We snuck one more trip in! Travis and I are both expecting new babies soon, for me next month and for him in February, so we were excited that we found one more weekend we could sneak a trip in together before the inevitable pause after birth.
Again our wives decided not to tag along due to the whole being in a situation where camping would be unpleasant and unsafe at this point. So, it was another guys weekend, similar to our October trip. This time it would be Travis, myself, and an old friend of his named Eamonn. I met Travis at his place Saturday morning, we swung by Eamonn’s place, and then our caravan of three headed south.
We decided to head to George Washington National Forest, but in through Union Springs Road. Travis and Eamonn had never taken this route the whole way in from the base of the mountain so it was a new experience for them and I took the lead. I like the route in that it takes you through a small stream crossing and a few other kinda overlooks and is just a nice long drive through the woods.
The drive in was fairly uneventful. We did catch up to a couple in a Subaru with wide eyes that were just about to get to the real “trail” portion of their journey. They seemed nice and up for adventure but I was curious how much further they would ultimately go past where we passed them. We made it through the “mud pits” and to the most significant rock ledge. Here I spotted Travis and Eamonn through since it is intimidating looking. After that it was on to Meadow Knob.
After stopping for a few pics at Meadow Knob we continued on. As we approached the rocks near the intersection of FR85 and Dunkle Hollow (near Flagpole) we found a few guys eyeing the obstacles. They watched intently as I drove through and then headed back to get a few pics of the other guys. By the time we were done another group had arrived, and I believe the consensus of those present was that none of them would attempt going down that route.
Our group decided even though we were very close to Flagpole Knob that we should push on straight to our campsite since it would be dark soon and we hadn’t set anything up yet. We decided on the same campsite we used in October and arrived only about an hour before sunset. That deep in the valley though it gets dark early and fast and so we quickly setup camp.
The night was uneventful. No trees dropping on tents like in October! I think we were all a little slow to get moving in the morning though, no rush to get back to reality. For me this would be my last roughing it camping trip before our baby shows up so I took it all in. Next time I camp out here it might be as a family of three!
