THE Laziest Hike (Easy 4.7 Miles, 400' of elevation gain, just really very Lazy)

Hiya!

As Tom and Ray Magliozzi said of their retirement from NPR’s Car Talk: “Somehow, we’ve gotten even lazier.”

This hike is an easy 4.7-mile (if that) traipse through Rachel Carson Conservation Park with ~400 ft of elevation gain. We’ll start at the parking area (located here: 39°13'11.6"N 77°05'07.2"W, also found by entering "Rachel Carson Conservation Park” into Google Maps, or its address of 22201 Zion Rd, Brookeville, MD 20833) and meander along the trails paralleling the Hawlings River to Georgia Avenue and back. The hike is very similar to this one on Alltrails, with some small loops and bump-outs added to boost the mileage: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/us/maryland/rachel-carson-trail

The hike will start at 11:59 AM because you literally cannot have a later Late Morning Hike, and also because the whole hike will probably take less than three hours. We’ll make lots of stops for water, but we’re forgoing the traditional lunch break since the hike is so short. Feel free to bring snacks if you want though and we can stop by request.

Now here’s the real kicker: the hike literally backs up to the brewery. You can’t make lazier than that! Once we’re done meandering, we’ll drive all of 617 feet over to Elder Pine Brewing for beer and food (they have a BBQ food truck that day, see details here: https://www.elderpine.com/). Honestly, until we have a hike that is literally a lap around the brewery, it won’t get lazier than this!

We hope to see you on the trail!

CARPOOLING:

NOTE: Be aware that this is the same day as the Marine Corps Marathon and many roads will be closed in the District. Carpoolers are recommended to meet up away from the course, such as at East Falls Church and Silver Spring metro stations.

We encourage those with cars to carpool others to the trailhead - you're the ones who make LMH great!
If you're a driver that is willing to drive, please post a comment on the event page with the following information:
(1) Number of seats
(2) Meeting location
(3) Meeting time (recommended departure time from DC is 10:45 AM).
As a rider, please comment on the driver's post to take a seat or post in the comments that you need a ride so a driver can find you. Riders are encouraged to help their driver out with the cost of gas.

BACKGROUNG INFO ABOUT LMH:

Please remember that this group is an informal group of friends and volunteers intitiating trips under the common adventurer model (http://www.ronwatters.com/CADefine.html). We do expect our members to be familiar with the best practices of hiking.

We are also not professionals, nor are we trained hike leaders, nor do we scout out hikes. We plan hikes for fun. You are responsible for your own welfare and safety at all LMH events. Be careful to choose hikes only within your own physical abilities and hiking knowledge; take maps, suitable clothing, provisions (at least two liters of water plus any food or medical supplies you might require) and equipment, and act responsibly and safely at all times.

Act responsibly and safely: if you ever believe you may be lost, follow the advice of the US Forest Service (https://www.fs.fed.us/visit/know-before-you-go/if-you-get-lost)

LMH organizers and members shall not be liable for any injuries, loss or damage to persons or property, direct or consequential, arising out of any aspect of LMH activities. By attending this event, you represent that you have read, understand, and agree to the contents of our waiver of liability in the following link (https://www.meetup.com/Late-Morning-DC-Hikers-25-45/pages/12710332/Waiver_of_Liability/)