover approximately 80 miles over the course of 6 days. The plan is to leave on Sunday, March 6th, and be dropped off at the entrance to the Appalachian Trail in Thornton Gap. From there, we will hike on the AT up through Shenandoah National Park until we arrive at Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia. From there, we will take the 11:30am Amtrak on Friday, March 11th into Washington, DC, or get rides from one of several people.
A few details about the hike itself…we will be covering about 15 miles per day, and will be staying in AT shelters when possible. In early March there will be few other hikers on the trail, so the shelters should be available, but we’ll bring either tents or a quick-setup shelter in case we are crowded out. There will be one or two places along the way where we can step off the trail and get some snacks, but for the most part we will be carrying all our food (minus some well-deserved pizza when we get to DC).
The club will cover food expenses and provide hiking equipment if you need it. The weather may be a little chilly, but once you’re on the trail it’ll be perfect. We will probably not be out of cell phone touch for more than a day at a time, so if the weather turns nasty I can always call a friend in C-ville to come and pluck us off the trail.
About myself: Engineering grad student, also went to UVA undergrad and graduated in 2007. If you’re interested in the trip, shoot me an e-mail and we can discuss logistics, etc. further. Thanks for looking!