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  • 22 Oct 2024 10:35 AM | Kathleen (Administrator)

    We're exploring new territory with our first ever Women Outdoors Mid-Atlantic hike to Chimney Rocks at Michaux State Forest near Waynesboro, PA on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024.

    Located at the northern terminus of the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains, Michaux State Forest features an abundance of oak species including chestnut oak, scarlet oak, northern red oak, black oak and white oak. Other trees include red maple, black birch, black gum, hickory, pine and tuliptree (yellow poplar).

    We'll hike northbound on the Appalachian Trail for a good portion of this "balloon" hike passing by the Tumbling Run AT shelter along the way.

    This 5-mile hike is very strenuous on the way up. While the first mile (the balloon string) is flat, the balloon part of the trail then transitions to a steep climb with lots of roots and rocks and an elevation gain of 1000' over two miles. The reward will be the gorgeous view at Chimney Rocks where we'll have a brown bag lunch overlooking the valley.

    Coming back down from the rocks after lunch, we'll take an easier route along an old fire road before rejoining the string of the balloon for the last mile.

    Sorry, no doggies on this hike.

    This activity is open to members and non-members of Women Outdoors. Non-members are welcome to attend two WO events as guests. On your third event, we'll ask you to join the Mid-Atlantic Region of Women Outdoors. You can also join right now by clicking on this Join Us link.

    Registration will close on Thursday, November 7th.

    Click on this link to register for the Chimney Rocks Hike.

  • 02 Oct 2024 3:03 PM | Kathleen (Administrator)

    Pickleball in the Park - Third time's the charm!

    Pickleball in the Park got rained out on the original date and on the rain date do-over so we're trying again for Wednesday, October 9, 2024. Everyone will need to register again for Pickleball in the Park - Third time's the charm.

    We're trying something a little different from our usual outdoor adventure repertoire, namely pickleball!

    Are you a first-time player? Great! We'll offer a mini clinic to introduce you to pickleball. We'll also have extra paddles and balls to share if you need them. Check out this YouTube video for a quick intro to pickleball.

    Already a pickleball player? Wonderful! We'll also have structured play with  round robin games where players will team up with different partners for most games. After each game we'll rotate and change partners. If there are players waiting to play, we'll play two games and then rotate new players in and rotate off others to rest.

    After we finish playing, we'll have a picnic lunch right there at the park.

    This free activity is open to members and non-members of Women Outdoors. Non-members are welcome to attend two WO events as guests. On your third event, we'll ask you to join the Mid-Atlantic Region of Women Outdoors. You can also join right now by clicking on this Join Us link.

    Registration is limited to 20 participants and will close on Monday, October 7, 2024, or when full, whichever comes first. A wait list will open up once we reach 20 participants.

    Click on this link to register for Pickleball in the Park.

  • 01 Oct 2024 3:09 PM | Kathleen (Administrator)

    Women Outdoors members voted for Kathleen Long, one of the co-regional contacts for the Mid-Atlantic Region, to receive the 2024 Jan Brown Memorial Scholarship Award. Presented at the 2024 Annual National Gathering, the award memorializes one of the Founding Mothers of Women Outdoors, our beloved Jan Brown.

    Jan was an historian and office manager whose contributions to Women Outdoors were vast: Jan tracked our organization's history and publications as well as kept a comprehensive annotated bibliography of books  written by and about women's voyages and adventures.

    As a world traveler who visited far-flung lands, Jan regaled us all with her marvelous photos and stories. In 2019, our 40th year, Women Outdoors established the Jan Brown Memorial Scholarship Award to pay tribute to Jan's countless contributions and her inspiring life.

    NOTE: The complete bibliography (169 pp) and the condensed version (40 pp) as well as an index (4 pp) to both bibliographies are available as PDFs to members of Women Outdoors. Login to your account and navigate to Resources and then click on Members Only from the drop-down menu.

    The following is the entry on The Gathering page of WomenOutdoors.org.

    Kathleen Long  Presented September 7, 2024

    Awarded in honor of Kathleen's numerous contributions to Women Outdoors. In addition to serving on the board, Kathleen helped to develop our current website during its infancy, supporting the creation of the overall design and functionality, as well as organizing our files and creating our Women Outdoors Policy Handbook. To this day Kathleen continues to support our online presence, monitoring our Info@WomenOutdoors.org email.

    In 2009, Kathleen started a new region, Mid-Atlantic, serving as Regional Contact. Working with her Co-RC Becky Foreman, they actively promote our organization, expanding the Mid-Atlantic Region by over 150% in the last 2 years alone.

    Women Outdoors would not be where it is today without the invaluable contributions of Kathleen Long!

  • 03 Aug 2024 3:33 PM | Kathleen (Administrator)

    Machu Picchu, Galapagos Islands, Ecuadorian Amazon Jungle

    Bucket list trip alert! Have you ever wanted to go on the trip of a lifetime? Well, Women Outdoors is planning an breathtaking adventure for June-July 2025 to Macchu Picchu, the Galapagos Islands and the Ecuadorian Amazon. Our very own Becky, one of the regional contacts for the Mid-Atlantic Region, is planning this amazing adventure.

    You can choose to go on one, two or all three adventures. The exact dates have not yet been set, but we'll travel between late June and mid-July 2025.

    Here's the trip in a nutshell:

    Machu Picchu - Late June 2025. Walking tour of Cusco. Sacred Valley tour by van to Ollantaytambo. Tour Ollantaytambo ruins. Guided tour of Machu Picchu. Pachamanca feast in home of Qechua farmer.

    Galapagos Islands - Immediately after Machu Picchu. Optional tours to chocolate farm and coffee plantation. Van tour of Highland Tortoise Reserve and lunch on a farm on the way to the village of Puerta Ayora. Speed boat to Isabela Island/Puerto Villamil and then boat to Tintoreras Islet for snorkeling. "Tunnels" day boat trip and snorkeling in underwater lava formations. Service project on a coffee farm. Speed boat transfer to Santa Cruz Island for dinner hosted by fisherman and family.

    Ecuador Amazon Cruise - After the Galapagos Islands, probably early July 2025. This adventure begins in Quito and after a short flight to Coca, we'll board a motorized canoe for a short journey down the river before reaching the Manatee Amazon Explorer for our welcome aboard. A local naturalist guide will give an introduction to the Ecuadorian Amazon. Some of our activities will be a nighttime forest walk, canoe trip on the Panayacu River delta, nature walks with local naturalist guides, kayaking and swimming in Piranha Lake (not as dangerous as it sounds!).

    We're working with Adios Adventure Travel to plan this awe-inspiring adventure. Adios Adventure Travel helped facilitate the Women Outdoors trip to Machu Picchu in 2022 and we loved it so much we asked them to help us out again.

    Right now, we're just looking to see how many Women Outdoors members would be interested in joining us on this incredible adventure.

    Click here for a detailed description of each segment of the trip and to register your interest.

    There is no commitment to attend at this point; we just want to see how much interest is out there. You do not need to be a member of Women Outdoors to let us know of your interest in this trip at this time.

    If you want to come, check your passport's expiration date. It must be valid until at least January 2026.

    Our South America Adventure 2025 is open to only members of Women Outdoors. You can join right now by clicking on Join Us.

  • 12 Jul 2024 7:02 PM | Kathleen (Administrator)

    Women Outdoors Mid-Atlantic listserv!

    The Mid-Atlantic region of Women Outdoors has recently rolled out an exciting new benefit for our members: our very own Women Outdoors Mid-Atlantic listserv or email group.

    What is this listserv all about?

    The listserv will be another way to connect with WO members outside of our "official" monthly Mid-Atlantic activities. It's a way for WO members to organize spontaneous outdoor adventures with other members; share tidbits about upcoming events that may be of interest such as an outdoor concert; recommend books or movies about the outdoors; you get the drift.

    For example, let's say the weather forecast for tomorrow is absolutely beautiful and you want to go on a hike at Sugarloaf Mountain and you'd like some of your WO Mid-Atlantic buds to join you. You would post an email on the listserv letting the other Mid-Atlantic members know your plans. You could ask folks to let you know if they can come or you could just post the time and place to meet and be surprised in the moment.

    Just to reiterate, any activities that are organized through the Women Outdoors Mid-Atlantic listserv are not official Women Outdoors events. However, they are an opportunity for WO members to get together outside of our monthly "official" Mid-Atlantic Region activities.

    How does it work?

    We are using Groups.io for our email group. Participation is strictly voluntary. Mid-Atlantic members will need to opt-in to be a member of the email group. Once you join the Mid-Atlantic region, you will receive an invitation to join our listserv, WomenOutdoorsMid-Atlantic, from Groups.io. You will need to respond to that email within two weeks to register for the listserv.

    How much does it cost?

    It's FREE!

    See you in the outdoors!

  • 09 Jul 2024 4:16 PM | Kathleen (Administrator)

    It's almost time for one of our perennial favorites: our Dog Days of August Hike on Saturday, August 17, 2024.

    We’ll do a 3-4 mile suburban hike in Silver Spring, MD, with lots of shade. It's an easy up and down trail, however there is some uneven ground and it could potentially be a bit muddy. We will most likely walk for about an hour out and an hour back.

    This is a very popular location for people to walk their dogs. We've heard from reliable sources that folks in the neighborhood do not appreciate dogs off leash on the Northwest Branch Trail. So to be respectful of our neighbors, doggies will need to be on leash at all times during this hike.

    After our walk in the woods we’ll have a backyard picnic nearby.

    This activity is open to members and non-members of Women Outdoors. Non-members are welcome to attend two WO events as guests. On your third event, we'll ask you to join the Mid-Atlantic Region of Women Outdoors. You can also join right now by clicking on this Join Us link.

    Registration is limited to 20 participants and will close on Thursday, August 15th or when full, whichever comes first. A wait list will open up once we reach 20 participants.

    Click on this link for more information and to register.

  • 14 May 2024 10:54 AM | Kathleen (Administrator)

    Did you know there is a forested oasis that's part of the National Park system just ten miles from DC? Many don't know about this hidden gem in our own backyard: Greenbelt Park. That's right - it's a national park! Complete with campground, several picnic areas, two nature trails, a fitness trail and nearly ten miles of hiking trails altogether. 

    Join us on Saturday, June 1, 2024, for a 4–5-mile hike of the park's Perimeter Trail. The entire trail is 5.3 miles, but we can shortcut that by about a mile if the group decides to do so. The trail is gently rolling and entirely in the trees, so plenty of shade to cool us as we hike. Bring a brown bag lunch to enjoy at one of the picnic areas along the way. 

    Our hike with a stop for lunch will take about 3 hours. You may want hiking poles for this one, though it's certainly doable without them. There will be a bathroom at our start and several more along the way, including at our lunch stop.

    If you'd rather bike than hike, the park roads are a favorite for local bicyclists. Bring your bike and helmet, ride to your heart's content and then join us at the picnic area for lunch (you'll know when we're there when you ride by).

    Doggies allowed on this hike but must be leashed. On Saturdays, there are quite a few walkers with their dogs on the trail - all leashed.

    Click on this link to register. Registration closes on Thursday, May 30th.

    If you need to cancel after May 30th, please send an email to MidAtlantic@womenoutdoors.org or Becky@womenoutdoors.org.

    ONE MORE NOTE: Hike leader, Becky, will be camped in Loop B in the Greenbelt campground from May 30th to June 3rd. Anyone who would like to join her is welcome to reserve her own campsite. Send Becky an email if you'd like to know her exact site to get your own nearby. Campsites (no hookups) are only $20/night, $10/night with a National Park pass. Make a reservation here:  https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/232474

    FYI - The camping part is not an official Women Outdoors event.

    Entry to Greenbelt Park for day use is free.

    This free activity is open to members and non-members of Women Outdoors. Non-members are welcome to attend two WO events as guests. On your third event, we'll ask you to join the Mid-Atlantic Region of Women Outdoors. You can also join right now by clicking on this Join Us link.

  • 15 Mar 2024 10:34 AM | Kathleen (Administrator)

    Planning and potluck and brunch, oh my!

    Ever wonder how we come up with all of our activities for fun and adventure here in the Mid-Atlantic Region of Women Outdoors? Well, it all starts with the time-honored tradition of the potluck brunch. Then we knock around ideas for outdoor escapades and such. Next we need a couple of members to volunteer to lead that venture and voila! We have an event to put on the calendar.

    (There's also the prosaic part that involves actually setting up the online registration on the website and sending out an email to all WO members and other interested women about the upcoming event, but that's what your regional contacts are for.)

    If there's an activity or special event you would like to see, come to the brunch and volunteer to lead it. We're always looking for new places to explore as well as old favorites to revisit. We are a completely volunteer organization and depend on our members for their energy and ideas.

    Bring your calendars, hiking and biking books, and any other idea generators and help us plan activities for the upcoming months. We'll provide coffee and tea and ask you to bring a potluck dish to share.

    This free activity is open to members and non-members of Women Outdoors. Non-members are welcome to attend two WO events as guests. On your third event, we'll ask you to join the Mid-Atlantic Region of Women Outdoors. (This brunch is a freebie and doesn't count as one of those events.) You can also join right now by clicking on this Join Us link. 

    Click on this link for more information and to register for our Planning Meeting and Potluck Brunch.

    Registration closes on Saturday, April 20.

  • 14 Mar 2024 4:07 PM | Kathleen (Administrator)

    Join us for one of our faves on Thursday, April 4, 2024, when we'll go walking through the bluebells.

    Spring wildflowers grace hiking trails throughout the area after the vernal equinox, but one little bloom is especially captivating: the Virginia bluebell. These little blue beauties burst forth in exuberant abundance at Riverbend Park in Fairfax County, VA. We've done this hike many a time and it still remains one of our favorites.

    We'll take the Potomac Heritage Trail along the Potomac River toward Great Falls. Most of the terrain is flat, but be sure and wear sturdy shoes or hiking boots because parts of the trail could be muddy.

    Depending on how many folks sign up for this event, we may split into two groups: hikers and naturalists. The hikers will trek all the way down to Great Falls Park and back at a fairly good clip for a total distance of ~5-6 miles. Meanwhile, the naturalists can enjoy a leisurely walk in the woods with the birds and bluebells at a pace and distance to be decided by the group.

    We realize some of you cannot come on a weekday but we are trying to experiment with a few mid-week events.

    Bring your camera and binoculars on this picturesque hike as well as a picnic lunch for afterwards.

    Sorry, no doggies on this hike.

    This free activity is open to members and non-members of Women Outdoors. Non-members are welcome to attend two WO events as guests. On your third event, we'll ask you to join the Mid-Atlantic Region of Women Outdoors. You can also join right now by clicking on this Join Us link. 

    Click on this link for more information and to register for Bluebells Hike - A Perennial Favorite.

    Registration closes on Tuesday, April 2.

  • 01 Mar 2024 7:47 PM | Kathleen (Administrator)

    One of our go-to parks for Women Outdoors Mid-Atlantic is the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park. And so we wanted to let you know about a unique opportunity to offer your input to help improve the visitor experience at the park.

    Please consider completing a 5-minute survey for a graduate school research project about visitors to the C&O National Historical Park and what services and information would be helpful when planning a visit to the park.

    The study is for the Johns Hopkins Carey School of Business and the Maryland Institute College of Art in collaboration with the C&O Canal Trust.

    Click on this link to take the survey:

    https://jh.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3jWrU8lxBszDeJ0

    The deadline is Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at 5:00 p.m.
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