 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
19450 Caravan Drive
Germantown, MD 20874
(301) 864-3070
|
 |
|
|
Otter Creek Backpacking Trip, Gourmet Style
Saturday, May 2, 2009-May 3, 2009
Otter Creek Wilderness
Elkins, WV
8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
$20 members, $25 non-members
Level: 9 miles
Beginner, Intermediate.
Ice cream, fresh baked pizza, margaritas? Are we on a backpacking trip? Only if you are backpacking gourmet style. This food loving overnight trip is a wonderful hike along free, fast-flowing Otter Creek with a summit of Shavers Mountain for a great view to the east. We will be taking advantage of the low miles to test out advanced cooking techniques that require an appetite for adventure!
Participants must have prior experience backpacking and be able to maintain a pace of 2 miles an hour. WWO has a limited amount of equipment that can be loaned. There will be a mandatory pre-trip meeting the week prior to the trip at a Metro-accessible location in DC to arrange carpools and gear-sharing, discuss itinerary and trail description and of course the menu! So bring any ideas you have to the pre-trip meeting.Registration Deadline: Thursday, April 23, 2009
National Arboretum Half-Day Hike
Sunday, May 24, 2009
National Arboretum, NE Washington, DC
Washington, DC
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
$7 members, $10 non-members
Level: 2, 3 miles
Visit one of DC's best kept secrets. The National Arboretum is 446 acres in NE Washington. It is a living museum where trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants are cultivated for scientific and educational purposes. We will walk around the grounds and explore the different collections. By late May, the azaleas may be past blooming, but we should see mountain laurels, magnolias, lilies, roses, and herbs. Much, but not all, of the walking will be on roads and paved paths.Registration Deadline: Wednesday, May 20, 2009 TRIP IS FULL
Gunpowder Falls State Park Day Hike
Saturday, May 30, 2009
North of Baltimore
Kingsford, MD
8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
$10 members, $15 non-members
Level: 6, 9.2 miles
This hike visits a state-designated wildland. We will hike parallel to the gorge of the Big Gunpowder Falls, providing views of great blue heron and beaver habitat. We will climb the valley walls through an old homestead site and visit a pine plantation before returning to the river. We will follow the trail through a beech hardwood forest, through the Piedmont river valley gorge along the Big Gunpowder Falls, and across Broad Run, a large, scenic tributary. Look for the rapids area called "pot rocks" where pot holes were created in the bedrock from water action. The hike also passes the site of the Carroll Sawmill ruins and mill race c. 1833.Registration Deadline: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 TRIP IS FULL
World's End Loop Backpacking Trip
Saturday, June 6, 2009-June 8, 2009
World's End State Park/Loyalsock State Forest
Forksville, PA
8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
$25 members, $30 non-members
Level: 17.0 miles
Intermediate.
The World's End State Park has all the features that make this a premier backpacking destination: a deep gorge, plentiful stream crossings and waterfalls, and vistas. The trail itself poses some challenges. It may be rocky & muddy in places with steep sections, but the net elevation gain/loss for those sections are only moderate--no more than 800 feet. These challenges make this trip suitable for those with experience backpacking in rugged areas.
There will be a mandatory pre-trip meeting on a weeknight in late May. WWO has a limited amount of gear to loan out.Registration Deadline: Thursday, May 21, 2009 TRIP IS CANCELED
Piney Branch Day Hike
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Shenandoah National Park, VA
8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
$10 members, $15 non-members
Level: 10, 8.0 miles
This is a vigorous but rewarding 8-mile hike up the Piney Branch trail. We'll ascend along a stream, with several stream crossings and two waterfalls along the way. Then we will descend down a fire road, with views from the ridge of the valley to the east. Total elevation change is 1750 ft.Registration Deadline: Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Weverton to Gathland AT Day Hike--WWO Commemorative Event!
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Burkittsville, MD
8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
$10 members, $15 non-members
Level: 8, 13 miles
This is an out-and-back hike on the Appalachian Trail (AT). We will start by hiking up to Weverton Cliffs with its magnificent view of the Potomac River gorge. At our turn-around point in Gathland, we will stop to visit the 50-foot tall stone memorial to Civil War newspaper correspondents. (Depending on the weather and the pace of the group, we may turn around before Gathland.) The hike has a steep beginning (and steep decent at the end), but is level as we walk along a ridge in South Mountain.
This hike will also mark and celebrate the 30 years that Washington Women Outdoors has served as a safe and encouraging environment to help women explore and enjoy the outdoors.Registration Deadline: Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Blockhouse Point Conservation Park Half-Day Hike
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Potomac, MD
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
$10 members, $15 non-members
Level: 5, 6.0 miles
We will hike a series of out-and-back trails to spectacular view points of the Potomac from cliffs above the C&O Canal. These bluffs are the spot where strategic fortification lined the river and protected the Union from attack by Confederate forces. Union soldiers camped in horrible conditions nearby at Muddy Branch. The hike is fairly strenuous, with a good bit of up and down.Registration Deadline: Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Dolly Sods Backpacking Trip
Friday, July 3, 2009-July 5, 2009
Monongahela National Forest
Petersburg, WV
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
$25 members, $30 non-members
Level: 15.0 miles
Intermediate.
We will be hiking in Dolly Sods Wilderness, a slice of the Monongahela National Forest, which has nearly everything: rocky vistas, open glades resembling the western United States, thick spruce, northern hardwood forests, and a deep canyon cut by Red Creek. On this year's visit to one of our favorite destinations, we'll explore new areas and revisit old ones. If you like camping by a river to splash around in, this is the trip for you.
This trip is not recommended for novice backpackers. There will be a mandatory pre-trip meeting June 24th at 7PM near the Farragut North/West Metro Stops. WWO has a limited amount of backpacks, sleeping bags, tents and stoves available to loan.Registration Deadline: Thursday, June 25, 2009
Mason Neck Half-Day Hike
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Lorton, VA
9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
$10 members, $15 non-members
Level: 3.5 miles
This park in southeastern Fairfax County provides protected habitat for wildlife and scenic trails for hikers. The trail wanders across a wooded bluff, then comes back along the shore of Belmont Bay, a Potomac River inlet. Park entrance fee is not included in the trip price.Registration Deadline: Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Three Ridges Backpacking Trip
Friday, July 17, 2009-July 19, 2009
George Washington National Forest
Lovingston, VA
5:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
$25 members, $30 non-members
Level: 13.8 miles
Intermediate and advanced.
The name of this hike tells you a lot about what's to come. Traversing three 3,000 foot mountaintop ridges over 14 miles means lots of elevation gains and losses. But with that comes vistas, sunsets, star-gazing from mountaintop camp sites, and waterfalls. We'll mitigate the cost by doing our driving on Friday night, allowing us to spread the miles over two full days, so we can have plenty of time to savor our post-hike glow over happy hour. Then we'll celebrate the end of the hike with a good soak in the river at trail's end.
This trip is not appropriate for beginning backpackers. Once your registration is approved by the trip leader, you will be provided with a list of the participants so you can make arrangements to share equipment and rides to the meetup point. (WWO also has a limited amount of gear available to loan to participants.) We will meet at a Metro-accessible location to pick up anyone using public transportation and carpool from there. There will be no pre-trip meeting.Registration Deadline: Wednesday, July 8, 2009
AT/Harpers Ferry Day Hike
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Harpers Ferry, WV
8:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
$10 members, $15 non-members
Level: 6, 9.0 miles
This out-and-back hike will combine both the rewards of climbing upward and a leisurely stroll. We will ascend up on the AT to Weverton Cliffs, where there is a wonderful view of the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers and the town of Harpers Ferry. After relaxing on the cliffs, we will descend and pick up the AT on the level C&O canal towpath, which we will follow until we cross the river on the footbridge and go in to the town of Harpers Ferry. We will hike in town as far as Jefferson Rock. Then folks can explore town for a while in the afternoon - get ice cream, sit in the shade, go shopping, or take in one of the museums - before meeting up later to return along the towpath.Registration Deadline: Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Potomac Heritage Trail/C&O Canal Towpath Day Hike
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Arlington, VA
9:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
$10 members, $15 non-members
Level: 4, 9.5 miles
This is a 9.5 mile hike along the Potomac River from Key Bridge to Chain Bridge. We'll hike up the Virginia side of the river on the Potomac Heritage Trail, then cross over Chain Bridge to the DC side and return along the C&O Canal Towpath. The PHT is a bit rugged in places, but the towpath is easy walking. The trailhead at Roosevelt Island is accessible by car or a short walk from the Rosslyn Metro Station.Registration Deadline: Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Maryland Heights Day Hike
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Harpers Ferry, WV
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
$10 members, $15 non-members
Level: 7, 5.0 miles
This 5-mile hike features history and a spectacular overlook of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. Maryland Heights, which towers 1,448 feet above the rivers, is the area's most strenuous and rewarding hike. We'll pass the remains of fortifications built by Union Forces in 1862. The town of Harpers Ferry has many restored buildings and interesting exhibits.Registration Deadline: Wednesday, August 26, 2009
