I could use some calm, quiet, and reflection in nature, and I am sure some of you could as well. This will be a beginner hike to Bearfence in the Shenandoah National Park this Saturday to see the sunrise. Bearfence is one of my favorite hikes and is a wonderful sunrise spot. I have a SNP pass so this trip …
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Saturday Sunset at Reddish Knob
Reddish Knob is a cool and quirky spot just west of Harrisonburg, VA. If you venture up the winding country road, you reach the summit at approximately 4,400 ft of elevation, one of the highest points in VA. The views are great, the vibes are nice, and as a Hburg local, it is a good spot to spend some time …
Outdoors Club Field Day
This trip isn’t actually taking place at the Castle but the field behind it: https://goo.gl/maps/F4hZTvwDXdeh6tTa9 I’ll be bringing Spikeball and a Frisbee but if anyone else wants to bring something just let me know. The plan is just to hang out and play some casual sports to kick off the weekend. Everyone bring some water for yourself. Text me at …
Treat Yo Self! Rnd 3
What’s this, ANOTHER sunset hike?! You better believe it. It’s warmer and later because Spring, so strap in. “Hike” less than a mile total to enjoy a panoramic sunset at one of my favorite spots in the SNP. We’ll hang out, take a group photo, watch the sunset, and celebrate everyone’s favorite day of the week: Tuesday (duh). Some nitties, …
Treat Yo Self! Rnd 2
It’s that time again, another gratuitous hike! “Hike” less than a mile total to enjoy a panoramic sunset at one of my favorite spots in the SNP. We’ll hang out, take a group photo, watch the sunset, and celebrate everyone’s favorite day of the week: Tuesday (obviously). Some nitties, some gritties: 5:45 pm – depart from Bonnycastle Circle 6:45 pm …
Riprap Hollow, Extended Sign Up
What better way to enjoy beach week than hiking, amiright??? Let’s hike Wednesday and head an hour away into the Shenandoah National Park to Riprap Hollow. It’s a 10 mile circuit with good streams and views. There’s a swimming hole, but it’s freezing, so don’t get any ideas. We’ll take some group photos and stop to eat along the way. …
Trail Running at Walnut Creek Park
What better way to start out a Saturday than with an awesome trail run?! Details: Where? We will be driving about 20 minutes to Walnut Creek Park. There are a number of trails, so you can choose whatever mileage and pace you’re comfortable with. I am planning on going 3 or 4 miles at a reasonably slow pace. There is …
Treat Yo Self! – Beginner Sunset Hike
Behold, the most gratuitous hike! “Hike” less than a mile total to enjoy a panoramic sunset at one of my favorite spots in the SNP. We’ll hang out, take a group photo, watch the sunset, and start the weekend right. Some nitties, some gritties: 4 pm – depart from Bonnycastle Circle 5 pm – arrive at trailhead 5:30 pm – …
Tlc – Waterfalls
Do you save all your work for Sunday night (be honest)? Well, let’s hike Sunday and enjoy the outdoors. Skyline drive fully opened this week, so we’re headed an hour away into the Shenandoah National Park to Jones Run/Doyles River. It’s a 7 mile circuit with several waterfalls. We’ll take some group photos and stop for lunch along the way. …
Moab Spring Break 2016!
Don’t have any spring break plans yet? Come to Moab, Utah with the club!!! Moab is a multi-sport paradise, with tons of amazing mountain biking, hiking, backpacking, canyoneering, paddling, fishing, and rock climbing! March in Moab is perfect adventure weather with temps in the mid-60s and plenty of sun! Being a breathtaking desert destination situated on the Colorado Plateau, it …
Trail Work at Preddy Creek
Wanna get get dirty, swing around some tools, and spend a beautiful Saturday morning outside? The folks at Preddy Creek are having a volunteer workday, so come on out and dig some new mountain biking trails. A lil manual labor now and then is good for the soul. No experience is necessary; just gotta have a good attitude and be …
Late Afternoon Hike – Boar’s Head Heritage Trail
Let’s take a break from studying – join me for a late afternoon easy hike minutes from Charlottesville: Boar’s Head Inn Heritage Trail. The trail is broad and mostly level with only a few ups and downs. With views of the Birdwood Golf Course off to the side, after passing old cemetery and a few ponds will end up at …
Sunrise Humpback Hike!
Hey y’all, just trying to get in an early sunrise hike at Humpback before our day starts. PLEASE DON’T BE LATE. It’s the kind of thing where if we are just too late the experience loses quite a bit of value. Bring: – 1-2L of water – backpack (if needed) – hiking shoes (if needed) -breakfast For those of you …
Primitive & Survival Skills Workshop
Primitive & Survival Skills Workshop at the Scheier Natural Area. Learn how to make cordage, friction fire, shelter and other skills needed to survive in the wild. Hot Chocolate by the fire ring will be provided to participants. Location: 917 Long Acre Rd. Palmyra, VA 22963. The event is free of charge and we will car-pool at 9am from Bonnycastle …
Late Afternoon Hike – Boar’s Head Heritage Trail: Canceled Due to Weather
Let’s try to burn a few Thanksgiving pounds – join me for a late afternoon easy hike minutes from Charlottesville: Boar’s Head Inn Heritage Trail. The trail is broad and mostly level with only a few ups and downs. With views of the Birdwood Golf Course off to the side, after passing old cemetery and a few ponds will end …
Monday Getaway: Old Rag Hike (Intermediate Pace)
DRIVER IS NEEDED!!!! YOU WILL BE REIMBURSED! PRIORITY GOES TO DRIVERS AND SNP PASSHOLDERS!!! Do something you won’t regret and skip those boring Monday classes for a beautiful Monday at Old Rag! Old Rag is a 8 (closer to 10, if we consider the distance from parking to the trailhead) mile circuit hike, located in Shenandoah. It is roughly a …
Meadow Creek Cleanup W/Tnc and Local Community Members
Get excited for the first official service trip of the semester!!! Next Saturday the Nature Conservancy needs your help to clean up one of their local conservation efforts: Meadow Creek! This area has been revitalized through the efforts of some awesome biologists and volunteers, and now it needs YOUR help to keep things rolling. The plan is to pick up …
Three Ridges Overnight Backpacking
Too busy to join the weekend long festivities at the New River Gorge but still want to enjoy the perfect weather this weekend and get in a night under the stars? Join me and your fellow too-busy-with-midterms outdoorsmen on a quick overnight trip to the Three Ridges Wilderness Area. We’ll meet at Bonny Castle Circle at 4:00 PM on Friday, …
Dinner with a View
The Welsh Mountain Observatory is predicting solid star gazing conditions, so pack your dinner and grab a mug and let’s go visit the “alpine meadow” atop Cold Mountain. We’ll meet at Bonnycastle Circle at 5:00 PM Thursday, October 15th. Drive 1.5 hours, hike about a mile up to the meadow where we’ll catch the end of the sunset and have …
“Topo…What???” Sat 9/26 Riprap Hollow
Let’s meet up at 9am Saturday, September 26 for a hike and to go over map reading basics. We’ll head to Riprap Hollow about an hour away in southern Shenandoah National Park for a 10 mile hike. Before taking off I’ll review some basics and provide you with a simple topo map of the trail. We’ll take it slow with …
Beginner Rock Climbing Skills (Afternoon Session)
Disclaimer: This trip is almost purely instructional, but don’t worry, it will be a fun outing on the banks of the James River in Richmond! The purpose of this trip is to increase your climbing IQ, so that you can confidently attend any club climbing trip and know that you have all the technical skills to participate. It can be …
Beginner Rock Climbing Skills (Morning Session)
Disclaimer: This trip is almost purely instructional, but don’t worry, it will be a fun outing on the banks of the James River in Richmond! The purpose of this trip is to increase your climbing IQ, so that you can confidently attend any club climbing trip and know that you have all the technical skills to participate. It can be …
Weather/Schedule Update: Beginner/Intermediate Rock Crushing at the New!!
I originally posted the trip for the Red, but it looks like it will be super hot and muggy there. The New looks better weather wise, so lets head there instead. Also, I changed the departure time to 6:30pm on Friday. Hopefully, this will work better with peoples schedules. Like the Red, the New has sick and varied climbing. We’ll …
Movie Night: Meru!!
Meru looks like a dope film that just came out! It tells the story of Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, and Renan Ozturk making the first ascent of the Shark’s Fin on Mount Meru in the Himalayas. It’s one of the first climbing films to be released to mainstream audiences across the country. This is largely because it’s not just a …
Intermediate Rock Climbing at the New!
Dying to climb some splitter cracks or dance up a techy face?! Come climb the crimptastic sport routes as well as the splitter and not so splitter cracks of the New River Gorge this weekend! The plan is to leave from Bonnycastle Circle (near old dorms) on Saturday at 6AM and head directly to the Summersville Lake Area to do …
Acquatic Arachnophobia Disc Retrieval
Hey gang, Do you like the water? Are you afraid of spiders? Did you know that most living spiders are found outside of the water? Did you also know that there are discs in Walnut Creek Park? Well we’re gonna grab our goggles, towels, and floaties, and head down to the water and submerge. That’s right. We’re going to look …
Rock Climbing Day Trip at the New!!
Dying to climb at the New, but can’t blow off school work for an entire weekend, then this trip is perfect for you. The weather on Sunday is looking swell, 70s and sunny! We’ll be climbing at the Junk Yard Wall and/or Bridge Buttress as they have ridiculously short approaches (less time hiking and more climbing). They have a ton …
The Priest Sunset Hike!
Everyone loves sunsets, hiking, and Friday afternoons, so what better way to spend your Friday than hiking The Priest to watch beautiful sunset. Hopefully there’ll still be some clouds lingering around after the rain to make the sunset even better! It’s an 8-mile-hike, with tons of elevation gain (around 3,000 ft). There’s a rocky outcrop near the summit that faces …
405th Annual Creekathon
Let’s go play in the woods. And eat and drink (soda) and be merry. And celebrate that it’s time for Creekathon, the annual club wide picnic at Walnut Creek Park!!! We have reserved one of the shelters at the park, complete with grill and picnic tables. The club covers all burgers (of both the meat and vegetal varieties), hotdogs, buns, …
Ohill Trail Maintenance
In the Fall of my first year at UVA, I would walk the winding wooded trails that go around the sides of Observatory Hill. I would go alone and with friends, on bike and on foot. I felt (and still do) very strongly about those beautiful trails, which gave me many a quiet time to gather my thoughts in the …
Manchester Wall Rock Climbing
The Manchester Wall is located on the banks of the James river near downtown Richmond. It’s an old train bridge that now hosts numerous, unique sport and trad routes. It looks like we’ll have good climbing weather on Saturday as well. What you need to bring: -Climbing shoes -Climbing harness -Climbing helmet -Climbing chalk and chalk bag -Belay device -Snacks …
Spring Break: Moab, Ut Multi-Sport Adventure!
Don’t have any spring break plans yet? Come to Moab, Utah with the club!!! Moab is a multi-sport paradise, with tons of amazing rock climbing, mountain biking, hiking, backpacking, canyoneering, paddling, fishing, and even backcountry skiing! March in Moab is perfect adventure weather with temps in the mid-60s and plenty of sun! Being a breathtaking desert destination situated on the …
Rumbling Bald Rock Climbing!
Have the urge to crimp, smear, stem, and jam your way up some stone?! Come enjoy Rumbling Bald this weekend! Rumbling Bald has it all; trad, sport, bouldering, and some sick multi-pitch climbing all on super nice gneiss!) It also makes a perfect winter destination as it faces south and has mild winters. The forecast for the weekend also looks …
Intermediate/Advanced Rock Climbing at the Tennessee Wall!
The Tennessee Wall is the perfect winter climbing destination on the East Coast! It’s far south and also faces south so it soaks up the sun’s rays all day long. It’s well known for shirtless climbing weather in the heart of winter and this weekend is looking pretty stellar, 50s and sunny! The T-wall is a trad location with a …
Ski Wintergreen this Tuesday!
Before classes really get in to the swing of things, come out skiing this Tuesday afternoon/evening. We will depart from Bonnycastle Circle at 3:30 and ski until our four hour pass is up (or until group wants to leave). Wintergreen is the best place to ski in Virginia and is only about 45 minutes from grounds, so come and shred …
Pre Semester Frolf Outing
For those of you coming back a bit early to C-ville, come on out to play a little frolf at Walnut Creek Park! This Sunday 1-4 pm! A renowned Jack Nicklaus design course, Walnut Creek boasts a challenging yet delightful eighteen hole course for a wide array of skillsets! Not all of us can be Paul McBeth or Nathan Doss …
Torry Ridge Day Hike!
Get ready to walk in the woods!!!! That’s right, here at the Outdoors Club, we will be walking in the woods this Saturday! Obviously, you don’t need to do any homework this weekend because you will have all of Thanksgiving break to do it! Therefore, come on out for the tail end of leaf peepin’ season and have a great …
Intermediate/Advanced Climbing at the Red!!
I don’t think I need to hype the Red very much. It’s the biggest climbing area on the East Coast and has it all; steep sport routes, splitter cracks, techy slab climbs, and off-widths!!! We will stay at Miguel’s Pizza. It’s probably the best climber’s hangout in the East! I has great cheap food (their pizza and breakfast burritos are …
Intermediate Climbing at the New!
Third time’s the charm…hopefully…! This is the third time I’ve tried doing a climbing trip to the New River Gorge with the club. Weather has thwarted both previous attempts. Regardless, it will be a fun weekend of climbing! The plan is to leave from Bonnycastle Circle on Friday at 6pm and come back to UVA on Sunday after a solid …
Old Rag Night Climbing!
The title says it all. We’ll be climbing at Old Rag at night with the only light coming from our headlamps and a waning gibbous moon. It makes climbing quite a bit more spicy!! If you’re a night owl, then this is the trip for you! We will leave from Bonnycastle Circle at 7pm on Thursday. After driving roughly an …
Road Biking to Creekathon!!(24 Miles)
This adventure would consist of a maximum of 5 total riders, and would require participants to bring their own biking gear (club doesn’t provide any of these): -an adequate road bike (multiple gears, relatively light weight) -water (2 liters) -athletic clothing -helmet We will be leaving from bonneycastle circle at 1:30pm, and bike ~2.5 hours to walnut creek park following …
Road Biking to Creekathon!!(24 Miles)
This adventure would consist of a maximum of 5 total riders, and would require participants to bring their own biking gear (club doesn’t provide any of these): -an adequate road bike (multiple gears, relatively light weight) -water (2 liters) -athletic clothing -helmet We will be leaving from bonneycastle circle at 1:30pm, and bike ~2.5 hours to walnut creek park following …
Walnut Creek Frolf Squad
Call it Frolf, Disc Golf, DG, or just a plain ole’ great time. Regardless of the name, it is a sport played by all the greats of history such as Attila the Hun, Winston Churchill, and, of course, our very own Dean “Feisty Forehand” Groves. We will be frolfing (my personal preference) Walnut Creek’s eighteen hole course for the Walnut …
Wilkin’s Trail: Walnut Creekathon
As a part of the 203rd Walnut Creekathon festivities we will be setting off on a 4 mile hike that skirts about half of Walnut Creek Park. After the hike we will reconvene with all of our awesome outdoor buddies and spend the remainder of the afternoon in blissful relaxation. If you’re planning on going on this trip, please sign …
203rd Annual Walnut Creekathon
**Update: There is no fee** Here ye, here ye. The time has come for the ANNUAL WALNUT CREEKATHON. What is this momentous occasion you ask? It’s the picnic of all picnics, a cookout for the ages, an pastime we must protect for ourselves and our posterity. We have reserved one of the shelters at the park, complete with grill and …
Weather/Location Update: Beginner/Intermediate Crack Climbing at the Red (Not the New)!!
It’s going to snow at The New this weekend…so we’re going to head to the Red River Gorge in Kentucky! It has sick climbing just like The New and is actually much larger! It is further away, but its weather forecast looks a lot better. The plan is to leave from Bonnycastle Circle on Friday at 6:30pm and come back …
Beginner Rock Climbing Skills (10/23)
As promised, I created another trip to allow those interested a chance to come and learn! Disclaimer: This trip is almost purely instructional, but don’t you worry, it will be fun and a great midweek escape on the banks of the James River in Richmond! The purpose of this trip is to increase your climbing IQ, so that you can …
Beginner Rock Climbing Skills (10/22)
Disclaimer: This trip is almost purely instructional, but don’t you worry, it will be fun and a great midweek escape on the banks of the James River in Richmond! The purpose of this trip is to increase your climbing IQ, so that you can confidently attend any club climbing trip and know that you have all the technical skills to …
Beginner/Intermediate Rock Climbing at Goshen Pass!
Based on the number of people who are wait listed for the Old Rag climbing trip, I decided to create another beginner/intermediate trip for the same weekend to get people off wait lists and on to the rocks! Goshen Pass is a beautiful, narrow gorge created by the Murray River and hosts some awesome climbing and paddling! We will be …
Old Rag Beginner/Intermediate Rock Climbing
If you have ever hiked Old Rag then you know how rocky and spectacular it is, especially with fall colors coming out!! In addition to being one of the most popular hikes in Shenandoah National Park, Old Rag has some of the best rock climbing opportunities in the state. Plan on it being a very active day as we will …