Spent 3 hours on the wrong side of a creek crossing near Dolly Sods and had to backtrack 4 miles

Lee Thompson · 2026-10-22T05:35:04.071501+00:00

So I mapped out this loop through Dolly Sods in West Virginia for a 3 day trip and felt pretty good about it. The problem was one creek crossing that my map showed as a simple ford, but when I got there the water was knee deep and moving fast from all the rain. I walked up and down the bank for maybe 40 minutes looking for a log or a calmer spot, then just went for it and got soaked anyway. What really ate my time was that I second guessed the route and hiked back to a junction to double check my paper map, which added 4 miles I did not plan for. By the time I found the actual trail marker I was 3 hours behind and had to skip the ridge section I wanted. Turns out I had been staring at a creek that was not even the one on my map. Has anyone else done the backtrack thing on a loop and just burned a whole afternoon?

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Spent 3 hours on the wrong side of a creek crossing near Dolly Sods and had to backtrack 4 miles | Backpacking Routes - Free To Speak