DC UL Backpacking

Posting this last-minute trip option if someone is like me: want to get out, but don't want to spend the whole weekend backpacking. Camping is outside of SNP boundary, so no permit is required. There are two starting point options: end of Rapidan Fire Road (at SNP boundary) or Graves Mill TH parking. Rapidan Fire Road is a rough 4wd road that takes you directly to the campsite (no hiking required Friday or Sunday morning if camping Saturday night). Graves Mill is accessible by paved road, but there is a 5-mile hike to camp. I have a truck and will be happy to meet at Vienna metro and drive 3 others. However, I don't like driving in the dark up the Rapidan Road, so I will be leaving Vienna at 2:30 pm. Let me know if you need a ride and I'll be happy to meet you at Vienna metro.
Saturday, we will explore the area trails and hike to three waterfalls: Rose River, Dark Hollow and Lewis Spring. We will return to camp and will have an option to leave Saturday night or camp and leave Sunday morning.

The Fine Print:

See DC UL's winter rankings here: https://dculbackpacking.com/about/tripranks/

Caltopo: Graves Mill and Rapidan - CalTopo
Rapidan Road: https://maps.app.goo.gl/pTYfidwMqrGkPaRg8
Graves Mill Parking: https://maps.app.goo.gl/aGHn7WSWuE1ALmba6

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. From Vienna, that is roughly $18 for this trip depending on the route

Since Kyle had left us to carry on the PATC cabin tradition, I wanted to book a cabin for a nice weekend of hopefully wintery hiking. But as luck would have it, both Jones and Corbin cabin are closed for the season so we’ll have to try something new. I’ve been to this cabin with 11 other friends (and everybody did not hate each other afterwards) so I can say that the good news is, it will probably be warmer inside than the usual cabins. The bad news is that will be because this is a pretty small one room cabin with 4 bunk beds next to each other dorm style. So if you want to have some nice bonding time with up to 11 of your best DCUL friends, come and join us! I will start this at 8 but there are 4 double beds so if anyone has a buddy or partner they don't mind sharing a bed with, let me know and we could add a couple more.

The plan is to meet at Vienna at 4, drive down and hike in about 4 miles on Friday to the cabin, do about 20 miles of hiking on Saturday and enjoy post-hike merriment, and then on Sunday spend the morning lumberjacking for wood to replenish the cabin wood supply and then hike out. I will post some ideas for the saturday hike as we get closer.

The cabin does have a wood stove; however, you should still treat this as winter conditions and have everything you would need to stay safe without the wood stove. You should also have some form of shelter (tarp, emergency bivy, etc) to bring with you on the day hike in case of emergencies. And finally, bringing a fun food or drink to share with the cabin on Saturday is also encouraged.

The Fine Print:

See DC UL's winter rankings here: https://dculbackpacking.com/about/tripranks/

Cabin cost: Please pay me $14.50 for the cost of the cabin, venmo is @Madeline-Beaudry and paypal is @madelinebeaudry1

Maps: DCUL'ers have maps! Some options:

• GPX: to be posted
• PATC Map 11 (PATC store link)

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. From Vienna, that is roughly $25 for this trip depending on the route

Let's go backpacking on a barrier island! I have wanted to do this trip since I missed it last year. Wanted to get this on the calendar, I will update with more details soon.

--- below mostly copied from last time---
Assateague Island is a 37-mile long barrier island. It is known for its undeveloped beaches, wild horses, waterfowl, and the Assateague Lighthouse.

This stretch of beach walking is some of the most pristine anywhere, at times veering into an almost meditative quality as you walk along the sand. And, oddly, even though it is essentially flat and a straight line, walking in sand is not exactly easy. You'll find yourself aiming for firm footing, and your feet (and everything else) will be sandy. Best to avoid heavy footwear here. Splits will be 14/14.

Caveat; I've never done this trail before

Trip rank is MO W1. I will keep "W1" for now. Temperatures may be below freezing at times, perhaps down to the teens. You can read more about trip ranks here.

Plan
Note: we'll consider a key swap if there is enough interest.

We'll meet up at a park and ride east of town and then head out to establish the shuttle at Toms Cove [Note: the visitor center at Toms Cover is permanently closed, not sure if you can still park there. looking into it]. Then, it's off to the Maryland side at Assateague. We'll get our permits, park, walk to the beach, turn right, and start walking in a straight line down the beach. We'll do splits of about 14 / 14, camping at either Stateline (on the beach side) or Pope Bay (on the bay side).

I am planning to rent a car unless we get enough volunteer drivers.

Resources
Caltopo TBD (this is 99% walking in a straight line but I'll probably still make one)

Directions: TBD

Past trips:
- https://dculbackpacking.com/2022/03/29/trip-report-hiking-on-the-beach-in-winter-assateague/
- https://www.meetup.com/dc-ul-backpacking/events/304254668/?eventOrigin=group_events_list

The Fine Print

• By RSVPing to this trip or any other DC UL trip, you agree to DC UL's liability waiver terms. (https://dculbackpacking.com/about/liability-waiver)
• If you are a member, don't forget to pay your annual $10 dues. You can check to see 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 with the group. To pay your dues via PayPal, use this link: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/JenniferAdach/15
• All non-drivers should expect to pay $0.10 per mile to their driver, in accordance with the DC UL carpool policy.