Camping in a Shutdown Wilderness
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- Опубликовано: 12 авг 2023
- 3 Days of Backpacking and Camping in the Dolly Sods Wilderness.
For this spring backpacking adventure, we headed down to West Virginia's Dolly Sods Wilderness are for some hiking, camping, good views and good times. Oh, and some seclusion - we got more of that than we bargained for on this one.
Dolly Sods is the highest plateau east of the Mississippi River, with a wide variety of terrain and ecology, covering over 17,000 acers. Despite this vastness, it's still a pretty well known spot amongst east coast hikers. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, and a little stubborn determination to do a 3 mile road hike, this ended up being one of my most unique experiences in the Sods, as it was virtually void of other backpackers.
www.sintax77.com/camping-in-a...
James and I both went with single person tent camping setups on this trip to give us more camping options in the windswept, treeless areas that cover much of the plateau. We also packed in a bunch of real food and a frying pan to try our hand at some fun camp cooking recipes.
Oh, and speaking of cooking - did I mention that this wasn't just the emptiest I've every seen Dolly Sods, but it was also the driest? They say there's no such thing as a free lunch. In our case, we had plenty of lunch, but there certainly were no free water sources. We would have to work a bit for that....
Our goal for this trip was to really just wing a do a good mix of time at camp and some mileage as needed, of course. If you're planning a hike of your own in Dolly Sods and would like some detailed info on the area, including GPS data, gear used, and trail descriptions, check out my video linked below where I do a solo backpacking trip with a full loop of the plateau and hike the majority of it's main trails.
• Hammock Camping the Do...
Trailhead Used for this Trip: Bear Rocks Trailhead, Davis, WV 26260
N39° 03.794' W79° 18.197'
No parking fee or permit required to camp in the Dolly Sods Wilderness.
Season: Spring 2023
I know it's been a while since I've put out a vid. Thanks to everyone who's hung in there with me :) There's some big changes coming - Sold the house, bought an RV and hit the road. Don't worry - I'm not turning into a van life channel (although I do enjoy those). We're sticking to the backpacking format, but there's going to be lot more new and exciting locations and videos on the way. Hope you all enjoy this video!
Thanks Shawn 👊 Appreciate you my friend 🙏 Always great to hear from you, stay safe and take care 👍
That’s awesome! Congrats and good luck on the new journey. We missed ya man
With a smile that You’ve given Me. This is wonderful news from You. You bet I’ll hang in there! Looking forward to checking out the RV. And I’ll be right there watching after You record it. Great stuff coming, huh. Yay!!! 👏🏻🤩
Best of luck to you on your new adventures.
WHOA !! That IS a BIG change .
This is a great day to have a new sintax vid! I’ve just been re watching old ones.
Hi Shawn, this is Jamie's dad. I had to laugh at how the Double Rainbow was set up - or more appropriately, not set up. (Of course I was laughing WITH my wonderful son, not AT him.) As he pointed out, I did suggest that he practice setting up the tent before you guys set out. Live and learn.
Jamie told me about your plans for your new adventures. Best of luck to you. I look forward to watching your videos from far flung locations.
I have a double rainbow, and I was like waaaaaaaa😂😂😂😂
James’s poor Tarptent Rainbow the morning after your first night, I don’t know how you didn’t burst out laughing - great vid as always!
Oh, he laughed alright
So glad to see that little blue dot. My wife and I love your videos! Thank you for all your hard work!
Glad James got to do a memory for his FIL. Windy Wendy sure kept you company on night 1 but you made it look part of the trek. Always a pleasure to get new uploads Sean. Not so long to the next one mate thanks. Bushyboy Oz.
We lovingly referred to him as The Big guy, and he would have definitely approved if this trip. Good times, good friends, good memories out in nature. That was how he lived it
If i ever get a fatal illness and i had one wish left, it'd be to go on a backpacking trip with Sean.
lol he has granted that wish before! look up the videos with ricky and his hot tent.
Wow! Good to hear from you again. I was actually getting a little worried about you; glad all is well and you've just been busy with a life altering change. I look forward to seeing where your next outdoors adventure takes you!
Thanks, Barbara!
Ive been searching your channel every few days. glad to hear youre doing well. good luck to you, mrs., and of course Nali.
Thanks, Dusty!
Love the chemistry between you two!😊
Another great video. Hope the cabin videos come up soon. Fall is almost here.
You definitely have to stay close to the establshed trails at the Sods. Just last week, hikers came across undetonated ordinance. Officials were notified, and they went up and expode it. Also, this year the gates were unlocked on April 17.
no they didnt
i do nothing but go off trail there. been going well before some yahoos video taped it for 10000s to see. it was way better back then 2008 circa
Sean loved today's video with James and his revamping the pits. Hope you have James back for some of your other hikes. Glad you are back. I watched you at camp with your dad and it's always a nice change but really love your hiking videos. Enjoyed Dolly Sods today. .Thank you and keep up the amazing job you do with your content.
I'm always amazed at your ability to pack and eat like a king i can never figure out how to fit more than just essentials my last trip to Kentucky all i ate was spam tacos, stinger waffles with peanut butter, and aldi brand clif bars with trail mix
Glad to see you still hitting the trail and even better, making it back for "cheeseburger time"! 🥰😎
Man the timing! Just got back from overnighting Hyalite Peak outside of Bozeman MT. It got down to 32 degrees at the base of the mountain. Funny how you gotta prepare for a mid summer trip as if its late fall here no matter what!
Looking forward to this one!
Wow, that's awesome. Did the temp at least swing up decent amount during midday?
@@sintax77 It did into the 50s/60s! But I think I might need to invest in a good top/under quilt system if I'm gonna attempt alpine tundra camping again, despite how unbelievably beautiful those biomes are. Been fascinated with MT since my teens and finally moved up to Livingston from NC last year, and boy is there lots to see. I'd say the Beartooth plateau as well as Glacier NP are the crown jewels of this state. Would absolutely love to see you make it out for a one-off trip at some point!
Chef-Boy-R-Syntax, lol.. good one.
Always great to see one of your videos!
Thanks, Paul. Hope you enjoy it!
@@sintax77 I'm old so I can say this, but houses won't be getting any cheaper, so I hope your future includes a permanent place as well.
Sure is good I mean really good to see your video. As one of your viewers I have been watching yours for a long while it is good to see you back.
It’s a good Sunday when a sintax video drops, thanks for sharing.
Love the old school Phillies hat, awesome camp
Love the Sods. Did my second trip last May, a few days after the big snowfall. It was melting and every single trail was a creek. We started calling it the Soggy Bogs. Got caught in the worst rainstorm of my backpacking "career" on the last day. 10/10 would do it again!
That’s that stage 2 kinda fun! Gotta love it. Nobody talks about that one time they rode the roller coaster that one summer years ago, but we always talk about the camping trip they got stuck in the mud and the live ordinance hiding in the bushes. Good on ya my man!
Your trip to Dolly Sods is an inspiration! I have a wedding to attend near there in May 2024. Might forgo the expensive hotel and might camp instead to kill two birds with one stone! Fun way is to process garden harvest while watching your video!
That was a pretty great hike! Thanks ror taking us along😁
Love Dolly Sods, and that's definitely the driest I've ever seen it too.
James seems like an awesome trail buddy!
Sweet! Sunday afternoon Sintaxx video. Thank you Shawn!
I camped in that exact same first night spot! Where you had lunch…
That's awesome! The combination of sheltered trees and views across the wide open fields is really nice in that area.
You’re living a dream a lot of us would like to live. Congrats to you man, glad you’re able to do what you do. Look forward to seeing whatever new content you’re wanting to share. Cheers man!
Thanks! I'm looking forward to getting out to some exciting new spots :)
Hi all, the water is red tinted from the tannins. Its pretty good once filtered or boiled. The tannins arent harmful.
We were in the Sods the second weekend in May, amazing trip.
Happy you are back!
Nice to see you back with a video, Nice hiking trip great camping above the beaver dam. nice and sunny out of the wind and a great friend to join cant get much better than that. loved the video. Ontario, Canada.
Great seeing a vid drop from you. I need to get back out here! Epic place.
Fantastic adventure. Some good views and yummy food.
Nice one! Really enjoyed, thanks
I’m so excited to see you posted a video! Congratulations on the changes!
Missed you, glad you're back!!
Great to have a video. Good luck with the RV. They are a money pit, so be ready! They are fun though!
Good to see a new video from you. Was looking for one. 👍
♥️ New Subscriber!♥️
I really like your channel! Keep on keeping on!👍💯
Great to see you back ! in the Sods no less !
My home state !!!!! Glad you came back !!!!
Hey so good to see you again..
Great video keep them coming 👍👍
I'd surely call the park services to see if that gate would be open or not because I'm not a fan of unpleasant surprises.that'd put a little damper on the start of the trip. Your much more relaxed than me brother.
Sintax77👊🇺🇲👍Appreciate you Shawn, stay safe and take care my friend 🙏
These wild places, gotta have them!
Thanks! Enjoyed it!
He's back!!!
Welcome back.
Nice hike and fire.
Fun asventure x
This really old lady loving your videos .
This had to be your most peaceful trip ever. We were in the southern part of the Smokies in April about the time you were in the Sods. Now that you have an RV maybe you could swing up to Northern Michigan. 👍 Let me know if you come up to my area. It would be fun to hook up. Anyway another great Sintax video! 😀
Oh, yeah - I think I remember you mentioning you were planning to head down there after we did that trip in Feb / March. We're a bit northwest of MI now, probably headed for the Dakotas before dropping south to stick to warmer driving conditions.
@@sintax77 The Dakotas are nice. The Cloud Peak Wilderness in Wyoming was awesome only a short distance from there. We went there in 2016 with very few people out there. Our campsite on Misty Moon Lake was amazing with moose there at 10,000 feet. The summit was over 13,000 feet.
You should check out some sections of the Allegheny Trail (311 mile long distance trail)in West Virginia. Good way to get away from people on some good hiking. Shavers Mountain and the Glady parts of the Allegheny are pretty awesome..
Thanks, Jeffrey. I'll look into those :)
Checkout the Snowbird Creek area near Robbinsville NC if you want seculsion. Briars, creeks, and blowdowns. But it's worth it. It was a perfect 1st trip for my pup.
Looking forward to it…
I was just thinking about you and when you might put out a new video. Welcome back
Using an ax to cut veggies is so Life of Boris
Good to hear you are well, was so happy to see a post again.
I was wondering if ever going to come to Canada, love to see you check out Algonquin Provincial Park my old stompping grounds.
Cheers from Canada
We've been to Canada a couple times for winter trips. Banff a couple of years back and Quebec City / Jacques-Cartier park prior to that, but I hadn't looked into Algonquin before. Looks nice!
Hey, what's the hatchet you are using?
Also, thanks for the inspo! All your Dolly Sods videos over the years insilpired us to go over labor day weekend. We were on the otherwise by red creek trail and Lions head. But we loved it! Can't wait to go back!
That explains the long time between videos was checking to see if there was anything I missed on your socials lol
I didn't a very similar ad hoc trip route on the beaver view trail in October. It was def felt like one of the few areas less traveled at the Sods. We camped in the trees probably 100yds from where your first night was. We ended up bailing on night two. We didn't see horses😂
The area that you were in with all of the water is the head-water area of the Left Fork of Red Creek. Just an FYI, If you bushwack to the north of Raven Ridge, you run the risk of getting on private property that is leased by a hunt club. About 3 nights out of 5, it will get really calm just after sunset (sorry you got one of the windy nights). There is no way anymore to get away from the beaver poo water. Lots of beaver dams/ponds on Dobbin Grade Trail. It seems to be one of the beaver favorites. I did not like the trail crossing of the Right Fork and Dobbin Grade trail; too deep for my shortness:), but it is usually a really easy rock hop. There is now another beaver dam below the crossing, which is what has raised the water level. Upper Red Creek trail is way nicer and dryer, and yeah, campsites with nice views. You were on the unofficial Dobbin Grade Bypass trail on the last part of your hike; there are two bypass routes & both are a lot dryer, one intersects Beaver Dam Trail; The other comes out at the road at a parking area between Beaver Dam trail and Blackbird Knob trail. The gates "usually" close on December 31 and open between April 1 and April 15. You can enter the wilderness any time unless there is an official closure from fire (or pandemic for a short time). THanks for the early season view. I did not make up there until late May.
The beavers are out of control!
@@ronosmianski812 True that, but they just ignore us. Way back when, I would see old beaver dams and wondered what a real, live beaver looked like and how a new pond would look. Now I know. I even see beavers where I live, and I don't live all that close to the Sods. There are also lots of beavers in most areas of the Monongahela National Forest.
Awesome info, thanks! Looks like they ended up opening the gates on the 17th this year, the morning after we headed out. It was pretty awesome to have the place virtually to ourselves during non-winter weather though. It was well worth the 3 mile road hike in the end.
@@KuntryRD I worry about the water quality and the ecosystem if they continue to multiply. I'm old enough to remember hiking the Sods and seeing trail signs in the middle of beaver ponds.
@@ronosmianski812 I also wonder about that. But beavers are and were part of the ecosystem of Dolly Sods. There were several things that I did not think that I would see in the wild in my lifetime: Black bears, bald eagles, and yes beavers. All of them were nearly gone in WV in the late 1970's. My Dad saw what may have one of the last Eastern American cougars of WV in Otter Creek area. It was in the early 1950's. They were considered vermin and shot on site. I guess that I am curious to see just how far downstream on Red Creek that beavers will go. I suspect that the Dobbin grade area and a few side-trail areas will be the limits. Although, I have no idea what flow rate on a stream can be that they can still make a successful dam.
Glad you found a good partner in James! I like him so I approve 😂❤❤ thx guys
Thanks! I like you too haha!
@@jn2159 oh gosh
Unexploded Ordnance hazards still exists there decades after use. Army EOD just responded near Dolly Sods to a hiking trail in the last week. Disposed of a WW2 era mortar round.
Awesome that you and James got the chance to get back out have some fun
And thank you for showing Dolly sods and extremely dry
And in in a few small areas streams and creeks are still flowing
Another awesome video thank you very much have yourselves a good night
Really enjoy your videos! Will your wife and dog be joining you on any up coming hikeslooking forward to your next!
We're all still getting settled in (and organized), but I'm sure we'll all be out on some camping trips together in the future.
Looks just like CFB Gagetown NATO training base in New Brunswick Canada!
Now that you’re mobile, are you considering a long section hike or possible thru hike? Check out the Allegheny trail in WV. There are some really nice sections near Canaan and Snowshoe WV.
Planning my first D. Sods trip and am grateful for content. Selling the house for an RV...that's a story. Maybe even a documentary? Not sure who eats better: you, or Backpacking with Jason? Care to comment?
Haha, we did eat good on this one :) I haven't caught his videos, I'll have to check him out!
Nice to see you back out there. You are a class act! This summer has been beyond hot. So many people are getting dehydrated. Go up in the mountains lol
Good video, but it would seriously benefit from a muff on the microphone to kill some of that wind rumble.
Been wondering where you were! Miss the videos. Not sure where the haze or smoke came from. If it was June or July, it could have come from the Canadian wildfires, but not in April? Looking forward to future videos with the RV. Are you still going to be able to make the camp videos with Whiterook? I don't think the Dolly Sods gates were scheduled to be open until April 15th this year.
Yeah, That's basically right on the weekend we got there. I think they were just a little later to unlocking than usual. My only winter trip to the sods was started from lower the Red Creek trailhead, so I never even payed attention to the gate schedule to be honest, haha. Yup, I'll still be doing hunting and cabin trips back east.
I was a little confused by haze as well. There were no reports of it prior to heading down, but now I'm wondering if some of the Canadian fires were already starting up back then? I was legitimately concerned at first that it was *in* the Sods, yikes.
Forest Roads 19 and 75 are generally closed to vehicular traffic from January to April if the Forest Service thinks there is a possibility of heavy rain or snow trapping vehicles on the plateau.
Thanks, Brion. It looks like were about a day early this time. Thankfully, it made for a pretty unique experience, but I'll probably plan on driving to the trailhead instead of hiking next time, no doubt.
I love it up there. I try to go at least once a year.
@@sintax77
Came here to say this. If it's in April I call the forest service office to ask if FR 75 is open yet.
I miss Mr. Slippers
😢
Time lapse of the night sky was impressive. What did you use for camera gear?
Did you up and get a tattoo, a cool compass would have looked good there and been fitting for all your travels.
Always good to have a Sintax video. Was just researching a plane crash from the 80’s in SNP, considering a Sintax adventure one weekend in the fall.
New tattoo? Also congrats on the RV...
The plastic bottle may kill you but waters fine
Bruh is wearing a Wu-Tang beanie👍
Wu tang is for the children after all 🐝
Not sure when you was there but senecra rocks had a fire this year
Bingo. Thanks for the info! That's exactly what it was. It also looks like they reportedly opened the Dolly Sods gates the morning after we left on the April 17th, lol.
good mozzarella. dab of oil. fry the cheese first. then put it into a tortilla. then fold and cook tortilla. you won't regret it. mozzarella for a better melty quesadilla.
Sounds good! I'll have to try that :)
Awesome trip!
How is Ricky? Hopefully well.
Chef-boy-r-sintax😂
I see you have a satellite messenger device. What is the 2-way radio or the like with the antenna in your left shoulder strap pocket?
The radio is a BearCat scanner that I use to listen to weather broadcasts and local ranger frequencies, air traffic for fun, etc.
Four Months Later... 🧽🌸🦫🦀🐙🪸
Enjoy your cheeseburger
I have a double rainbow. It is a very fine tent. What the heck is that? It wants to be a double rainbow. Lmao!
Did you ever figure out why the park was closed? (Planned on leaving from Bear Rocks in 8 weeks)
They ended up opening the gate a day after the conclusion of this trip. My guess would be that they just waited until that Monday. Didn’t want to open it on a weekend day for whatever reason i would suppose
no spooky night shots?...wtf... Cant be hiking/backpacking without spooky night shots around a campfire :)
I missed your vids although I feel this one was not up to your usual standard!
No focus on the route just wondering about.
See you next time.
Geoff
Yup, we pretty much set out to go with the flow and do some random exploring on this one. Which ended up working out pretty well, considering the water situation on day one :)
I see the tattoo on your left forearm . what is it. And why did you choose that design.
Dry Dolly Sods. You have lived the oxymoron of all oxymorons of camping in the mid atlantic.
Is the tattoo new?
It was pretty fresh during this video. I got it back in March or so.
@@sintax77 I don't have any myself, but find the meaning behind them fascinating when ones are comfortable sharing.
was that a norse tattoo i saw on yur forearm???....explorers.....
Yup, it's an Icelandic Helm of Awe.
❣️⭐💝💫💗😇💖❤️♥️