Mid-Atlantic News

Hi everyone,

I am thrilled to announce that Becky has agreed to be co-Regional Contact (RC) for the Mid-Atlantic Region of Women Outdoors.

Becky is a lifelong outdoorswoman with wide and deep experience. In 1992, Becky through-hiked the Appalachian Trail (AT) and more than lived up to her trail name, Surefoot. She has organized and led outdoor adventure trips for the Girl Scouts, canoeing trips in Algonquin, Canada, and backpacking trips on the AT and in WV. Becky has also bicycle camped the Great Allegheny Passage and C & O Towpath, a journey of 185 miles.

Becky has been an active Women Outdoors MId-Atlantic member since 2019, attending three consecutive Women Outdoors National Gatherings, the National WO Cross-Country Ski Event in Craftsbury, VT, and dozens of Mid-Atlantic activities.

Becky has also led several hikes as well as kayaking and camping trips for the WO Mid-Atlantic region. This past summer after two years of covid delays, Becky organized and led a Women Outdoors 10-day service trip to Peru followed by a trek to Machu Picchu.

Becky and I look forward to being your co-RCs.

See you in the outdoors!

Kathleen

Co-Regional Contact

Women Outdoors Mid-Atlantic

Nurture your nature

Hope you've been enjoying the spectacular pageant of color put on by Mother Nature these past few weeks. Absolutely amazing!

We have some fun activities coming up in November and December 2022. Save these dates and stay tuned:

• Sunday, November 13 - Hike at Sky Meadows State Park in Delaplane, VA with an optional stop afterwards at The Apple House in Linden, VA for a late lunch/early dinner and their famous apple butter cinnamon donuts.
• Friday, November 25 - #OptOutside hike along the Rachel Carson Greenway in Brookeville, MD. Several years ago, REI took the unprecedented step of closing all of their stores on Black Friday and encouraging everyone to #OptOutside and enjoy nature instead. We'll do just that with this hike. (Full disclosure - Your friendly RC works part-time at the REI in Washington DC.)
• Sunday, December 4 - Zoom planning meeting for 2023 Women Outdoors Mid-Atlantic events. Grab a cup of coffee and join us for an online planning meeting in the comfort of your own home.
• Saturday, December 10 - Hike TBD.

Watch this space for more details and the links to register for all of these events.

See you in the outdoors!

Merrell Shoe Demo Day

The Mid-Atlantic Region of Women Outdoors is thrilled to team up with Merrell for a very special event at Catoctin Mountain Park in Thurmont, MD on Saturday, July 9, 2022.

When it comes to hiking, your most important piece of equipment is your footwear. Proper hiking shoes or boots make all the difference in the world between a winning day on the trail or misery of da feet. (Ouch, sorry!)

A field marketing specialist for Merrell will join us and will bring several pairs of demo Merrell hiking shoes for folks to try out on the trail. Don't miss this great opportunity to field test some Merrells.

Our hike for this event will be different from our usual fare. While testing the Merrells, we'll probably just walk along a short nature loop and possibly a slightly longer spur trail. This will be an easy walk in the woods.

After the hike, the Merrell rep will raffle off a very generous Merrell gift card to one lucky hiker. He'll also bring Merrell swag for everyone who attends. (Longtime Mid-Atlantic members of Women Outdoors know how much we love raffles and swag.)

Bring a brown bag lunch for a picnic after the demo event. If folks are up for it, we can do another short hike after lunch.

This activity is free and 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 here to register for Merrell Meets the Mid-Atlantic Region.

Hard to believe, but we're now officially a tween! Founded in June 2009, the Mid-Atlantic Region of Women Outdoors is now 13.

Join us as we celebrate our 13th anniversary of outdoor fun and friendship at Seneca Creek State Park in Gaithersburg, MD on Saturday, June 4.

Our region will lead a hike that morning, but other activities you can do on your own or with a friend include biking and boating.

Hike - Join us at 10:00 a.m. for a 3.7-mile group hike around Clopper Lake. Of course if you just want to come for the picnic and skip the hike, that's fine, too.

Bike - Bring your road bike and cruise around the park or your mountain bike and check out the trails in the Schaeffer Farm area.

Boat - Canoes, kayaks, rowboats and paddle boats are all available to rent at the Seneca Creek Boat Center. You can also bring your own boat and launch it at the Boat Center.

This activity is free (except for park entry fee) and 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 the celebration.

Join us as we watch for bald eagles and other waterfowl at Conowingo Dam on Saturday, January 22, 2022, and then take a hike on the beautiful Susquehanna Heritage Trail. The parking lot area at the dam usually provides outstanding views.

We'll eat lunch after eagle watching and before our hike. Bring a brown bag lunch; the trip leader will provide hot drinks for everyone. After lunch, we'll enjoy an easy out-and-back hike of about an hour on the Susquehanna Heritage Trail. Sorry, no doggies on this hike.

This activity will be canceled in the event of rain or snow. In case of local flooding conditions, the dam area may be closed, affecting viewing. The trip leader will advise ahead of time.

Conowingo Dam is north of Baltimore in Harford County, MD. Allow at least two hour's drive time from the Washington DC metro area.

The Mid-Atlantic Region is visiting the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Park and Visitor Center on Maryland's Eastern Shore on November 16, 2021.

A state park ranger will give us a brief overview of the hidden symbolism of the park and visitor center and introduce us to the life and legacy of Harriet Tubman before we start our self-guided tour of the visitor center.

From the park website: "The 17-acre Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park and Visitor Center invites visitors to experience Tubman’s world through exhibits that are informative and emotive, providing an in depth understanding of Tubman’s early years spent in Maryland's Choptank River region and her legacy as a leader, liberator and humanitarian in the resistance movement of the Underground Railroad. . . .The park and the adjacent Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge visitor centers are physically and intellectually linked to one another through programming, multi-use trails and roads."

After our tour, we'll have lunch in the picnic pavilion at the state park. It may be chilly, so dress warmly.

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge is just a few miles down the road, so anyone who wants to explore the area a little more can join us for a short nature walk and/or drive through the refuge. Blackwater is on the Atlantic flyway so we may see some migratory waterfowl while we're there.

Hi everyone,

On March 25, 2020, I sent an email with the subject line, "WO Mid-Atlantic takes a time out." At the close of that email I wrote,"We'll be looking to trusted scientific and medical sources for guidance on when Women Outdoors Mid-Atlantic can safely resume our monthly activities. In the meantime, stay safe and take good care of yourselves and your neighbors."

Now after more than 15 months, we turn to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for guidance and their website says:

• If you are fully vaccinated, you can resume activities that you did prior to the pandemic.
• Fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.
• If you haven’t been vaccinated yet, find a vaccine.

And so, thanks to effective vaccines and more and more people getting vaccinated, the daily rhythms of life are starting to reappear, friends and families are able to gather together again, and the Mid-Atlantic Region is heading back outdoors.

But first I need to let you know about some policy changes. After the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the board of directors of Women Outdoors adopted new rules for all events. One of the changes was that all Women Outdoors events were for WO members only. But breaking news: the board of directors has just lifted that membership restriction and changed it back to our pre-pandemic practice, which is that guests are allowed to attend two events before we ask you to join Women Outdoors.

Membership in Women Outdoors is a bargain (and a charitable contribution) - only $30/year for individuals and $15/year for seniors (65+), full-time students (18-25) and juniors (girls under 18). Click on Join/Renew to become a member of Women Outdoors today.

Now for the fun stuff. We are back! Please click on the links below for more information and to register.

Saturday, July 24, 9:30 a.m. - Welcome Back Hike and Potluck Picnic at Gambrill State Park in Frederick, MD. We'll stretch our legs on a short hike first and then gather for a potluck picnic at a shelter on High Knob at Gambrill State Park. Not up for a hike? Then join us just for the picnic. We want to see you!

Wednesday, August 18, 10:00 a.m. - Dog Days of August Walk in the Park and Swim at the Beach in Annapolis, MD. Bring your four-legged furry friends for a walk at Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis and then let them enjoy a romp at the Dog Beach. Bring a brown bag lunch for afterwards.

Friday-Sunday, September 10-12 - Women Outdoors National Gathering at Camp Scully near Albany, NY. Join us for a weekend of laughter and fun with Women Outdoors members from all regions. WO members will lead all of the outdoor activities such as kayaking, hiking and biking as well as several workshops. Camp Scully is only a 6-hour drive from the DC area (much closer than when the Gathering was in NH!). Southwest Airlines also flies to Albany from DCA and BWI. The Gathering is always a wonderful weekend of women coming together to make new friends and cherish old ones. Come join us!

That's it for now. Can't wait to reconnect with all of you!

See you in the outdoors,

Kathleen

Regional Contact

Women Outdoors Mid-Atlantic

Nurture your nature

Here's our latest schedule. Click on each link for more info and to register.

• Sky Meadows Hike - Delaplane, VA, Saturday, October 19
• Rock Creek Park Hike - Washington, DC, Saturday, Nov. 2
• Planning Meeting and Potluck Brunch - Takoma Park, MD, Saturday, Nov. 9

The Mid-Atlantic Region has lots of fun stuff coming up the next few months. Here's a sneak peek:

• Bike to Brookside Gardens, Lunch and Garden Tour on Saturday, August 24.
  
• Paddle and Picnic at Black Hills on Saturday, Sept. 14
• Fall colors hike on Saturday, October 19
• Walk through history at the Paw Paw Tunnel on Saturday, November 2
  
• Potluck brunch and planning meeting, Date TBD
• Mid-winter movie night and potluck dinner, Date TBD
• What outdoor adventure would you like to lead?

See you in the outdoors!

Kathleen, Mid-Atlantic Regional Contact

Join us for a 20-mile bike ride through Washington, DC and Bethesda, MD along two of our region's most popular bike paths - the Rock Creek and Capital Crescent trails - on Saturday, March 26, 2016. Click here to register.

We'll start our ride at Fletcher's Boat House in DC, bike through Rock Creek Park, head across to Bethesda, and then back down the Capital Crescent to Fletcher's. Most of the ride is flat but there are some moderate hills in Rock Creek Park.

We'll take water and snack breaks along the way and then after our ride have a picnic on the banks of the Potomac at Fletcher's Boat House.  No bike? No problem. Fletcher's Boathouse rents bicycles for $9/hour or $31/day and provides helmets. Everyone must wear a helmet and closed-toe shoes on this bike ride.