Adventuring LGBTQ+ Outdoors Club

Join us and experience the Class III-IV lower section of the mighty James River through downtown Richmond. This rafting adventure starts just above downtown Richmond in the beautiful urban forest of the James River Park System before turning the corner at Belle Isle to see the Richmond skyline in front of us.

We will meet in the Kiss & Ride lot of the East Falls Church Metro station at 8:45 AM to form our carpools. We will stop in Richmond for dinner and drinks (to be determined) after completing this exciting adventure.

The trip will be $73. If you choose to participate in the carpool, you will pay $17 to your driver to cover the cost of gas.

WHAT TO BRING:

• Drinking water
• Sunscreen
• Your most fabulous hat or visor for sun protection -- The winner will receive a prize. We're looking forward to seeing some creative and fun hats!
• Sunglasses with a retaining strap (if you want to keep them)
• Shoes with a good rubber sole that hook to your feet, such as water shoes, old sneakers, velcro sandals, Aqua Sox, etc. FLIP-FLOPS ARE NOT PERMITTED.
• Change of clothes and a towel (leave in the car)

You should consult a physician before participating if you have any concerns.

Everyone will initially be added to the waitlist. RSVPs open on Friday, June 27th, at noon. I will reach out to those on the waitlist in the order in which they RSVP, and once you have paid, you will be moved to the going list. Payment is due within 48 hours of my direct outreach. This event will happen rain or shine and will only be cancelled due to thunderstorms.

Note: The rafting company reserves the right to refuse anyone participating in their activities due to physical, mental or size limitations that, in their opinion, would expose that person or group to extreme risk.

Hike Length: 8 miles

Moderate walk on mostly asphalt trails - very little elevation change

Start: Noon at the top of the escalators of the Foggy Bottom/GWU Metro Station (Blue/Orange/Silver Lines)

End: 4 p.m. at Bethesda Avenue

We will first walk to the front of the Watergate Complex and then to the Georgetown Waterfront, with great photo ops of Key Bridge and surrounding Potomac River venues. We will then take the Capital Crescent Trail to Bethesda. Water and bathrooms will be available at Fletcher’s Cove, which will also be our lunch break. Soon after entering Maryland, we’ll do a minor diversion off the CCT to view the Dalecarlia Reservoir from the Westmoreland Hills neighborhood. Please have your cameras ready for some nice pictures of the water! We’ll end at Bethesda Avenue, where we can grab a drink or a burger at the nearby World of Beer. The Bethesda Metro station (Red Line) is a short distance away.

Bring beverages, snacks and the $5 trip fee; exact change appreciated, with an option to Venmo. Also, for financially challenged Adventurers, the trip leader will pay the trip fee.

Kick off your Labor Day Weekend on Saturday August 30 with this imaginative and unusual hike from the heart of Northern Virginia to the middle of DC.

We will first walk to the paved Bluemont Junction Trail that starts near the Ballston Metro on Fairfax Drive at N. Wakefield street. We’ll follow this trail to the Four Mile Run Trail (next to the W & OD trail), which is heavily wooded (i.e., well shaded). We’ll walk northwest to the Custis Trail, the paved trail next to I-66, east to the Mount Vernon Trail. Bathrooms/water are available on the Custis Trail.

From the Custis Trail we'll head over to Theodore Roosevelt Island, where we'll briefly visit to see Teddy's Stalinesque monument. Next we’ll cross the Potomac via the TR Bridge's pedestrian walkway to the Rock Creek Trail, not far from the Kennedy Center. We’ll proceed north through Rock Creek to the Peirce Mill area (where Adventuring holds our annual picnics), and then exit the Park onto Connecticut Avenue close to the Cleveland Park Metro, which we should reach by 4:30. Beers & bar food at Nanny O’Briens on Connecticut follow for those interested.

Total length of this moderate to strenuous one-way hike is about 9.5 miles, with moderate elevation changes along paved/asphalt surfaces. Bring plenty of beverages, snacks, bug spray, sunscreen, and comfortable walking shoes. Your only cost is the $5 trip fee; cash (exact change appreciated) or Venmo; the trip leader will pay for financially challenged Adventurers.

Meeting Time & Place: Noon at the Ballston Metro Station (Orange/Silver Lines) at the top of stairs/escalators at street level on Fairfax Drive.

It's time for our annual Wilson Bridge hike on Labor Day, always a highlight on the Adventuring calendar.

Starting from the King Street Metro Station at 11 a.m. on Monday September 1, we'll first stroll down historic Duke Street. We'll eventually switch over to Wilkes Street so we can walk through the historic railroad tunnel to reach the waterfront. Union Street will then guide us towards Jones Point Park. Here we can use the luxurious rest facilities beneath the Wilson Bridge before lunching at the Lighthouse next to the Southern Boundary Marker for the District of Columbia.

After lunch we'll stroll across the Wilson Bridge into Maryland. Once we arrive we can linger at National Harbor for as much or as little as we want before returning. You could take a water taxi back to the Alexandria Waterfront; fares are $18 for adults and $16 for seniors, and departures are scheduled for 3:25 p.m. and 4:25 p.m. From the Alexandria Waterfront you can walk up a few blocks to Market Square and take the free King Street Trolley to the Metro. Or you can take Metrobus directly back to the Metro station from National Harbor. The newly-redesignated P90 bus leaves from St. George Boulevard & Waterfront Street at 27 and 57 minutes past the hour.

Total length of this easy one-way hike is less than six miles, with virtually no elevation change. We'll meet at 11 a.m. inside the King Street Metro near the buses by the station manager's kiosk. Bring beverages, lunch, bug spray and the $5 trip fee.