2011 turned out to be a pretty good year for me in terms of time spent in the great outdoors. The beginning of the year didn’t offer much in the way of overnighters—some recent staffing changes left me swamped at work and the paltry snowfall didn’t compel me to get out there like it otherwise would in winter.
Things really kicked off in March when I began gearing up my fitness and training for a Rainier attempt in June. Also my gear choices and move toward lightweight and ultralight backpacking evolved considerably this year.
In all, I managed to log 310 miles on strictly overnight backpacking trips (not counting day hikes, mountaineering trips, or climbing approach hikes), and I spent 26 nights in the backcountry and another 12 nights in the frontcountry (38 total). Not too shabby for a weekend warrior.
- Mar 12 – Duncan and Strickler Knob
- 1 night 15 miles
- Mar 19 – St Mary’s Wilderness
- 1 night 15.5 miles
- Mar 26 – Great North Mountain
- 1 night 18 miles
- Apr 2 – Three Ridges
- 1 night 15 miles
- Apr 16 – Shenandoah Little Devils Stairs
- 1 night 16 miles
- Apr 23 – Shenandoah Solo (Austin, Furnace)
- 2 nights 32 miles
- Apr 30 – Cold Mountain / Mt. Pleasant
- 1 night 18 miles
- May 7 – Signal Knob
- 1 night 21 miles
- May 14 – Wil Kohlbrenner
- 1 night 17.5 miles
- May 27 – Seneca Climbing
- 3 nights (FC)
- Jun 5-10 – Baker Alpine Ice
- 5 nights
- Jun 18 – Trout Run Valley
- 1 night 27 miles
- Jul 2 – St Mary’s Extended
- 1 night 25 miles
- Jul 9 – Seneca Climbing
- 1 night (FC)
- Jul 17-22 Rainier Kautz
- 2 nights & 3 nights (FC)
- Aug 20-21 – Baker’s North Ridge
- 1 night
- Sep 24 – White Oak / Cedar Run
- 1 night 24 miles
- Oct 1 – Cold Mountain / Mt. Pleasant
- 1 night 18 miles
- Oct 8 – Seneca Climbing
- 2 nights (FC)
- Oct 15 – Long Mountain Climbing
- 1 night
- Oct 22 – Seneca Climbing
- 2 nights (FC)
- Nov 12 – Massanutten North (short)
- 1 night 10 miles
- Dec 3 – Wil Kohlbrenner
- 1 night 19 miles
- Dec 9 – Dolly Sods
- 1 night & 1 night (FC) 19 miles
* FC = Front Country, i.e. camp grounds
Summary
- 26 nights in the backcountry
- 12 nights in the frontcountry
- 310 trail miles covered (not counting any dayhiking, climbing, or mountaineering trips)
Ryan
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