MO: North Fork Mountain Trail (25 Miles)

I've been kind of obsessed with hiking this trail lately so hopefully we can make it happen. The plan is to hike this south to north with splits of 12/12. We'll meet up at Vienna Metro @ 6:45am and head out as soon as possible, set up a water cache and shuttle, and start hiking no later than 11am hopefully. We'll camp around our water cache at Mile 12 and finish up the remaining half the next day, reverse the shuttle and get some lunch before returning. We can play with the campsites/mileage a little depending on how people feel. Also, I haven't hiked this trail before. If you want perfection, this probably ain't it.

Difficulty: This is marked as a Member's Trip but due to the lack of water on this trail I might be a little picky on who can come. You must be able to carry enough water and be in good shape.

Shuttle: This hike requires a shuttle, and to make it happen I'm going to need at least one other driver depending on how many people show up. Three drivers would be ideal. Rough plan is meeting at northern trailhead and drop a car off, set up water cache at half-way point and then drive to southern trailhead to start the hike.

Water: Water is the main challenge of this hike, as there are no water sources on the trail. A small seasonal spring does exist, but it will probably be dry. We will need to cache water at FR 79 at about the 12 mile mark.

Navigation: Trail is marked with blue diamond blazes so it should be fairly easy to follow but there are a few trail intersections so be alert.

Additional Information found here: https://www.beyondthemap.org/single-post/wild-wonderful-the-north-fork-mountain-trail
https://myhikes.org/trails/north-fork-mountain-hike

DCUL'ers have maps!

• Caltopo: https://caltopo.com/m/1ENSAS9
• Purple Lizard Map: https://www.purplelizard.com/products/dolly-sods-seneca-rocks-map
• Trailhead directions: https://maps.app.goo.gl/jptrC6cHHu8o8eNJ7
• Water Cache Driving Directions: https://maps.app.goo.gl/pBCe42b3NH3GLwMEA

----------------THE IMPORTANT WARNINGS-------------------
As per our carpool policy, riders should plan to pay drivers $0.10/mile.
Oh, and I’m just a co-participant on this trip, not a guide or an expert. I’ve never hiked this trail and this posting is all I know of it. I’ve been hiking with DC UL since 2022 but have no special training, such as organizational, medical, or navigational. If you sign up and can’t come, please let me know—don’t ghost.
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. 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.)