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Nicely done. Enjoyed. The Whites are a special place.

Looks pretty sloppy. Whew. Dolly Sods can offer a lot of experiences.

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This picture is Red Creek in Dolly Sods. The red color appeared to be algae. And my Sawyer slowed significantly after about a gallon of filtering. I would have been in trouble if this...

The dilute bleach backflush is something I'll do going forward. Just better science to sanitize the inside of the filter. Never did that previously. Always backflushed with fresh water using a...

Agree with you about the headlamp checks. I also carry some redundancy for lighting. Really lightweight mini's. And I carry two Sawyers including a mini. Extra water filter weight is negligible...

I'm planning on going back with my local backpacking group in the fall. Several folks have already indicated a willingness to go. My filters are OK now but you can be sure I will check them prior...

I went with my local backpacking group, Virginia Backpacking Premium, on my first overnight trip in 18 months. We had perfect weather and one of the most enjoyable hikes in a long time. Link to my...

Shug, great trip. Always enjoy. But gotta ask. How did you and Alex know the ice was safe. When you mentioned slushy on your return trip made me wonder about the ice.

[QUOTE=TallPaul;2030880]Here’s the video to go along with the commentary and pics. Definitely recommend this stretch.

Enjoyed your trip TallPaul. Felt like I was walking along with you during...

Great escape Shug. Thanks for sharing. That Texas State Fair Chili looked delish. Is my favorite. But that Gordy's burger must have been world class.

Appreciate the advice about planning...

Stunning pictures. Thanks for sharing.

BillyBob58 I was caught in a bad windstorm and my tarp and gear wrapped over and over. Tarp itself wasn't torn but I lost some suspension stuff for the tarp. I messed up hanging in an exposed area...

Don't envy you losing your tarp. Had a similar experience two weeks ago. Got some good advice from the Forum in a post I placed in Backpacking. But from what you describe with wind and cold using...

My Meetup backpacking group Virginia Backpacking, Hiking and Camping went back to Belle Isle State Park on Saturday January 4 for an overnighter. This is becoming an annual thing for us right after...

What a great trip! Know being with Thumbs made if even more special. The weather looked great too. Did you see only one cottonmouth? Paddling beneath those overhanging trees would have given me...

You're right about last year's laughter. It was a gas to be with everyone. A lot of our Virginia Backpacking hikes are like that. We had a great time teasing each other. You are also right about...

Great video. Well done. Bet the steak was good. Good idea about the dead man for your tarp.

I'm posting this video because the Belle Isle State Park location might be a good outing for those of us in the mid-Atlantic area. My backpacking group is returning this year in early January. I...

Thanks for the trip. Really appreciate your advice about managing winter camping. We don't get significant snow fall in the Mid-Atlantic area and learning from your trips is a good way to...

Hi everyone, I'm sharing this trip less for the hammocking as for the unusual weather and conditions we experienced overnight Saturday Nov 15. They produced some astonishingly beautiful scenes...

I've had a Tensa for several months using it about four times. Like any piece of equipment there is a bit of learning curve to get the stand to work for you but I've enjoyed it during my more recent...

Thanks Shug. Always enjoy coming along with you. Your comments about the rigor of the trail caught my ear. I'm beginning to feel old age coming on and see limits that 10 years ago were invisible. ...

We saw other hikers during the first two days and I believe the Sods is very popular with day hikers. Last summer our hike started on a Saturday and we actually had trouble finding parking along the...

Don't envy you the weather you had. Must have been tough, particularly from Madison to Lakes. We were blessed with clear weather the first three of our four days. Winds like you describe couldn't...

I'm posting this trip with my Meetup backpacking group because of its potential to our hammocking group although it is not well suited for hammock or tent camping. Much of the hike is above tree...

Thanks Recalc. Dolly Sods is a gem. I hadn't been on the western side of the wilderness until this trip. Views were great. We had no idea of the magnitude of the rain the morning we began to hike...

We saw the mother bear and cub about a mile in from the trailhead. Can't remember the trail name off the top of my head but it was the first trail heading west as you enter the wilderness. Area is...

This hike had pretty good discipline on the trail. The fellow who lead us set a good pace to move the group forward but stopped at trail junctions to gather us back together avoiding anyone going...

My MeetUp backpacking group went to Dolly Sods Wilderness the last weekend in June. Last year we went to the central portion of the wilderness and this summer we moved to the northern half. It was...

I used my Tensa4 for the first time last week camping in my daughter's backyard in Detroit area. Long story on why I needed to camp in the backyard. Mostly due to a new baby in the house and space....

Thanks FL Turtle. Your link was interesting. Not sure where I fall off on this. Not a clear cut option. My pack for this trip is about 24 lbs. Shave a pound off that isn't much and someone...

Appreciate the info everyone has shared. I enjoy my silnylon tarp having used in four seasons. But the reason I'm looking at this thread is I have a trip coming this weekend that involves rain. My...

I want to share this trip. It repeats an earlier trip four years as I began hanging. One of the notable elements of this first trip was repeated in this trip. One of the two mountains in this...

Our Meetup group went to the summit of Elliot Knob on May 18th. We'd rescheduled this trip after postponing due to severe weather a couple weeks earlier.

The hike is within the George...

I'll post this video in trip reports but wanted to thank everyone again for the thoughts on lightning and hammocking. I postponed the trip on its original date because of forecasts that included...

As it turned out we had ideal weather last weekend. That said, we did see lightning on the other side of the Shenandoah Valley in the Blue Ridge. Was glad it was clear on our mountain. Picture...

Thanks everyone. Appreciate the feedback. I've hung probably 180-200 nights during the last several years, almost always in a valley or well down the mountain from the summit. This trip is unusual...

I have an overnight trip coming up in the Blue Ridge. Our group is camping near the summit overlooking the Shenandoah Valley. I've suggested hanging in a grove of spruce below the summit because...

Shug, been thinking about your trip report since last night. I'd found it about bedtime, decided to look at first few minutes and ended watching it through. Really interesting stuff. Thanks for...

Thanks Shug. Really enjoyed watching. Admired your fire. What did you use to get it started so quickly. One match and within seconds a reasonable blaze. Liked the idea of pre-cooked food. Never...

My Meetup group (Virginia Backpacking) went to the Harpers Ferry area for an overnight trip. There were 17 of us ranging in age from 9 years old to the late 60's. We started at Gathland State Park...

Excellent trip report. Envy you the weather you had. I hiked with my Meetup group of about 15 people southbound across the Presidentials a year ago about this time. Remember it was one of the...

Agree with you jeff-oh. Our next trip will be in the northern section in the fall. Colors must be spectacular then.

Temps during day in upper 70's. Low humidity too. Night it got down to low 50's. Good sleeping.

As we got back to our cars Sunday afternoon, we barely missed a downpour of biblical...

The group that I backpack with took a long planned outing to Dolly Sods. We split into two groups, one hiking the northern portion of Dolly Sods, the second focusing on the Red Creek area. Access...

Beagles know forward :) I have one about the same size as Lacey. She's sleeping at my feet right now after our nightly walk. She catalogues smells as we go and wants to keep finding new ones. ...

TallPaul,

Thanks for a good trip report. Really felt like we were coming right along with you and Lacey. Have to ask though. Did Lacey come back with you to get your camera after all those neat...

Looking forward to the rest of the story. Those orange wild flowers were pretty. Look like sort of a dandelion. Wish I knew their name. Sometimes I take a small magnifying glass with me to look...

Those day time views across the Roans are stunning. Nothing like spring in the mountains. Watching Lacey explore and have a general good time reminded me of trips I've taken with my Walker hound...

Not sure where to begin. Always good to see you and Hickery out on the trail. Am looking forward to the next installment of the Neusiok Trail story. Thanks for explaining the Eldorado.