DC UL Backpacking

It's almost blueberry season, and that means it's time for the Tour de Sods: a weekend trip encompassing just about everything the adjacent Dolly Sods and Roaring Plains wildernesses have to offer. This loop features some bushwhacking and lots of mud and rocks – make sure you're up for a tough hike!

We'll meet up at Vienna Metro North Kiss & Ride and drive to the Flatrock Run trailhead (https://bit.ly/3D5Rvwj). We can run a quick shuttle to drop one car at Red Creek trailhead and avoid a 2 mile roadwalk. From the road we'll climb over 2000 vertical feet in 5 miles up Mt Porte Crayon, the fourth highest peak in the state. Be prepared to hike through stinging nettles, and make sure to fill your bottles at the last stream on the way up. Our campsite up on the plateau will be dry.

On Saturday morning we'll hike the entirety of the Canyon Rim Trail, which starts right at our campsite. This trail involves a bit of bushwhacking and talus scrambling, and it probably won't be on your map – occasional stone cairns mark the way. We'll walk along the Allegheny Front, taking in superb views of the valley below, and eventually come to the Dolly Sods Wilderness boundary. A brief gravel roadwalk along FR 19 will lead us to the Rohrbaugh Plains trail. From here we'll make our way north, past Rohrbaugh Cliffs and the confluence of Red Creek and then into the northern meadows of the Sods. At the northwest corner of the wilderness we'll turn south along the Rocky Ridge trail and look for a suitable campsite for the night.

On Sunday we'll hike down Big Stonecoal, take Dunkenbarger to Little Stonecoal, and walk along Red Creek back to the cars.

We'll try our best to get to Davis in time for breakfast at Milo's; but if that doesn't happen we'll grab lunch at Hellbender or Big Belly Delly.

Splits: 6/22/8 with little elevation change other than the first big climb
CalTopo: https://caltopo.com/m/QFKMB
Weather: https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=39.045402328831074&lon=-79.35729671864084&site=all&smap=1
Map: https://www.purplelizard.com/products/dolly-sods-seneca-rocks-map
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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://www.meetup.com/DC-UL-Backpacking/pages/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 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.

Steve, Mu and I had a fun time in Colorado last summer, so we're planning on heading back there. It will be a mix of shorter and longer backpacking loops. Depending on the size of the group, we'll either bite off a bit of the Colorado trail or do some of the hikes from the maps, "Best Backpacking Loops in Colorado". Some if it might be a bit of flying by the seats of our pants if we have to adjust plans due to wildfires, which are fairly common out West in the summer.

Since it's quite a bit of time together, I should either know you personally or someone I know well should be able to vouch for you. There's time between now and then to get out on a hike together, so message me if you're interested but don't know me. I've setup the event to immediately move people to the waitlist.

Update: I moved the dates to Aug 8-10 to see if there is more interest/availability for that weekend.

Ever since I hiked the West Rim Trail on a snowy February weekend a few years ago, I've wanted to return in summer and camp at one of the campsites near the edge of the gorge. This trail runs 30 miles along the rim of Pine Creek Gorge (often referred to as the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania) and the views are stunning, especially in the northern half.

We'll meet at Grosvenor Metro Station Kiss & Ride and drive around 4.5 hours to Rattlesnake Rock (https://maps.app.goo.gl/K5xEg1rzhW5CgadY9), with a dinner stop along the way. The drivers will run a shuttle to drop cars at the north end while the rest of the group sets up camp for the night at the free Hoffman Camping Area, a big grassy field which is half a mile from the southern terminus. A note about timing: I am hoping to start at 3 pm because I don't love getting to bed late after setting up the shuttle. But if that time is difficult for most people, I'd be willing to start at 4 pm.

On Saturday we'll hike close to 19 miles north along the canyon rim, gaining around 3300 feet of elevation over the course of the day. We'll camp at a site overlooking the gorge, about a mile past Little Slate Run, where we'll grab water as the campsite will likely be dry. On Sunday morning we'll have a remaining 11ish miles to the cars, with a long downhill at the end. I plan to start early and take my time with this section, as I think it's the most beautiful part of the hike. We'll pick up the car(s) from the southern end and grab quick meal in Williamsport on the way back.

I'm sorry I don't have a summer-appropriate photo, but Google Pine Creek Gorge and see for yourself whether you agree with me that it's worth the longish drive and the shuttle!

Splits: 19/10.7
Weather: https://bit.ly/3y2xoMY
Purple Lizard Map: https://www.purplelizard.com/products/pine-creek-pennsylvania-grand-canyon-map
Caltopo: https://caltopo.com/m/2ESBC4V

The Fine Print
1. Per our carpool policy, riders should plan to pay drivers $0.10/mile.
2. Dues -- Members and above, don't forget to pay your annual dues if you haven't yet. If you don't see the current year listed next to your name in your DC UL profile, please pay via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/JenniferAdach/15 ($10 annual dues plus a $5 suggested donation to City Kids Wilderness Project.)
3. More information on the club's COVID-19 policy: https://dculbackpacking.com/about/covid-19-guidelines/.
4. By participating in this or any DCUL activity, you agree to abide by our Liability Waiver (https://dculbackpacking.wordpress.com/about/liability-waiver/) and Terms of Use (https://dculbackpacking.wordpress.com/about/terms-of-use/).