Cranberry Wilderness Backpacking (West Virginia) - May 2020

Описание: View and purchase all my photos at: https://davidcgray.smugmug.com/

After a couple months of Coronavirus quarantine 'lock-down' we decided to make a jail break! Carl, Christian, Travis, the dogs and I decided the various state restrictions had eased sufficiently that a backpacking trip was in order.

Travis is originally from West Virginia and one of his favorite hiking destinations is the Cranberry Wilderness in the Monongahela National Forest. He had attempted a trip there a couple weeks prior to our visit, and the trip had to be called off early. So we decided a Cranberry 'do-over' was in order.

Our plan was to do a 3-night/4-day 21-mile counter-clockwise loop starting at the North South Trail trailhead, and taking in the North Fork, Middle Fork, Laurelly Branch, and North South trails. Instead of the normal hotel/restaurant 'indulgence' the night before the hike, we opted to camp very near the trailhead which allowed us a night of 'real' food and car camping luxury before we started the hike in earnest.

Trail conditions proved 'difficult' (ok... brutal!). We encountered long stretches of ankle deep mud, continuous rock sections, moss covered roots, overgrown trails, and sketchy stream crossings. But by far the most challenging, and exhausting, obstacle we encountered were hundreds of downed trees across the trail, which were made especially difficult because of the three dogs we had with us - the dogs had to be lifted and helped over/under/around/through each downed tree.

But despite the difficulties it was a great hike. The Cranberry Wilderness is incredibly beautiful, with diverse vegetation and topography, and its hard to describe just how good it felt to get back out into the woods after everything we have all been going through the last few months.

For those who have watched my other videos this one is done in the same style - about an hour in length, intended to bring the audience along for the 'ride', and with a still picture slide show with music at the end. If you just have a few minutes skip to the end and enjoy the pictures.

Equipment / Gear List:

Still and Video Camera: Nikon Z6 https://amzn.to/3dHJvni
Lens: Nikkor 24mm f1.8 Z-mount lens https://amzn.to/2QZqNOo
Tripod: Sirui T-025X carbon fiber tripod https://amzn.to/3bH3Rvg
Camera shoulder clip: Peak Designs Capture clip system https://amzn.to/2wRdusp
Video Editing Software: Vegas Pro 16 https://amzn.to/2X5dKyu
Pack: REI Flash 55
Tent: Nemo Meta2P
Sleeping Bag: Zpacks 20degF Sleeping Bag
Sleeping Pad: Therm-A-Rest NeoAir X-Therm https://amzn.to/2yjrUlj
Sleeping Pad: Therm-A-Rest NeoAir XLite https://amzn.to/39zju6v
Pillow: Exped Air Pillow UL https://amzn.to/2WYE5hZ
Stove: JetBoil Flash https://amzn.to/3azKRi7
Stove: MSR PocketRocket 2 https://amzn.to/3dPtOL5
Pot: MSR Titan titanium 0.9L kettle https://amzn.to/3bF1RDB
Headlamp: Black Diamond Spot https://amzn.to/2R0JvoW
Buff: Merino wool Buff https://amzn.to/3dCYHSC
Recharging Battery: Anker 3500mAH ‘lipstick’ charger https://amzn.to/2URI7G3
Camp Chair: Helonix Chair Zero https://amzn.to/2xzbwgh
Camp Shoes: Xero Shoes Z-Trek https://amzn.to/3bA3X7I
Wet Wipes: Survivorware Wet Wipes https://amzn.to/2JwbQ2e