For this backpacking trip, we hiked into the Cranberry Wilderness in search of a twin engine private plane that crashed in 1995 and went missing for 6 years, deep in the forests of a remote West Virginia mountaintop. There was also a hiker who went missing here back in 2011.

For sleep and shelter, Frank and I both decided to pack in our Amok Draumr Hammock camping systems. This would allow us to get a comfortable camping setup even if we were forced to camp in one of the mossy rock fields that are often encountered along mountain ridges in the Cranberry Wilderness. (scroll down for gear list)

On the morning of November 28th, 1995, a Cessna 414, tail number N28901 took off from Braxton County Airport in Sutton, West Virginia headed for Lynchburg Regional, Virginia. After encountering low visibility due to foggy conditions, the lone pilot contacted air traffic control to request an IFR (instrument flight rules) flight plan in order to continue navigating the approaching mountainous terrain. After a period of apparent poor communications, possibly due to a radio issue, ATC lost contact with the pilot. Transponder signals ceased not long after the last communication, and the plane was never heard from or seen again until it was spotted from the air six years later.

For an easier read, more info, & GPS data check out my full blog post
https://www.sintax77.com/deep-woods-c...

Trailhead Used: Big Beechy Trailhead, 38°17’44.2″N 80°14’55.7″W
Highland Scenic Hwy, Minnehaha Springs, WV 24954
No parking fee or permit required.

Trails Used, Day 1

Follow the dirt road for less than 1/8 mile
Turn right (north) onto Big Beechy Trail (sign missing as of 2021)
District Line Trail
Setup camp along the District Line trail
This is not an established campsite, but it’s the best clearing we found along the District Line and is also about as close as the trail comes to the crash site located about 1/4 mile downslope. There is room for a couple hammocks or tents. There is no reliable water here, so we packed it in. We did stumble upon a small creek further downhill while searching for the plane, but it’s not listed on maps and I can’t vouch for how often it’s actually running.
Bushwhack downhill about 1/4 mile to find Cessna N28901
We found that the debris field location differed slightly from the NTSB report. We found what appeared to be the initial impact sight at N38° 20.073′ W80° 16.845′ , and the fuselage at N38° 20.009′ W80° 16.783′

Day 1 Mileage: 3.7 miles
Day 1 Gross Elevation Gain: 562’
Day 1 Gross Descent: 639’

Trails Used, Day 2

Retrace yesterday’s route.
Return to Big Beechy Trailhead.

Day 2 Mileage: 3.7 miles
Day 2 Gross Elevation Gain: 639’
Day 2 Gross Descent: 562 feet

Grand Total Mileage: 7.4 Miles
Grand Total Gross Elevation Gain: 1,201’

Notable Backpacking Gear

Frank’s Budget Backpack https://amzn.to/2UpFpZW
Sintax77’s Fjallraven Kajka 75 Backpack https://amzn.to/2Uj8Ew4
Amok Draumr XL Hammock https://www.amokequipment.com/collect...
Amok Borg Tarp https://www.amokequipment.com/product...
Amok Fjol XL Winterlight Sleeping Pad https://www.amokequipment.com/product...
Outdoor Vitals Storm Loft 15° Mummy Pod (Frank) https://bit.ly/3qFoIpy
Hammock Gear Burrow 20 Top Quilt (Sintax77) https://www.hammockgear.com/premium-b...
GSI Outdoors Halulite Tea Kettle https://amzn.to/3lJ9Zcw
BSR Ultralight Canister Stove https://amzn.to/3vSwEYC
MSR Flex Skillet https://amzn.to/2L4B4IT
Light My Fire Mini Fire Steel Striker https://amzn.to/30S3rxm
Light My Fire Tritan Spork https://amzn.to/3vSPfDR
Marmot Eclipse Hardshell Jacket https://amzn.to/3shSHpd
Military Fleece Jacket https://amzn.to/2YjWchv
Outdoor Vitals Satu Adventure Pants https://bit.ly/36Hd85J
Hardshell Pants – Military ECWCS Gen III Trousers https://amzn.to/2WzloP4
Solomon Toundro Pro CSWP Boot https://amzn.to/2KQDDyz
Byer of Maine Trilite Camp Stool https://amzn.to/38xgTx1
Nitecore NU25 Headlamp https://amzn.to/2YVsp0A
Casio ProTrek F30 Smartwatch https://amzn.to/3dtY7Xj
Benchmade Bugout EDC Folding Knife https://amzn.to/2JVfBS5
Surplus MRE’s (Meal Ready to Eat) https://amzn.to/3a6cyRL
Mountain House Sausage Biscuits & Gravy https://amzn.to/3q6eyih

Camera & Nav Gear Used

GoPro Hero 8 Black https://amzn.to/2D8n6lL
GoPro Shorty Tripod Grip https://amzn.to/2MPhGOM
128GB Sandisk Extreme Memory Card https://amzn.to/2YWsFIB
Spot Gen3 GPS Messenger & SOS device https://amzn.to/2EJLQhC
Garmin Oregon 650 https://amzn.to/31dVhAR

FTC Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission for purchases made through some of my links.

https://www.sintax77.com/free-stickers/

https://teespring.com/stores/sintax77...

Music in this episode (Licensed via Artlist)
Cities Under Guns by Francesco D’Andrea
https://artlist.io/song/50893/cities-...

2006 Blog post from a viewer that inspired this trip
https://bit.ly/3d4Ns5Y