About us
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DC UL Backpacking hosts an average of 80 backpacking events each year, specializing in high-mileage, lightweight backpacking trips throughout the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond. Our membership structure helps backpackers gain or enhance their outdoor skills. In general, our trips are quite challenging but you’ll find a wealth of experienced backpackers who are eager to share advice. Visit our website (www.dculbackpacking.com) to learn more about our group and our membership and trip ranks, and to read our FAQs.
Our goal: To cultivate a community of independent outdoorsmen and women who want nothing more than to have a fulfilling backcountry experience–to wake early, to walk far, and to travel light.
Join us. We look forward to meeting you!
When applying to join our group, make sure to fill out our questionnaire fully. We also require that your profile photo is of yourself.
*** Read our liability waiver (https://dculbackpacking.com/about/liability-waiver/) and COVID-19 guidelines here: https://dculbackpacking.com/about/covid-19-guidelines/. ***
Upcoming events
11
IO: “Back to School!” (Collegiate Loop, Colorado) (~160 Miles)
Location not specified yetFor years September meant the end of summer and the start of a new school year. Ah, the new friends, the keg parties, the all-nighters cramming information from unread books for final exams, the backpacking . . . Let’s just do the best part of school—the backpacking!
DC UL is going back to college! We’ll hike the famous Collegiate Loop in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. This loop is the convergence of the Colorado Trail and the Continental Divide Trail. The peaks along the trail are all named after colleges that would never have admitted me—including Harvard, Yale, and Princeton.
Here is the CalTopo loop Karan created when he ran a 7 day version of this: https://caltopo.com/m/0B11M. I downloaded the FarApp map, which seems like the best option for digital maps. We are going to do the whole thing over 10 days. That leaves 2 days before and after for travel days. I may arrive even earlier to get acclimated. However, Logan, who previously hiked this loop, says he on-trail acclimated by doing the lower elevation side first. We’ll do it that way.
We’ll fly to Denver and rent cars to the trailhead. We’ll work out the exact dates and itinerary in the next months, so don’t book your plane tickets just yet. I’m posting this now just so anyone who needs to claim annual leave from work can do so. We will also have a “Plan B” in case of forest fires—we’ll either hike somewhere northwest or southwest of Denver to avoid smoke.
Approx splits will be ~15 miles every day, with average elevation gain of ~4k daily. The highest elevation on the hike will be 12.8k ft!
This trip is an “Invitation Only” trip. However, I’m not sending out invites. This simply means I’ll pull you off the RSVP list if I’ve hiked with you and know that you generally hike at a pace so that everyone typically arrives at camp each day within a couple hours of each other. (Some do that by waking early; others by walking fast). I’m limiting this trip to Veteran Members.
If you are interested, feel free to hop on the waitlist.
---------------THE IMPORTANT WARNINGS-------------------
I’m just a co-participant on this trip, not a guide or an expert. I’ve been hiking with DCUL since 2017 but have no special training, such as organizational, medical, or navigational. You are officially on the trip if you both RSVP on Meetup, we engage by email, text, or the app, and you meet me at the trailhead. Otherwise, you are doing your own trip until you make physical contact with me and I recognize you as a co-participant. I’m open to questions.
By RSVPing to this trip or any other DCUL trip, you agree to these guidelines and to DCUL's waiver liability terms (https://dculbackpacking.com/about/liability-waiver/)
COVID-19 policy: https://dculbackpacking.com/about/covid-19-guidelines/
Dues: Members and above, don't forget to pay your annual dues. You can check if you need to pay dues by seeing if the current year is listed next to your name in your DCUL profile. To pay your dues via PayPal, use this link: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/JenniferAdach/15 ($10 annual dues plus a $5 suggested donation to City Kids Wilderness Project.)
6 attendees
LM: False Cape & Back Bay Refuge (25 miles)
Franconia-Springfield Metro Station, 6880 Frontier Drive, Springfield, VA, USExpect beachside views of the Atlantic Ocean and lots of great wildlife photo opportunities on this backpacking trip through Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge and False Cape State Park. False Cape SP is distinctive in that it can only be accessed via Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge by foot, bicycle, or boat. No car campers in this park!
Saturday we'll park at Little Island City Park, hike south along the road into the Refuge (the first mile of Refuge beach is closed to the public), then take the West Dike Trail through the Refuge to take in the nature on the Bay side, eventually crossing into False Cape SP. Time allowing we'll check out the VA/NC boundary marker before looping back around on the ocean side toward our campsite.
On Sunday we'll make our way back north, taking in some more views of the ocean and then exploring the East Dike Trail before retracing our steps on the road back to Little Island Park.
Caltopo of planned route: https://caltopo.com/m/H49KU4T
Map of Back Bay Refuge: https://www.fws.gov/sites/default/files/documents/BBNWR_Visitor%20Map%28Accessibility-Checked%29.pdf
Map of False Cape SP: https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/document/data/trail-guide-falsecape.pdfI have reserved campsite 40, which is located on the Bay side. My reservation is capped at 6 people. If there's sufficient interest, we will look to snag another nearby site availability allowing.
If you are an "applicant" (meaning that this is your first DCUL trip), please send James your gear list ASAP. For an explanation of DC DUL membership ranks: https://dculbackpacking.com/about/membership/
Waiver: By RSVPing to this trip or any other DC UL trip, you agree to these guidelines and to DC UL's waiver liability terms: https://dculbackpacking.com/about/liability-waiver/
COVID-19 policy: https://dculbackpacking.com/about/covid-19-guidelines/
Dues: Members and above, don't forget to pay your annual dues. You can check if you need to pay dues by seeing if the current year is listed next to your name in your DC UL profile. Applicants do not need to pay dues for their first trip. To pay your dues via PayPal, use this link: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/JenniferAdach/15 (10 annual dues plus a 5 suggested donation to City Kids Wilderness Project.)
Carpool: As per our carpool policy, riders should pay drivers 0.10/mile. Passengers should anticipate paying around 42 for this trip.10 attendees
VMO: Black Forest Trail (43 miles)
Vienna Metro North Parking Lot, Vienna Metro Station, Vienna, VA, USI wanted to hike the Black Forest Trail in PA for a while, but I missed David O's Octoberfest trip last year and I can't make Emily's August madness trip, so what do I do? Post my own take on Black Forest Trail. I have to admit that I plagiarized the map from this online hike description: Black Forest Trail Backpacking Guide — Into the Backcountry
We will do the loop slightly differently from other DCUL trips:
1. Leave Saturday morning from Vienna metro, drive to Slate Run PA and start from Slate Run trailhead, coordinates: 41.47138, -77.50481.
2. Hike anywhere from 13 to 16 miles and camp along County Line Stream. We will decide the hiking distance and specific campsite based on the time we arrive at the trailhead.
3. Sunday is a big hiking day. We will cover around 20 miles (maybe a bit less or more depending how far we get on Saturday) and camp along Little Slate Run.
4. Monday we will hike the rest of the miles and drive home.I am ranking this trip VMO because of the terrain difficulty and somewhat fluid itinerary, but I will allow strong members with established DCUL history.
Caltopo: Black Forest Trail - CalTopo
I’m just a co-participant on this trip, not a guide or an expert. I have no survival or medical training.
By RSVPing to this trip or any other DCUL trip, you agree to these guidelines and to DCUL's waiver liability terms (https://dculbackpacking.com/about/liability-waiver/)
Dues: Members and above, don't forget to pay your annual dues. You can check if you need to pay dues by seeing if the current year is listed next to your name in your DCUL profile. To pay your dues via PayPal, use this link: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/JenniferAdach/15 ($10 annual dues plus a $5 suggested donation to City Kids Wilderness Project.)5 attendees
Past events
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