Honey I Forgot the Tent – When Backpacking Goes Wrong

Hiking, Backpacking and an attempt at Tent Camping in the Rain in Virginia’s George Washington National Forest.

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For this overnight backpacking trip, Sara and I decided to do some summer backpacking with our dog on a section of Great North Mountain, a 50 mile long mountain ridge that runs along the border of West Virginia and Virginia.

Despite the threat of a quickly approaching storm, we decided to forge ahead with a modest 3 day, 7 mile backpacking trip. Our plan was to keep the itinerary relatively simple in hopes that we could get to camp in time to beat the rain. And then we ran into a slight complication. Actually, it wasn’t slight at all. It was quite possibly the biggest backpacking mistake I’ve ever made…

White Rock Cliff Loop Virginia – Route Overview – Sintax77

There is no parking fee or backcountry camping permit required for this section of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest.  More details regarding dispersed camping can be found on the official GWJNF website here.

Full GPS track data, including campsites, water sources, etc, for this trip and many others can be downloaded on my Trip Data Page.

This trip video was sponsored by RevolutionRace. Use code 15sintax to get 15% off their entire Amazon store site until 9/11/21 here.

Trailhead Used: Sulphur Springs Parking Area Forest Road 1725
38°58’31.4″N 78°34’03.5″W
FR1725, Maurertown, VA 22644

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SinChats – Disaster! Backpacking Mistakes & Bad Experiences

For this episode, I share some stories of backpacking mistakes & less than savory experiences.

Feature Length videos mentioned in this episode

When Sub-Zero Camping Goes Wrong – Winter Backpacking in the White Mountains
Hammock Camping the Linville Gorge – 4 Day Backpacking Trip
Hiking Red River Gorge – Kentucky Backpacking in Fall
Winter Hammock Camping in the Adirondacks
Mt Washington Winter Ascent – Backpacking in Huntington Ravine