winter wheeling trip ?

[cahilc]

Who would be interested in a winter wheeling trip to Canaan Valley, West Virginia. I'm there a bunch during the winter (cross country skiing) and have been tooling around on the snow covered back roads for years. Company this winer would be great. If peoples want a target weekend for a club trip late Jan - early Feb weekends are best.

I run a group ski house in Dry Fork, WV ( 7 miles from Canaan ) so rustic but warm accommodations are not a problem. Guest lodging goes for $25 per night to help cover utilities and there's plenty of floor space to go around.

Interested ?

Best weekend for a group trip ?

Let's set it up !!!



Cahil

P.S. The trails/roads I would propose for this would have minimal chances of damage, the scenery is spectacular.

[Felix]

Put me down as interested. I love me a good winter trip, and I've been wanting to explore the Canaan Valley area.

[Cruiserhead05]

x2 for me

[76FJ40]

Sounds good to me. Would it be possible to trailer the 40 there and then park the trailer someplace?

[cahilc]

Bob, sure thing, plenty of frozen yard space at the ski house for trailers. Even have a two car garage for evening repairs/tune-ups if needed.

Cahil

[fjman]

sounds fun . i'm in

[VA.CRUISER]

Let me know the weekend

[Cruiserhead05]

Originally Posted by 76FJ40

Sounds good to me. Would it be possible to trailer the 40 there and then park the trailer someplace?

Pff, big baby!

[H2o]

mee too...

[VA Runner]

Depending on the weekend, I'm in. Have not been to Canaan Valley.

[jmvar]

Please count me in, that area is beautiful. Thanks for setting this up.

[cahilc]

Yeah, like that area a lot too. I've wheeled out there by myself in past winters. Will be good to have some partners-in-crime along. I use to always take cross country ski's with me in case I really got the truck stuck real good.



Cahil

[Riad]

I am interested too.

Where exactly is this? Do we have a firm date?

[cahilc]

Well ... that was what I was trying to flush out, when exactly do we want to do this. Snow conditions do vary from month to month and the further into the winter usually the better the snow pack is in the backcountry. The best snows are late Jan - early Feb. Toward the end of Feb would be about the end of good, deep, predictable snow. March can have some crazy weather but it's not predictable or as I like to refer, plan-able.

I'll check my calendar and figure out a date and post it up.

Cahil

[cahilc]

Open house trip for CLCC members with no need to pre-register. I run a ski house in Canaan, WV during the winter and this where we'll be staying. Co-ed dorm accommodations with plenty of floor space so pack sleeping bags and cushy pads as needed. Guest rate at the house is a flat rate of $25 per night per guest. This is the house guest rate for the entire winter season. Trust me, this is a non-profit venture and propane to heat the house does add up. Other accommodations are available in Canaan Valley. (One year waiting list for real nice stuff.) Plan on arriving Thursday, Jan. 31st afternoon to evening. Highly recommend planning to arrive at the house with plenty of daylight left. We'll wheel Friday and Saturday, and maybe a pinch on Sunday.

House Access Roads: Interestingly WV DOT *grooms* their roads in the winter. The house is located off a public school bus route. ( The road will be maintained immaculate through Friday day for school bus pickup and drop-off.) Friday evening the roads may deteriorate quickly, hence arrive on Thursday.

Food: Breakfast at the house, pack lunch, and dinners will be out at the local restaurants in the evenings. If you know me you know I'm not a slight build. I know where the good eats are. Never ask the skinny kid in the group for a dinner recommendation.

Note: This trip is *very* weather dependent. I past years I've had great snow @ this time and other winters I've been completely wiped out (i.e. no snow) in the high country. Have even had rain. We'll figure conditions out as we get closer.

Trailers: Plenty of space at the house to drop trailers, etc. There is only one small catch. There's a hair pin uphill turn on the approach road to the house. If conditions are real bad we'll have to have a backup plan on where to stash trailers.

Cell phone: Phone coverage is phenomenal at the house. I have Cingular and have perfect reception.

Vehicles: Be prepared for plenty of deep, slick, treacherous, snow conditions. The trails I'm planning to wheel are unmaintained, enter at your own risk in winter, fire roads (easy) to unmaintained access roads (harder). Vehicles should have good ground clearance. Lockers recommended. Chance of vehicle damage should be at a minimum. There are side gulley's along the road for drainage and most likely somebody will go exploring. When this happens the vehicles usually goes in with a full commit. Side fender damage may occur but is usually very minimal. Scrapes and a little bit of pushed sheet metal are common. I'll be wheeling my FJ60 for this trip.

Tires: More sipes the better. For snow, big lugs for show, sipes for go.

Let's have some fun !!!



Cahil

[RUfj40crazy]

Id be game if i can get my new springs on in time, might even get some snowboarding in on sunday too.

I only have street tires on the 40 and no lockers (V8), do you think its worth trying?

[cahilc]

Depends what you consider fun ?

Shouldn't have any problems driving to the house. Your gonna get stuck pretty quick with street tires and no lockers.

There should be available open seats. Best bet would be to team up with a buddy.



Cahil

[WckedMidas]

im intrested been trying to get a trip going up there for two years or atleast in the area. I been wanting to try grant and davis countys they got lots of side stuff off the main road. Keep this post updated woot.

[colangut]

You guys should make a run through Dolly Sods.

Amazing place. Especially in winter.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolly_Sods_Wilderness


-Stumbaugh

[cahilc]

Originally Posted by WckedMidas

...
Keep this post updated woot.
...

We got a stick post up top with more info, dates, etc ...

Cahil