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NATURE AND CULTURE EVENTS FOR SINGLES AND SOLO TRAVELERS
New Hikes to be posted soon - We look forward to welcoming you back to our group hikes to enjoy the 2012 Winter Hiking season!
TBA - CUNNINGHAM FALLS, MOUNTAIN LAKE VISTAS AND CHIMNEY ROCK FORMATION CLIFFS
  Cunningham
Falls is Maryland's tallest waterfall. We will do a short warm-up hike
by the mountain high spring fed lake and beach to the waterfalls where
time will be available to climb up to the top of the falls. Then we
will break for lunch and time to walk on the beaches of the 1,200 foot
elevation spring water mineral lake. Then, after a quick visit to the
nearby nature center to see the displays of the wildlife of the area
that includes the "flying squirrel", we will engage in our second hike
by an area very close to Camp David, on trails that the President's
enjoy as part of their official retreat. We will make our way to the
incredibly scenic Chimney Rock at elevation 1800+ feet. These natural
chimney rock formations are hundreds of millions of years old at the
top of the gorgeous Catoctin mountains. Bottled water and trail snacks
provided. Must be registered in advance.
Duration: 4.5 miles
Activity Level: Moderate
Group Meeting Place: Cunningham Falls State Park, Lake Parking Lot - by the picnic tables
Meeting Time: 10:00am
Directions
Cost: $35 (Seasonsal $5 park pass entry fee not included)
TBA - GEOLOGY HIKE OF THE NATIONAL ZOO - About 480 million years ago an arc of oceanic volcanoes merged with the growing continent that would eventually become North America. Within the grounds of the National Zoo and nearby Rock Creek Park, metamorphosed sea floor sediment and a l arge fault zone bear witness to this ancient geologic collision. We will examine a variety of outcrops on our hike of about two and a half miles, utilizing a loop of paved trails from the zoo entrance at Conneticut Avenue to Rock
Creek Park to Klingle Road and back to our starting point. The walk
will be neither rocky nor muddy but some parts will be rather steep.
Cost: $25. Must be registered in advance.  Meeting Place: the front entrance of the National Zoo at 3001 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20008 (look for the guide in the Washington Walkabouts T-Shirt)
Meeting Time: 10am (event is about 2.5-3 hours)
Activity Level: Light to Moderate - we will be walking through many of the Zoo theme garden trails for 2.5 miles and there will be much walking on small paved roads.
TBA - STONEY MAN MOUNTAIN AND DARK HOLLOW FALLS
Stoney
Man Mountain is Virginia's second tallest mountain, at a height of over
four Empire State Buildings tall! We start at about 2/3 of the way up
from the Skyline Drive trailhead and ascend for about an hour and a
half to the summit for spectacular views and
our lunch break overlooking the Shenandoah River Valley. Then we take a
short drive up Skyline parkway to Dark Hollow Falls for a one and a
half hour hike to the 90+ foot falls. Find out the secret for why it is
called Dark Hollow Falls. Duration: 4.5 miles, moderate hike Meeting Time and Place: 9AM in the Vienna Metro Nutley Street South Parking Lot (Directions)
Cost: $35. ($10-15 per car park pass fee - not included).
TBA - CALVERT CLIFFS BEACH FOSSIL HUNT AND HIKE
We travel to a secluded and gorgeous beach by the Calvert Cliffs on the
Western Chesapeake Bay just 45 minutes from D.C. with white powder sand
shores and where we are met by a fossil expert who will give us a brief
lecture on the rich fossil history of our expedition site. Then we will
take a short hike by swamps and wetlands, where ancient natural tar
from tarpits that preserved extinct animal fossils can still be seen
bubbling up into the marsh waters. At our fossil digging location,
everyone is guaranteed to be able to find and keep their own fossils.
The scenic beach and waters with it's natural salt ponds are
spectacular. Our fossil expert will judge each persons fossil
collection at the end of the fossil hunt to determine the winner.
Bottled water and trail snacks included. Must be registered in advance.
Duration: 1 mile. Group Meeting Place/Meet Time: 10:00am Flag Ponds Nature Park
(Directions) Cost: $35 (Park Entry Fee of approx. 6 dollars not included)
Suggested Things to Bring: towel, shovel or rake/hoe, bucket, beach chair, sieve, lunch, sunscreen, hat, bathing suit.
TBA - OLD RAG MOUNTAIN ADVENTURE HIKE
   This
is Virginia's only "alpine-like" mountain with giant egg shaped
boulders at the top with names like Round Boy and Big Man, weighing
several tons. We will go up the saddle trail to the first ridge summit
at several thousand feet high. At the first ridge summit - imagine what
it will be like to see 80 mile views in all directions on a clear day.
Look down at the hundreds of rare and endangered giant hawks, American
and Golden Eagles, thousands of feet below, who love to soar on the
warm air currents created by the sun shining on the granite cliffs and
mountain face. We will take many breaks to rest and enjoy the
breathtaking scenery, going up this mountain. Then we will descend
through the beautiful mountain scenery back through the woods of the
Shenandoah National Park abundant with wildlife. Bottled water and
trail snacks provided. Must be registered in advance.
Duration: 5 miles.
Activity Level: Moderate/Strenuous. Group Meeting Place/Meeting Time: 9:00am Vienna Nutley St. South Parking Lot (Directions) Cost: $35 ($5-8 park pass fee - not included)
TBA - ROSE RIVER CANYON FALLS LOOP - SEE WATER CHUTES, NATURAL WATER RACES AND BIG WATERFALLS   A
slightly difficult but beautiful and short hike with some rough, steep
parts of trail. The trail descends through the Rose River Trail approx.
1.4 miles to the Rose River Falls, then acsends the lower Dark Hollow
to the Dark Hollow Falls and exits at Skyline Drive. Water parallels
the trail almost all the way and there are numerous falls, pools, and
cascades. About halfway through the hike, an excellent campsite near
water provides the opportunity for a lunch spot. This is an
extraordinary trail filled with the beauty of water, old homesteads, an
old copper mine, summer wildflowers, and much more. Bottled water and
trail snacks provided. Must be registered in advance.
Duration: 4.5 miles
Activity Level: Moderate
Group Meeting Place/Meeting Time: 9:00am Vienna Nutley St. South Parking Lot
(Directions)
Cost $35 ($10-15 car park pass fee - not included)
TBA - CEDARVILLE STATE FOREST AND UNIQUE ECOLOGY - CARNIVOROUS PLANTS - HIKE TOUR
  This
is one of D.C.'s most unique hikes through sandy wetland trails and
pine forests and the only place we know of in the D.C. area where real
carnivorous plants like the Venus Flytrap and Pitcher Plants grow
naturally in the Cypress Swamp. Our scenery will constantly change on
this hike from Pine Forest and sandy trails to wetland trails and
Cypress Swamp trails. Bottled water and trail snacks provided to the
group. Must be registered in advance.
Duration: 6.5 miles
Activity Level: Moderate
Group Meeting Place/Meeting Time: 10:00am Cedarville State Park Visitor Center (Directions)
Cost: $32 (does not include possible park admission fee)
Meeting Place/Meeting Time: 9:00am Washington Monument St. Park Parking Lot
(Directions)
Cost: $35 (Possible park fee of $5 not included)
TBA - LAKE SENECA - LAKES AND WETLANDS LOOP - The water of the giant lake is an amazing blue-green and the white sand beaches make for miles of soft-footed sandy trails in the woods as we circle the lake and observe her many babbling brooks and c onnected creeks. After our icebreaking "meet and greet" to allow hikers a chance to quickly know more about their fellow hikers and get acquainted - we will walk the sandy lake trails with pristine water views in almost all directions. We will meet in the parking lot near the lawn
overlooking the lake. Bottled water and scrumptious trail snacks are included. Cost $25 if you register now. Must be registered in advance.
Meeting Time at Lake Seneca: 10:00am Activity Level: Light to moderate walking around the lake, flat terrain, sandy trails 3-4 miles. Meeting Place: the parking lot by the clearing at the lake (Directions)Phone number of hiking guide leading this hike for more info/directions: (240) 671-3708
TBA - GREAT FALLS PARK AND THE BILLY GOAT TRAIL HIKE
Come
meet the group, socialize and network while hiking the breathtaking "B"
section of the Billy Goat Trail. If you still have energy after hiking
"B" - join the extreme hikers to take on the strenuous "A" segment. At
Great Falls, the Potomac River builds up speed and force as it falls
over a series of steep, jagged rocks and flows through the narrow
Mather Gorge. The Potomac Canal offers a glimpse into the early
history
of this country. Our hike is along the best of the Potomac River and
there is even a surprise beach we will visit for our snack-break.
Bottled water and scrumptious trail snacks provided. Must be registered in advance.
 Duration: 3.5 miles
Activity Level: Moderate to Strenuous (options available)
Group Meeting Place/Meeting Time:
9:00am Parking Lot Across the Street from Old Angler Inn Potomac,
Maryland - go to the bottom of the parking lot and meet just before the bridge over the canal. (Look for the guide in a Washington Walkabouts Tee Shirt)
(Directions)
Cost: $25. Not recommended for children or pets due to some rocky terrain. Phone number of hiking guide for this hike for more info/directions: (240) 671-3708
TBA - NATIONAL ARBORETUM GROUP NETWORKING HIKE Come
Meet the group, see amazing scenery and network with a great bunch of
Washington D.C. area hikers as we hike about 3-4 easy miles of trails
through the National Park in downtown Washington, D.C. We will walk the
most scenic of the garden paths by the Anacostia
River to see international landscapes featuring Fern Valley Native Plant
Collections, the Flowering Tree Collection, the Flowering Tree Walk,
the Friendship Garden, the Gotelli Dwarf and Slow-Growing Conifer
Collection, the Introduction Garden, the National Bonsai and Penjing
Museum, the National Capitol Column s, the National Grove of State Trees
and the National Herb Garden. Bottled waters and scrumptious gourmet trail snacks provided.
Walk and hike is about 3 hours. Guided walking tour is $25 while
space available. Must be registered in advance.
Meeting Place:
the front entrance of the National Arboreteum "Administration and Visitor Information" Building (the
modern building with the moat and aquatic plants around it). Parking is
next to the visitor center. (Look for guide in Wash. Walkabouts t-shirt with a hiker check-in table set up.
(Directions) Meeting Time: 10am Activity Level: Light to Moderate - we will be walking through many of the theme garden trails for 3.5 miles
 TBA - LITTLE BENNETT CREEK AND THE MOUND BUILDER TRAIL Come meet this very
friendly group of D.C. professionals for hiking and networking during
this spectacular 3.5 hour hike along Little Bennett creek in close-by
Montgomery County, Maryland. Our group will
pass by an old one-room school house from centuries ago. There is a fun
suspension bridge over the wide creek and an amazing end to this hike
through a forest filled with hundreds of giant, 3-4 feet tall ant
pyramids, the only place in Maryland where giant ant mounds can be
found by the hundreds. Constructed as almost perfect pyramids, built
entirely by ants, these ant mounds are massive and resemble the
pyramids of Giza. Bottled waters and scrumptious trail snacks provided. Must be registered in advance.
Duration: 5 scenic wilderness miles by beautiful nature streams.
Activity Level: Easy to Moderate
Meeting Place and Time: 10am at Little Bennett MUNICIPAL/MAINTENANCE YARD Parking Lot
Cost: $32.
   On
this hike, we are treated to a short lecture on the amazing series of
six giant waterfalls, one of which is the tallest waterfall in
Virginia. Then our guide leads us to the first 85 foot waterfall where
we can take a break to climb to the top and look down over the sheer
face ledge or if time is permitting, walk to the next 85 foot waterfall
where the natural rock slide is. If the weather is warm enough, dip
your toes in the spring water crystal pools or swim in the mineral
water pools below the falls. See if you can spot one of the 17
varieties of rare and endangered hawks and falcons that love to perch
by the falls in search of jumping spotted brown trout. Bottled water
and trail snacks provided. Must be registered in advance.
Duration: 4 miles
Activity Level: Moderate
Group Meeting Place/Meeting Time: 9:00am Vienna Nutley St. South Parking Lot
(Directions)
Cost: $35 ($8 park entry pass fee - not included)
Phone number for hike guide if you are lost or can't find the group: (240) 671-3708
TBA - SUNSET HIKE OF D.C.'S ROOSEVELT ISLAND
   
After
a brief lecture on the history of this 88-acre island, we will begin
this very nice two hour walk by crossing the only foot bridge that gets
us on the island. In the middle of the Potomac River, we will walk the
trails of this secluded island with flora and fauna and a history that
dates back to the early 1600's. We will meet in the parking lot for
Roosevelt Island just off the George Washington Parkway. Bottled water and trail snacks are included. Cost $25 while space available. Must be registered in advance.
Meeting place: The parking lot off George Washington Parkway for Roosevelt Island by the footbridge.
(Directions)
Meeting Time: 6:00 PM (please arrive on time because of sunset schedule) Phone number to call if you are lost/running late/can't find us (240) 671-3708
   
We
will meet at the Harper's Ferry National Park and board a bus that will
transport us into the heart of this historic town with it's 18th
century and Civil War era architecture and original cobblestone
streets. After a brief lecture on the history of the town where the
Civil War began, we will hike over the river on the train bridge, along
the C & O Canal and up the Maryland Heights trail to a phenomenal
overlook where we can view the confluence of the rivers and see three
states, four counties and two famous rivers from our tall cliffside
perch. Bottled water and trail snacks provided. Must be registered in
advance.
Duration: 4 miles.
Activity Level: Moderate
Group Meeting Place/Meeting Time: 10:00am Harper's Ferry Natl. Park Visitor Center
Cost: $32. (Park fee of $5 (approx.) not included)
Washington Walkabouts
Questions - email us at: washingtonwalkabouts@hotmail.com
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