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Northern Virginia: check out the Massanutten out by Luray. Duncan/Strickler Knob; Signal Knob; .. lots of loop possibilities with the Massanutten (orange blaze), and all the criss crossy trails...

I have IT Band flare ups from time to time. In my case/experience it's a combination of muscle imbalance and muscle tightness (esp from sitting around all day at work).

You can get over it! It'll...

Mount Pleasant and/or Cold/Cole mountain. (Same parking lot). Not too much climbing, short loops, water, and you're not too far from the car if you need to bail.

I thru-hiked in December and May.

Pickens was fine for general weather. It's pretty variable with all the ups/downs/and little pockets you find anyway.
December had zero bugs. I don't recall...

I introduced my daughter to hiking by starting at a local park with overnight camping. Essentially car camping with backpacks. Had a big day hike.

Stage two was a short back country trip (3-4...

I don't recall any bear boxes and my memory of those nice metal food hanging poles is fuzzy. I'd suggest that canisters aren't necessary (from a bear perspective) but would certainly work. You'll...

Assuming you mean the George Washingon National Forest that's (mostly) in Virginia...

I have a mix of Nat Geo and PATC maps for much of Virginia/Maryland.

The Nat Geo are easy enough to find...

My daughter has camped/hiked with me since she was 5 or so. The first year or two was car camping with an old "4" man Eureka tent. When we progressed to overnights in the backcountry I picked a...

You can run a filtered search (based on terrain, sights, lengths, etc) on http://www.hikingupward.com/

It should help you narrow down your search to appropriate hikes close to you. There's lots...

I seem to recall there's a small pull off or road but I'm not sure it'd be appropriate for long term parking. A mile or two down the road (north) is Sunset Fields which may be better. You can also...

The toe box is wider than the Cascadias. That's good for me but may not be for you.

I had some heel slip on the LonePeakII that were causing blisters (something I almost never get) until I...

I can carry an SS2 in my Circuit along with everything else. I pack the tent vertically on one side, then all clothes/quilt in a compactor bag next to it. Food bag and cook kit sit on top. The only...

Without seeing it... what about removing it (scissors or seam-ripper) and sewing on a piece of silnylon in its place. That will provide a light weight rain-proof flap to cover the cinch-hole. You...

Your kit is remarkably similar to mine Tuckahoe. I'll have to be careful not to get them mixed up should we meet on the trail, which is possible given our proximity! I'm curious to recheck my...

You already have a Columbia and don't seem to like the fit, but maybe a different model would fit differently.
My goto is the Columbia Tamiami (and it's fun to say). It's suppose to be a fishing...

It's tough to find packs for kids that transfer weight to the hips. My daughter has tried a Deuter Fox 30 and a ULA Curcuit (Kids version). The ULA fits better - mainly because we can get the belt...

That's what I do. Quilt and clothes in the trash compactor bag. Tent and sleeping pad outside the compactor bag (but inside the pack in my case. One either side). Food bag and cook kit sits on top of...

My daughter (now age 9) wears some "trail runners" made by The North Face. Her down puffy is a clearance item from... Lands End? Eddie Baeuer? Something like that. Fleece is really easy to find at...

Closer to I-81 is Ramsey's Draft which can be a nice loop as well, especially if you like getting your feet wet: http://www.hikingupward.com/GWNF/RamseysDraft/

Three Ridges is already a nice 12-14 mile loop: http://www.hikingupward.com/GWNF/ThreeRidges/
It's not mentioned in the Hiking Upward page but you can park off route 56 where the AT crosses it at...

A digital body that goes with your current collection of lenses (from your existing film cameras) would be my first recommendation. Buying new glass is expensive.

Mine is a simple rectangle, hemmed on all 4 sides with shock cord through one long side. It gathers around my waist when I wear it as a skirt (tie the shock cord). I put some velcro on either end to...

A section of the Foothills Trail might work well for this, though it would require a shuttle/ride. I was there late May 2014 with a group and though we passed a few folks, we had our campsite of...

A Tarptent Notch (for example) is less than the weight of your proposed tarp, can be setup in the rain without getting the interior wet, and dries out very quickly when it stops raining.

Have you considered one or more shorter (2-3 day) shakedown hikes? You can hit the AT with about a 3 hour drive and do some loop hikes (AT and blue blaze) to avoid shuttling cars. It'd give you a...