Tag: rain

Fastpacking Wild Oak Trail: Trail Running + Backpacking = Awesome!

September 12, 20206 commentsBy y2kemo
hiker walking in the fog
runner on trail in woods with high grass
Coop descends Hankey Mountain.

When COVID-19 shut things down and my work switched to remote, I challenged myself to run a 10K a day. Months later, my buddy, Coop, suggested we hit the trails. I asked if we could fastpack (trail running + backpacking) so I could keep my streak alive, and he agreed wholeheartedly; even suggested Wild Oak Trail, a location we had visited previously back in November 2019.

Designated as a National Recreation Trail in 1979, the Wild Oak National Recreation Trail (TWOT) is a 27-mile loop offering 7,000′ of elevation gain within the George Washington National Forest just west of Staunton, Virginia. It’s a hot spot for mountain bikers, backpackers, and ultrarunners, and the perfect place for our first foray into fastpacking.

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Backpacking Crawfish and Channel Rock Loop: Turtles and Butt Sweat

July 6, 2017By y2kemo
Lego backpacker
Lego backpacker
Lego backpacker isn’t a fan of summer hikes

Mount Rogers National Recreation Area (NRA) spans 191,000 acres in southwestern Virginia within the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. The area has hundreds of miles of trails including 60 miles of the Appalachian Trail (AT) and boasts the highest peak in Virginia, Mt. Rogers at 5,729′.

I’ve been to the NRA three times: Beartree in Fall 2009, Grayson Highlands in Spring 2011, and Lewis Fork in Winter 2015. Having three of the four seasons covered it only made sense to find my way back for a summer trip.

With a general location set, I invited my brother-in-law, Ken, and my running buddy and first time backpacker, John, and started to prepare.

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Backpacking the Cold Mountain Loop: Forecasts can’t be trusted

May 1, 2017By y2kemo
View from Cold Mountain Summit
Cold Mountain survey marker
Cold Mountain Summit

There’s a saying that if you’re backpacking and you don’t like the forecast, wait five minutes and it’ll change. That was certainly the case on a recent backpacking trip I took to the Shining Rock Wilderness with my brother-in-law, Ken. In the 10 days leading up to the trip we watched the wilderness area forecast change daily from hot to cold, sun to rain, and breezy to gale force winds.

In addition to the weather the Shining Rock Wilderness has a couple of rules that impacted our trip. First, no campfires. It’s a rule, and unfortunately many take it as a “rule” including the ones responsible for the recent fire at Cold Mountain that burned 132 acres. Second, in the past few years the bear population has increased resulting in greater than normal bear sightings and bear encounters (one backpacker had a bear enter his tent and remove his backpack). As a result, the U.S. Forest Service requires bear canisters in the Shining Rock Wilderness.

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