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Sierra Club Backpacking Trip: Dolly Sods Wilderness, WVDates: Carpool meeting time & place: Trip Description: Dolly Sods Wilderness is located in the Monongahela National Forest in the central highlands of West Virginia. This lush, green, cool setting is ideal for summer backpacking trips. It's also one of the premier backpacking and backcountry ski destinations in the northeast. Many of the plants growing here are arctic remnants from the ice age. There is an excellent article in Backpacker Magazine, Oct 96, titled "Sky Islands". Its about high alpine mountains or plateaus that were once covered with glaciers. When they receded, they left tundra like flora behind. Dolly Sods, Spruce Knob, and the Presidential Range in New Hampshire are the only examples in the East. The article is mostly about the Chiricahua Mountains in Arizona but the result is similar here. We will cover approximately 25 miles in three days with an approximate 2000' gain in elevation. This is a moderate trip suitable for experienced, fit backpackers, and strong dayhikers only. We will drive to Petersburg, WV on the first night and stay in a motel. Early the next morning we will drive to Dolly Sods and begin the trip. Each participant is required to provide their own gear and food. Plan on carrying food for Saturday lunch to Monday lunch, plus snacks. Assume that fires are not permitted and that all cooking will be done on backpacking stoves. People who do not have the necessary equipment can rent the large items (tent, backpack, sleeping bag, stove) from some of the local backpacking stores. We will carpool to and from WV. I will provide a list of participants. Trip size is limited to ten people. Some Necessary Items
Common Items If people want to share tents, water purifiers, first aid kits, stoves, or meals, you can work that out for yourselves from the participant list which will be emailed. We really only need one stove, first aid kit, and water purifier for every two or three people. Guidebook & Maps Monongahela National Forest Hiking Guide, Allen de Hart & Bruce Sundquist, West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, 6th Edition USFS maps are enhanced USGS maps, USFS 7.5' Topographic maps: Blackbird Knob, Hopeville, Blackwater Falls, Laneville Or Canaan Valley Adventure Map which combines all four of the above plus other areas in a single, waterproof, but harder to read map Potomac Ranger District, MNF, Rt. 3, Box 240, Petersburg, WV 26847, 304-257-4488 Health Problems If anyone has a health problem that I should know about, please tell me before you pass out. Food Bring more food than you would normally eat. As a backpacker, you will appreciate the concept of food as fuel. Bring things that are lightweight, tasty, and nutritious but also easy to prepare, cook, and clean up after. Also bring foods that will not spoil in the heat. Plan a menu from Saturday lunch to Monday lunch plus snacks. Water There is plenty of water here. We will try to hit a swimming hole at the end of each day if it's warm enough. Leave No Trace We will practice "Leave No Trace" backcountry ethics. Cost The estimated cost is $35.00 per participant. This is for a single nights lodging in the motel the first night. People must pay in advance to register for the trip. If you haven't paid, your not signed up. This is normally a little more than the actual cost so you will probably get a small refund assuming more than one person per room. The single occupancy fee is the actual cost of the room which may be more than $35.00. You will also need money for gas for the drivers, the first morning's breakfast, and the last evening's dinner. Trip Leader: Driving Directions: |
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