What we're about
THE CLUB www.nvhc.com
The Northern Virginia Hiking Club (NVHC) offers a range of hikes of various difficulty levels in Virginia, Maryland, DC, and beyond. The club also offers other outdoor events occasionally. NVHC members reflect the rich diversity of the Washington DC Metro area. Annual membership fee is $5. Guests are welcome and enjoy a month’s free participation in the club events. NVHC is a nonprofit organization and donates funds to local parks and trail maintenance organizations from time to time. The selection of the parks and organizations is based on club usage - it is our way of giving back. Monies vary each time - $7,200 were donated in 2023.
Members are required to accept the liability disclaimer by typing “Accept” in the fields presented when they join the club.
DIFFICULTY RATINGS
NVHC hikes are assigned difficulty ratings. A combination of linear distance and elevation gain is used to determine the rating, with 400 feet of elevation gain considered to be equivalent of 1 mile of linear distance. With the “miles” derived from elevation gain added to the linear distance, following are the ratings:
A+= Very Difficult (19 miles or more)
A = Difficult (13 miles or more, but less than 19 miles)
B = Moderately Difficult (10 miles or more, but less than 13 miles)
C = Moderate (7 miles or more, but less than 10 miles)
D = Easy (Less than 7 miles)
For example, a nine-mile hike with 1,000 feet of climbing would be rated B (9 + 2.5 = 11.5).
Elevation loss is not measured in this system. Also, the difficulty rating is separate from the pace of the hike, which is determined by the leader, and is usually specified in the individual hike descriptions.
RSVP ETIQUETTE
Often there are limits on the number of participants on NVHC events, set by our leaders. This creates wait lists on Meetup. If you find yourself in this situation, we request that you keep in mind the interest of the leaders and your fellow hikers, and follow the guidelines below:
- If you RSVP’d “yes” for a hike, change your RSVP to “no” as soon as you decide not to go, so that someone else can go.
- If you RSVP’d “yes” to overlapping events on the same day, decide on one as soon as possible, and change your RSVP to “no” for all others.
- If you are on a wait list and decide not to go, remove yourself from the list.
DOGS ON HIKES
Dogs are welcome on NVHC hikes at the discretion of the hike leader. Several restrictions apply including advance notification to the leader, dogs being well behaved, and their being kept on a six foot leash. See dog policy located at [https://tinyurl.com/nvhcdogpolicy] for details.
Upcoming events (4+)
You must read the following http://nvhc.com/CovidDocument.pdf and then answer the question that you will see when you RSVP with "I accept" to be permitted on the hike.
We'll take 5 hikes over 6 days and 7 nights. One day off will be provided for R&R & sightseeing. An easy hike will be done the first day to acclimate to the altitude with progressively more difficult hikes. There will be some snow this time of year, so bring your micro-spikes in addition to your shorts.
Accommodation will be at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park where breakfast and lodge rooms will be provided. Cars will be needed to reach most trailheads.
Currently I'm looking for interest to see how many might attend. Please sign up on the waitlist and I will contact you.
Leader: Harvey Haines
- Harvey
- Jim H.
- Anna K
- 20 attendees
You must read the following NVHC Sign-in Sheet Statement/Liability Disclaimer, https://nvhc.com/signin.pdf and then answer the question that you will see when you RSVP with "I accept" to be permitted on the hike.
I have read and fully understand the NVHC Sign-in Sheet Statement/Liability Disclaimer. Please type "I accept" if you agree with this statement.
We will hike the 5.4 mile 1st Manassas loop trail. The terrain is gently rolling hills, and while the paths are sometimes muddy or icy, they are not rocky.) The Stone Bridge is about halfway, and I plan to stop there for a quick break and pictures. After that we’ll press on to hopefully pop out of the woods a few minutes before sunset (June 7th = 8:34 PM). Whether we get a sunset is up to Mother Nature.
LENGTH: 5.4 mi. ELEVATION: 367 feet. PACE: 2.5 mi/hr.
This hike is rated as a: D=Easy (less than 7 miles)
We will meet at the Stone House (corner of Route 29 and Sudley Road/234).
234 and 29) at 5:45 PM and start hiking at 6:00 PM with an estimated completion time of around 2-2.5 hours. There are bathrooms in the Visitor Center that we will pass at the end of the hike.
SAFETY: There will be one safety issue that we will have to deal with, which is crossing Route 29 a bit after we pass the Stone Bridge. There will be a lot of traffic at that time of day and we’ll need to be aware of that since there’s no crosswalk at that crossing. We will call 911 if any significant safety/security issues are encountered during the hike.
BRING/WEAR: Flashlights/headlights (just in case), drinks and snacks, appropriate clothing layers for late Spring temperatures, hiking boots/shoes, hiking poles if you like to use them and rain gear if you feel you need to.
WEATHER: The forecast Wednesday the 7th of June for the Manassas Battlefield at the start of the hike should be: high of 80 to a low of 76 at the end of the hike, wind 8 MPH, and a 0% chance of rain.
MAP FOR HIKE:
DOGS: Dogs are permitted on this hike in accordance with the NVHC Dog Policy. https://tinyurl.com/nvhcdogpolicy If you want to bring a dog, please be certain it is friendly to other dogs.
COVID-19: All participants must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Masks are required to go into the Visitor Center or other indoor facilities, but not for the hike itself.
CARPOOL: No official carpool will be set, but participants are free to use the message board to arrange rides.
FEES: Entrance to the park is free.
LEADER: David Tolerton[masked]
- David T
- Ross
- brian o.
- 14 attendees
You must read the following NVHC Sign-in Sheet Statement/Liability Disclaimer, https://nvhc.com/signin.pdf and then answer the question that you will see when you RSVP with "I accept" to be permitted on the hike.
Details: This is a 7 mile hike with 500 ft. elevation gain from Occoquan Regional Park to the Workhouse, a former prison now arts center. We will be hiking on a mix of dirt trails and paved blacktop walking paths. Occoquan Regional Park was once home to the Lorton Prison Youth Center, which also housed a secret government bunker in the event of a nuclear attack. I'll point out this area as we are hiking. We'll go past the beehive brick kiln, used by prisoners to make bricks for the Occoquan Workhouse and other buildings in the area. We'll also pass the Suffragist Memorial, a tribute to those who were imprisoned at the Workhouse for picketing the White House for women's voting rights. The Workhouse Arts Center and the Lucy Burns Museum will be open after the hike.
We hike at a pace of 2.5-3 MPH.
Post-Hike Fun: For those who are interested, we'll enjoy lunch at Brickmakers Cafe overlooking the river.
Leader: Kris Needham (618)[masked]
Park Entry Fee: $0
Dogs: Dogs are permitted on this hike in accordance with the NVHC Dog Policy. https://tinyurl.com/nvhcdogpolicy
Rating: C
- Kris N.
- David C.
- Becky M.
- 35 attendees
You must read the following NVHC Sign-in Sheet Statement/Liability Disclaimer, https://nvhc.com/signin.pdf and then answer the question that you will see when you RSVP with "I accept" to be permitted on the hike.
We'll do a roughly two-mile nature hike at a moderate pace (2.5 - 3 mph) with multiple stops on dirt trails through "Rachel Carson's" prestigious research refuge, ending up at the nature center to view the hike leader's solo exhibit of WILDLIFE PHOTOS.
MEET: 10 a.m. in front of the South Tract campus' visitor center.
(Note: We'll likely end our official hike and nature photo exhibit viewing before noon. But ON YOUR OWN, you may want to plan extra time to explore the other exhibits at the visitor center and to drive to the nearby larger North Tract campus to view hummingbirds at the visitor center and explore some of its many trails. )
MISCELLANEOUS: Adults only and no pets.
WEATHER POLICY:
We will likely hike in slight rain but if heavy rain or thunderstorms are forecast, we will just go inside to see the exhibit. I'll post our weather update here by 5 pm on June 8.
BRING:
Sense of Humor. Sense of Awe. And all the regular things, like mask, water, and a snack or lunch. Please wear shoes that can handle slippery surfaces and potentially muddy trails. Optional: hat, bug spray, and camera.
RESTROOMS:
Available at start in the visitor center.
PATUXENT RESEARCH REFUGE (South Tract) :
10901 Scarlet Tanager Loop, Laurel, MD[masked]https://www.fws.gov/refuge/patuxent-research/visit-us
https://www.fws.gov/refuge/patuxent-research/visit-us
Copy these GPS coordinates into Google maps or just click on this Google map. [masked], [masked]
https://goo.gl/maps/kzYsCAGeNn1eE8QG8
PATUXENT TRAIL MAPS: https://www.fws.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ST%20Tri%20Fold%20Map_0.pdf
BIRDS & BEASTS WILDLIFE PHOTOS:
Hike leader's solo "Loveable Birds & Beasts" nature photo exhibit runs from June 1 to June 30. A free reception is June 3 from 1 to 3 p.m.
https://www.naturephotographydcmdva.com
PATUXENT'S HISTORY & WORLD-ALTERING WORK ON DDT:
http://npshistory.com/brochures/nwr/patuxent-history-perry.pdf
RACHEL CARSON (Silent Spring author who did some of her ground-breaking work on DDT at Patuxent.):
https://www.fws.gov/staff-profile/rachel-carson-1907-1964-author-modern-environmental-movement
https://rachelcarsoncouncil.org/about-rcc/about-rachel-carson/
VOLUNTEER: Patuxent is actively seeking volunteers -- as are other federal, state, and local parks and refuges!
- Barbra
- John P.
- Lori
- 24 attendees
Past events (3,236)
- Ed B.
- Alice S
- Ana R
- 35 attendees
