GetHiking! Charlottesville (Charlottesville, VA)

4.9•10600 ratings

Charlottesville, VA, US

About us

Welcome Hikers!

Our goal is to help you explore on foot the abundance of wonderful natural places Virginia has to offer. If you're a beginner, we'll make sure that you never hike alone (unless you want to!). We'll also teach you how to become an intrepid hiker capable of exploring wherever (the rugged Shenandoah National Park, for instance) and whenever (at night!). We're aided in our efforts to get out and explore by Great Outdoor Provision Co., which provides us space for clinics and meetings, and pays the fee for our Meetup site.

Membership Information:

Our leadership team consists of dedicated volunteers who work hard and give generously of their time so that we have a calendar full of fun events. As a Member, you can help show your appreciation by helping with the following:

Member Profile & Photo:

Name: Please refrain from using an alias – use your first name or first name and initial from last (i.e. Jane or Jane D).

Introduction: Write a line or two about yourself…

Picture: Please include a picture of yourself – not your dog, random landscape, group photo, etc… This is extremely helpful to event organizers who are trying to identify you. As a point of safety concerns – many hike leaders/event organizers will REQUIRE A PROFILE PHOTO FOR ATTENDANCE IN AN EVENT!!! Without an acceptable photo, you may find that you’re moved from attending an event to being waitlisted. If you have difficulty in uploading a photo, any event organizer will be happy to try to help you. If you have a personal reason for not wanting to post your photo, please include “No Photo” at the end of your Profile Introduction and be sure to communicate this to your event organizer(s).

Hike Ratings: You will find upcoming events posted on the Home Page as well as the calendar. Please read each event/hikes description to see if it’s a good fit for you. If you have any concerns about your ability to do a hike, please contact the Hikes Event Organizer. We want to the experience to be fun and safe for both you and your fellow hikers. If you are new to the group and/or new to hiking please review Hike Ratings - Hike Ratings.

Know your capabilities before you sign up for a hike. The ratings system was developed so you have a good idea what you’re signing up for. Hike Leaders may screen prospective hikers to make sure that each participant can finish the hike. Self-evaluation and screening are important because someone who can’t finish a hike puts himself in danger and ruins the enjoyment for all.

Code of Conduct: Members of GetHiking Charlottesville are required to show their organizers, hike leaders, sponsors and other members the utmost courtesy and respect. Disrespect or harassment of any kind will not be tolerated and you will be immediately removed and banned from the group. If you feel you’ve been a victim of such behavior please bring it to the Organizer’s/Co-Organizer’s attention.

GetHiking Charlottesville is NOT a dating MeetUp group. We promote being in the outdoors, friendships, fitness and fun. Do not assume because someone is single and in the group that they are waiting for you to sweep them off their feet. Chances are, they aren’t. There are plenty of other MeetUp groups and websites, that are meant specifically for dating. Please join one of those, if you’re looking for someone to date…As member of GetHiking Charlottesville you agree to Code of Conduct

Disclaimer:

GetHiking Charlottesville Organizers are not professional guides. Expect the same risks and take the same precautions you would take if you were hiking alone. By signing up for and/or attending our events, you acknowledge, understand, accept and agree that the activities we organize can be dangerous and can cause serious bodily injury and possibly death.

GetHiking’s Charlottesville's Organizer, Co-Organizers, Event Organizers and Sponsors are not responsible for the safety of participants, members and guest. We will try our best to prevent accidents, but we are not responsible if something happens to you.

By joining GetHiking Charlottesville you acknowledge and accept this disclaimer - GetHiking's Disclaimer

RSVP:

When you RSVP for an event, you take up one of the allotted spaces for that event. If you don't show up, you deny another member the opportunity to attend. The same applies to changing your RSVP from "yes" to "no" just before an event. Even if an event is not full, the organizer must often make arrangements based on the number of people that RSVP'd and sometimes make last minute adjustments based on the number that actually attend.

Please be respectful of both the person organizing the event as well as other members who would have enjoyed the opportunity to join in the fun but were denied that opportunity due to a no-show.

Only RSVP, if you plan to attend! If your plans change and you are no longer able to attend, please update your RSVP as soon as possible. Not showing up for an event results in a “No Show”. Three No Shows can lead to membership suspension and/or being dropped from events with a waitlist. It is each member’s responsibility to keep up with their RSVP’s… For more info see - RSVP and No Shows

Hiking With Dogs:

Dogs are allowed on hikes at the discretion of the Hike Leader and the policies/regulations of the trails and area being hiked. Rather than assume that your pup is welcome on a hike, please ask in the hike's comment section if this is a "dog friendly hike". Prior to bringing your dog, please review our - Dog Policy

Dogs must be kept on a short (max 6’, non-retractable) leash

Owners must pick up after their dogs

Owners must bring plenty of water for their dog

Dogs must be well behaved and capable of keeping up with the group

Despite all the necessary policy and guidelines, you will find that we’re a friendly and easy to get to know group. We hope you’ll get outside and join us on the trail soon!

Featured event

A Hiker’s History of the Appalachian Trail - Presentation by Mills Kelly

Wed, Mar 18 · 6:00 PM EDT

Great Outdoor Provision Co., 1137 Emmet St N, Charlottesville, VA, US

A Hiker's History of the Appalachian Trail - A Presentation by Mills Kelly

HIKERS SAVE THE DATE FOR THIS EVENT…!!! This is going to be a great night, please save the date and join your hiking friends for an informative and fun evening!!!

Generally, history of the Appalachian Trail tells the story from the top down, focusing on who proposed the trail, who built it, who maintains it, along with a look at a few of the more famous hikers. Mills' new book, A Hiker's History of the Appalachian Trail, tells the trail's history from the ground up, or more accurately, from the boots up. Several million hikers each year set foot on the trail for a few hours, a few days, or perhaps a few weeks. The trail was created for hikers just like us, and yet our role in its history has been largely ignored.

To make sense of the experiences of AT hikers over the past 100 years, Mills has dug through hundreds of trail shelter registers, hiker accounts submitted to trail clubs, newspaper and magazine stories about the experiences of casual hikers, photographs, old films, and many other sources. Mills' time in the archives of various trail clubs and organizations will be evident when he joins us to tell the story of what it was like to hike the trail from the later 1920s right up to present. What did those hikers eat 50 or 100 years ago? What kind of gear did they carry? Why did they go hiking in the first place? What was their relationship to the natural world they found along the trail? What was it like to hike as a woman, as a person of color, as someone with disability? And how have all these things changed over the past 100 years of trail's history?

Spanning the entire history of the Appalachian Trail, historian and lifelong hiker Mills Kelly tells their stories—why they went to the trail, what they carried, what they ate, where they slept and how their time on the trail offered healing and grace.

Fun facts: Mills is an active PATC member and maintains an AT Shelter. He also host a Podcast called The Green Tunnel, covering all things Appalachian Trail.

Please join your hiking friends for a fun and interesting evening. The event is free—food and beverages will be provided by Great Outdoor, AND books will be available for purchase.

Come early, as seating is limited.
6:00 p.m.—frosty beverages, food/snacks and meet & greet
6:30 to 8:00 p.m.—presentation followed by questions and signing

About Mills,
Mills is a historian, a hiker and backpacker, a photographer, an author, and an award-winning professor at George Mason University. He maintains one of the most historic shelters on the Appalachian Trail and is an archivist for the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC).

Mills a UVA grad, now divides his time living in both Manassas and Linden, Virginia. For more on his many professional accomplishments and interest see the link below. It certainly will be our pleasure to welcome Mills back to Charlottesville!

http://millskelly.net