Western Maryland Rail Trail Bike Ride
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Hancock, MD
10:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
$7 members, $10 non-members
Level: 21.0 miles
Flat trails suitable for in-shape novices and above. Mountain bikes or hybrids are recommended.

Join us in a bike ride with Mother Nature. The Western Maryland Rail Trail is scenic, peaceful and serene paved trail located in the thin Maryland neck between Hancock and Fort Frederick. The trail begins about one mile west of historic Fort Frederick State Park in Washington County. The trail follows the former Western Maryland Railroad line through the town of Hancock, ending 10.5 miles west of Hancock at Pearre Station. We will begin our ride in Historic Hancock Maryland and travel west 10.5 miles to Pearre Station. The 2.1 mile Phase III extension of the trail from Tonoloway Ridge to Pearre Station was recently completed so it will be interesting to discover new territory.

You will have the option of returning via the C&O Canal or the Rail Trail. If you want to ride the C&O Canal, please bring a mountain bike or hybrid.

Registration Deadline: Friday, May 18, 2012

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Gettysburg Horseback Riding
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Gettysburg, PA
Confederate Trails of Gettysburg
9:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon
$82 members, $85 non-members
Level: All levels welcome.

Come join us for a 2-hour trail ride along the Gettysburg battlefield. A Tour Guide will be part of this ride. Read the description from the web site — “The sun dapples the woodsy path as you ride horseback where the soldiers of the Confederacy once did the same. You’ll ride behind the Virginia Monument (the area where General Robert E. Lee waited for his returning troops after Pickett’s Charge). Then follow the path to the Spangler Farm and see a panoramic view of the Peach Orchard and Little Round Top off in the distance. Those taking the two hour tour will continue on through Pitzer’s Woods to the Longstreet Tower. While there you can catch a view of the Eisenhower Farm.”

Registration Deadline: Friday, September 2, 2011

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Prince George’s Agricultural Center Bike Ride
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Beltsville, MD
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
$10 members, $15 non-members
Level: 35.0 miles
Rolling hills to moderately hilly country roads. Suitable for intermediate to advanced riders.

The Beltsville Agricultural Center provides an oasis of green in a rapidly urbanizing area. Whereas the park offers a pristine look at acres of woodlands, the research center preserves another vanishing landscape: that of the American farm. All this can be found only 15 miles northeast of the city. This ride winds through the Agricultural Reserve with stops at the Patuxent Wildlife Center and Glenn Dale Community Center.

Registration Deadline: Friday, May 11, 2012

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Soapstone Valley Trail Evening Hike
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Washington, DC
Rock Creek Park
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
$7 members, $10 non-members
Level: 3, 4.0 miles

This area was named “Best Place in Rock Creek.” This is an evening hike in the middle of the week… why not! A good break from the hectic work week. It descends to a riffling creek, a tributary of Broad Branch that looks positively unpolluted in the right light. The trail follows the creek for a bit and then you cross it by hopping the stones (probably granite, since most of the actual soapstone was quarried out some time ago). You’ll crisscross the creek seven or so more times as the valley grows deeper, greener, and more dense. After a last bit of stone-hopping, Soapstone Valley and the trail ends, spitting you out at Broad Branch Road after a mile-and-a-half.

Registration Deadline: Friday, May 4, 2012

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Rock Climbing at Great Falls
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Great Falls, VA
8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
$75 members, $85 non-members
Level: All levels welcome.

If you have wanted to learn how to rock climb, this is your chance! Learn climbing skills in a safe, supportive, and fun environment. This trip is also a great way to brush up on your climbing skills, especially if you have been away from the sport for a while or have only been climbing in indoor gyms.

This class will teach the fundamental skills used for rock climbing, including safety and climbing etiquette, use of equipment, basic knots used for tying into your harness, and climbing techniques. All necessary equipment will be provided, but feel free to bring your own.

If there are sufficient number of intermediate climbers, we will break into beginner and intermediate groups. The morning will focus on rock climbing skills and easy climbs. The afternoon climbs will be chosen based on the level of the group.

Registration Deadline: Friday, May 4, 2012

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Shenandoah Summit Sampler Day Hike
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Shenandoah National Park, VA
8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
$10 members, $15 non-members
Level: 7, 7.0 miles

Bring your cameras because we are hitting new heights! We will first travel to Mary’s Rock and hike 3.7 miles (1.8 miles up) with a 1,710 foot elevation change. This out-and-back hike offers views of hardwood forest, mountain laurel, ferns, a man-made shelf of rocks, rock monoliths, and a vista of Thornton Gap. We will drive 10 miles down the road to the Stony Man Overlook for a glimpse of the Stony Man formation, then on to the Stony Man Nature Trail, the second highest peak in the park, for a fairly easy 1.6-mile circuit hike with a 350-foot elevation change.

If there is time, we can sneak in one more hike. We can drive to the lodge and take a 1.6-mile out-and-back hike to Millers Head Lookout. This hike is fairly easy with some moderately steep sections on the way back. Our destination is an observation platform with a spectacular, nearly 360-degree view.

There is $8 fee per person to get into the park. Please bring this with you on the day of the hike.

Registration Deadline: Friday, May 4, 2012

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Board Meeting
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Location TBD
4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Free!
Level: Everyone welcome!

Did you know that WWO is run by a group of volunteers collectively known as the Board of Directors? WWO’s Board of Directors meets quarterly to plan upcoming activities, discuss existing policies of the organization, and to follow through on improving our efforts to better serve our members and trip participants. These regularly-scheduled meetings are open to WWO members. We invite you to come observe our meetings, particularly if you’ve always wanted to get more involved with WWO but didn’t quite know where to start.

Please register to receive directions.

Buck Ridge/Mary’s Rock/Buck Hollow Day Hike
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Luray, VA
Shenandoah National Park
8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
$10 members, $15 non-members
Level: 10, 9.6 miles

This 9.6-mile hike takes us up a very steep initial ascent along Buck Ridge, across Skyline Drive up to a stretch of the Appalachian Trail that leads to the amazing rock overlook of Mary’s Rock summit at 3,514 feet, then turning back for several stream crossings across the Thornton River as it descends through Buck Hollow.

Registration Deadline: Wednesday, April 25, 2012

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Rock Creek Park Wild Northern Section Half-Day Hike
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Washington, DC
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
$7 members, $10 non-members
Level: 3, 7.0 miles

The northern section of Rock Creek Park is the largest chunk of unspoiled woodland in the park. This 7-mile loop takes us through upland woods and stream-side flood plains. We’ll primarily follow the Western Ridge and Valley trails to explore DC’s version of Central Park.

Registration Deadline: Friday, April 20, 2012

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Geocaching in DC
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Washington, DC
9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
$7 members, $10 non-members
Level: All. No previous experience necessary.

Have you ever wanted to go geocaching? Do you even know what geocaching is? Geocaching is like treasure hunting with a GPS (Global Positioning System). On this trip, you will learn the basics of using a GPS. Using a GPS, we go to specific coordinates. At these coordinates, sometimes there is a question that needs to be answered that can only be answered by visiting that place, sometimes there is a container to find, and sometimes that container is really tiny, making one really search for it. Geocaching combines the fun of walking and exploring new places with the challenge of looking for something. It ranges in difficulty from very easy to extremely challenging.

For this trip, we will be doing caches in Washington, DC. The trip is about 5 miles and we will be starting at a Metro station. If you have a GPS, please bring it; however, you do not need a GPS to do this event.

Registration Deadline: Friday, April 20, 2012

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