Backpacking Lake Moomaw

Gear: High Sierra Backpack (on sale!) | GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Backpacker Cookset | MSR WhisperLite International Backpacking Stove & Fuel Bottle | LLBean Tent (newer version here) | Marmot Hydrogen Sleeping Bag | LifeStraw | Mountain House Food (the Mac and Cheese is amazing) | Therm-a-Rest Sleeping Pad | Hydroflask | Light My Fire Spork & Fireforks | Spark Force Firestarter | REI Basecamp Pillow | Chacos (on sale!)

Oh. My. Gosh. 1) This trip was literally so much fun 2) I can't move anything because I am SO sore!

I just got home from a backpacking trip that I went on with my my best friend, Dee, at Lake Moomaw. Dee is also an avid hiker who lives in the Roanoke area so she's a bit spoiled with being able to easily access hikes like Tinker Cliffs, McAfees Knob and Carvins Cove (among many others). I pitched this idea to her a few months back and she was immediately up for the adventure. We both took Friday off and we headed out to Lake Moomaw where we met at 10:00am that morning. I must say right now so I don't repeat it a hundred times, the foliage was SO PERFECT, and SO BEAUTIFUL, and SO VIBRANT. Not kidding. The whole time we were dying hiking, we were just pointing and repeating "wow, it is SO beautiful." I swear some of the trees were even neon, it was wild. The hike out was hard. Both of us are very seasoned hikers but neither of us are used to hiking with packs on and it was an experience. My legs were aching, my back was protesting but it wasn't so bad that I would never do it again. In fact, both of us are already planning a trip for the spring because we loved it so much. It just definitely is not for the faint of heart, for someone who has no experience hiking or for someone who isn't in shape. It took us two hours to hike out to Greenwood Point Campground with our gear on. Once we arrived we set up camp and just lounged around, explored, took pictures, and enjoyed the view. The campground has a lot of spots with already built fire pits, flat areas to sleep on, logs and sticks everywhere, and even hooks to hang up your trash on. There is a long metal box right at the entrance that is full of gear people have left. We chose a spot right next to the lake and we were the only two people camping there for the weekend. We made a campfire at night and watched the sunset over the lake. It was perfect. For the remainder of the trip we relaxed and it was mostly overcast so no sunrises :( If you are someone who gets cold easily I highly recommend the sleeping bag I have listed above. I get cold FAST but when I sleep in that bag I usually have to shed layers because I'm so hot. That thing retains some serious heat but at the same time, you can sleep with it when it's warmer and it keeps you at a pleasant temperature. After we packed up camp, we did the hike a half hour faster than coming in. Once we were used to the packs it wasn't as difficult and we were both smiling and chatting the whole way back.

If you're a hiker or someone who wants to get into backpacking I highly suggest doing this trip as a first-time adventure. The hike to the campground is only 3.3 miles and while it's difficult in some places, it's not impossible and it will give you a taste of what it's like to hike uphill, on flat ground, and down some steep grades (on the way back). The views are phenomenal and it's very secluded so you wont be overrun by noisy people or have anyone close to your personal space. During the summer the lake is warm and really fun to swim in (I went swimming the first time I visited the lake). If you're not a big hiker and still want to camp here you can park across the lake at Cole's Point and canoe/kayak across!

I know I've already said it but this trip was so much fun! Backpacking is harder than we anticipated but we both ended up loving it and can't wait for our next trip. The weekend was just too perfect because it was the peak weekend for foliage at the lake (lucky us) and the weather the first day was just amazing. For the rest of the fall season I have a few hikes I'd like to get to and I was debating on driving down into North Carolina to see some of their amazing waterfalls but we'll see. Work is very busy this week and next weekend I'm going to an Oyster Festival (love love love oysters). But I hope everyone else gets a chance to get outside and play!