Backpacking the Cranberry Wilderness
Some say that summer starts on June 21, while others say it starts when the pools are opened. I think it starts with the first backpacking trip of the year.
I’ve been wanting to backpack the Cranberry Wilderness for a few years now. To me, it was a new and remote wilderness area for Sally and I to explore, and get a break from the D.C. crowds which permeate the other wild areas within a 3 hour drive. It’s also less well-traveled, and with no trail markings, and trees and other growth often covering the trail, I was pretty worried about navigation. Fortunately, my friend Cassie was down to explore this new wild place over Memorial Day Weekend. Not only another brain to help think through obstacles and navigation points, but also enabled us to use two different GPS apps to make sure we could follow the trail.
After a 2-day, 1-night trip covering about 18 miles on the North South trail, I feel much more confident about exploring this place. The trail was not nearly as difficult to follow as I had expected, and there were some (but not a ton of) fellow hikers on the trail. It was a great place for Sal to run around, who probably covered twice as much ground as us while sniffing and snorting her way through the woods, and swimming in all of the creek crossings she could find. The area we explored was mostly forested and didn’t have a ton of “big views”, but felt very special and unique. I’ll definitely be looking forward to going back again!
