Sodsfest 2004: Dolly Sods in June

“Ah, but even though it might be the same weight as a small tent it is far more comfortable and you have a big area underneath to cook and watch nature when it's raining. In a small tent you have a small vestibule for bad weather and less room than a hammock.”

“Absolutely, but the two key words that keep coming to mind are warm and dry”

“It rained like crazy this weekend and not a drop of water got in the hammock. Let's see your tent stay dry if it rains a few inches in an hour or if the ground floods ;-)

Warm--it's just a matter of time until I figure it out. Supposedly a good way is to use car heat reflectors for the windshield. They weigh in at 4.5oz and work down to freezing.”

“It would have to rain pretty hard for a pretty long time for me to get wet in my tent.

I just can't fathom sleeping in a hammock -- seems like too much of an awkward position. Besides, I roll around way too much in my sleep...”

“Actually your back is flat as you sleep in at a diagonal and your legs are only slightly elevated. So it's kinda like sleeping on a 3/4 length foam pad with your feet elevated on your pack when ultralighting. Also you can roll on your side and if you are a side sleeper and it's much more comfortable as it doesn't crush your arm like a pad.”

“On Roaring Plains the weekend of May 30-31-June 1, the temperature didn't get much below 50 at night.
We were at 4500 feet.

Things were very wet and there was occasional rain.

We can expect the temperature to range from 50 to 80.”

“Some of you may have been to this website. Others may want to check it out...

Dolly Sods Mapping Project

*** Many thanks to Geobeet.”

“Okay... so we have several people interested in joining me for the Sunday-Monday extension. I'll be honored to have youans' company.

I'm planning to arrive early afternoon on Friday, and will somehow/someway have/get my car spotted at the Rohrbaugh Plains Trail trailhead on FS 19 for the end of the trip.”

“so for friday we should use this map:
http://home.adelphia.net/~johntrudy/canyon.html

right??
I didn't get any maps yet. Hope I can buy some up there.”

“Gemini,

Yeah ...that would be a good map. I'm going to bring a hard copy print-out of it with me.

I called the Forest Office in Petersburg yesterday ... was told they have several different maps of Dolly Sods that you can buy, including USGS. However, check out the caveat at this link >>>

Dolly Sods Hiking Information
”

“ATV's......

What a buncha sissies!”

“just in case... i'll wait for mark and jo...heehee...don't feel like getting lost. especially if the map that i buy is not correct.”

“i am looking at the map right now, so the campsites are right afterdunkenbarger trail. (at the intersection of BIG stonecoal run trail??

the red thin line on the map isn't a trail anymore right? that's the intersection you're talkign about?

just want to make sure i'll find yall in case I don't feel like waiting. looks fairly easy...but I am not sure”

“Cool, so we will see you at the trail head about 10:00 or 12:00.

Its about a five-hour drive from Baltimore.

If you drive Route 33 west from Harrisonburg, Virginia at I-81, be careful it two-lane roads all the way.
That part could take two hours or more.
Route 33 crosses at least three mountain ridges.......wheeeeeeeee!!!”

“We will try to leave town at 5:00 AM, sooooooooo, 10:00 AM.”

“could my pack be any heavier?”

“Heavier than what?”

“The hike in to the first site is only 2 miles I think.”

“It's getting hot and humid again here in the city.....looking forward to some cool dips in Red Creek.

5 AM!? All right MarkO!!! No crack of noon.”

“Gemini,

Unless I'm confused, methinks you may have your littles and bigs mixed up(?) .....

According to RoamAround's posted itinerary for Friday (see below), the Friday night campsite will be at the spot where Little Stonecoal Run Trail meets the Dunkenbarger Trail.

----------------------------------
"Friday Night

The plan Friday night is to hike from the trailhead east on Red Creek Trail (#514) 0.5 miles to the junction with Little Stonecoal Trail (#552) which will turn North and cross Red Creek. Turn left (north) on Little Stonecoal (#552) and travel up Little Stonecoal Creek 1.5 miles to another junction, this time with Dunkenbarger Trail (#558). This junction is at the top of the valley you've just climbed out of (roughly 900 feet of elevation gain).

Campsites are available here for Friday night."”

“No trail blazes, eh? So the sods are essentially a network of herd paths? This is going to get veeeery interesting...”

“Welcome to a state with real hiking PhantomSoul. ;-) And BTW, you need to change your handle to HumanGPS, your new trail name!”

“yeah, i got it. didn't see (read) dunkenbarger. i marked it on the map, so I'm okay. I wouldn't have missed it anyway....”

“I've been stopping in to check on this trip from time to time and I was planning on going mostly because I wanted to meet some of you guys and see my old friends that are coming but I have a feeling that this is going to be a cluster f&*k! I offer an appology to the organizer for my comment but TT outings should have a planned meeting place and a planned route that suits the majority of participants. I'm out of this one guys. Jerbear,Baume66,Gemini and the rest fo you guys I hope you have a great time!!!!”

“The planned route is sound and on the trip page. I don't see any problems camping either as we'll split up into groups at the campsites and hang out at one of them. The only problem might be parking and that's no ones fault. Parking at all of the trailheads is limited.”

“Dub's right. You can't help the limited parking. IfI can sleep on the ground in all weather, I think I can deal with this inconvenience.

2 days and counting. Rain or shine, here we come.

I motion for a post trip meal in Thomas, WV at the Purple Fiddle.”

“Think mud!”

“we should all get on what's her name?? ohhhh scorchfire's a$$, she is the organizer of this trip, our leader, she NEEDS to be there!!! LOL

I think we'll be just fine. Spam you should come too. It'll be fun.

I can tell you though, I won't drink on this trip....ahhh dub is there, I don't trust him, he will tell all sorts of lies.”

“Spam - Do you want to start taking bets on how many of us go in vs. how many of us come out?”

“Looks like its coming together then.”

“"could my pack be any heavier?"
helinka
01:20:05 PM
06/22/04


too much booze???”

“Gemini, no drinky??

On the FYAO IV only seven of about fifteen actually hit the snow.”

“I'm a little concerned about our group size, but I think it'll be fine.

We're goin out in the woods, its laid back. everyone is flexible so it should be fine.

I know I'm really looking forward to it.”

“I don't think I've hiked with anyone going on this trip before. It'll be great to meet everyone. Roam, Gemini, MarkO, it's looks like we're all out together two weekends in a row, it'll be great to meet you all on Friday.”

“I can dig it.”

“Oops looks like JO's on both trips too. It'll be great to meet you also.”

“The map posted by MSilver is the only map with the trails listed correctly. Use it in conjunction with any other maps you may pick up. For one instance, the trail around Blackbird Knob slabs around the south side, not the north as shown on the USGS maps.

The WVHC Hiking Guide is about to undergo a thorough revision. The plan currently is to update the maps. The guy who will do that is one of the people who surveyed Dolly Sods North for wilderness designation in the upcoming wilderness push. We are well aware that the maps in the guide need work. There have been some major reroutings and some trails are now so overgrown nobody can follow them.

But the map on the website is the most accurate map I've ever seen of the Sods and Roaring Plains.

The trails are not marked. Yes, they are difficult to follow at times. When you come to junctions, you need to sit down, pull out the map, and note the terrain around you. GPS is very helpful, but with no reliable topo map, you really can't use waypoints set up from a map with any assurance. But if you transfer coordinates from GPS to map, you should be able to figure out where you are.

For years I have navigated that area using only map and compass, and the only time I've been seriously misplaced was after crossing Red Creek, where I failed to pick up the trail. It runs well above the creek at that point, and since you will be traveling in the opposite direction, it should not be an issue. It is possible to bushwack along the creek bottom, but it is difficult in spots since the floods of the 80s and 90s.

A lot of the trails are old logging railroad grades and easy to follow. Still, there are some navigational challenges.

MarkO and JO are familiar with the land, so they should take you through with no trouble.”

“I bet the final count will be around 12-14. The CMB's are signed up but Free said she had to work so I doubt CMB is coming either. Then we always get a few signed up that never mention they are signed up on the threads and ignore all the emails. So I'm sure the group size won't be a problem.”

“Okay, that's it. I wait for MarkO and JO for sure. Or anyone else that will pop up on the trailhead.

Roam, you're coming early too right?? the early birds should all meet somewhere. Maybe then carpool together somewhere.”

“"I didn't get any maps yet. Hope I can buy some up there."
Gemini
10:54:55 AM

Gemini, when you pass through the juction of Seneca Rocks where Route 33 turns west there is a climbing shop there called The Gendarme just behind the general store.

I have gotten maps there, but the last time I was there their map supply was rather thin.

You can also take a good long look at The Rock.

If you are going to motel it, there is Yokum's Motel about 3/4 mile north of the junction at Seneca Rocks.

Yokum's is 20-30 miles from the trail head and they have an OK diner.”

“"MarkO and JO are familiar with the land, so they should take you through with no trouble."
Geobeet
10:32:15 AM

Geobeet, I recall you really enjoyed my story about getting lost on Roaring Plains November '96.......ha ha!!!”

“well hey, I rather get lost with someone else then alone.

anyway, they hotel on thursday night don't sound bad. One last day of rest. :)

i would give you all my cell phone number, but I doubt cingular has any connection out there. tssss... never has!”

“Follow me, boys and girls!!!”

“Two seconds, whoa!

Yokum's ain't bad, and its cheaper than some.

If you have some daylight left on Thursday afternoon/evening, you can hike to the top of Seneca Rocks.

It is only about a mile and you can scramble a short way to the top and sit on a huge rock wall up there if heights don't bother ya.

The North Fork Of The South Branch Of The Potomac River(how's that for name for a river?) is about 900 feet below and if it ain't rainin' its real pretty.”

“my armpits smell...I think i'll take a shower.”

“uh, thanks for sharing that Gemini.

mine will smell too come Saturday i'm sure.”

“There are some nice ice-cold creeks y'all can jump in.”

“lol.... sorry for sharing, but you guys are family... I can share this sort of thing. :)

I have so much to do today:
need to go food shopping for the trip
go to the bank
run my miles
one hour of kayak
start packing and organizing
charge all my batteries
tell my husband that I'll leave thursday already

oh boy.... I need to get my butt up and get going.”

“When are you gonna be at the trailhead?”

“Don't forget the ninja outfit, Gemini.”