Alpine Climbing

Please join Juanatán for his first hike of the year. This easy journey of 7 miles along Gallows Road and the W&OD Trail is a great way to ease back into hiking after the holiday season. We will meet at the Dunn Loring Metro Station at 11:00 AM, which is where we will begin and end our hike. ## **Trail Facts** * **Difficulty Level:** Easy * **Length:** 7.0 Miles * **Duration:** 4-5 hrs (Including our mid-hike meal.) * **Elevation Gain:** 190 Feet * **Permits:** None. * **Parking:** Dunn Loring Metro Station (38.881420295263695, -77.23054005314158) (Garage parking is free on weekends.) * **Dogs:** Not allowed. (The restaurant stop is built into the hike.) * **Trailhead Coordinates:** 38.88278986565736, -77.22841745233727 * **AllTrails Map**: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/custom-routes/custom-route-5227c8e?u=i&sh=kucj8c **Trail Details:** Our route will take us from an urban landscape to a ¨green¨ corridor and back. While there won't be much greenery at this time of the year, we may see some birds and mammals along our route. **Itinerary:** 11:00 AM: Meet at the trailhead. 11:15 AM: Depart the trailhead. 12:30 PM: Arrive at Caboose Brewing. 2:00 PM: Start return trip. 3:15 PM: Arrive at trailhead. *(Setting the end time to 4:00 PM to allow time for the unexpected.)* **LIABILITY NOTICE:** Please remember that this group operates under the common adventurer model. We are a group of friends and volunteers organizing trips for fun and shared experience. Participants are expected to be familiar with best hiking practices and choose hikes that align with their physical abilities and experience. Organizers and members are not liable for any injuries, loss, or damage to persons or property arising from group activities. By attending this event, you agree to assume all risks associated with the activity.​ For more information on the common adventurer model, please see [Ron Watters' definition](https://www.ronwatters.com/CADefine.htm).​ If you believe you may be lost during the hike, follow the advice of the [US Forest Service](https://www.fs.usda.gov/visit/know-before-you-go/if-you-get-lost).​ See you on the trail! **[Featured Image Source](https://maps.app.goo.gl/6LLSkiWQqqbBiycJ7)**

Hike changed due to road closure! This is a secluded out and back hike in the Veach Gap area of the George Washington National Forest near Front Royal, VA. Most of the hike is a gradual ascent through Veach Gap, with a beautiful overlook at the high point. We'll meet at the Veach Gap Trailhead at 1000 AM. COORDINATES ARE 38.87611, -78.377781 The group will move at the usual pace (around 2.5 mph) and stop for a break at the top to enjoy the view. Expect the hike to take about 3.5 hours. Don't forget water and something to eat! Afterwards we’ll head to Vibrissa Brewing in Front Royal for a drink and something more to eat. They have a full menu of food. Hike link: https://myhikes.org/trails/veach-gap-and-south-fork-overlook-hike Brewery link: https://vibrissabeer.com/front-royal/ CARPOOLING: We encourage those with cars to be willing to carpool - you're the ones who make LMH great! Please consider carpooling - the parking lot is small! 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 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. By signing up for this event, you acknowledge and agree that Late Morning Hikers, its volunteer organizers, and drivers who volunteer to carpool are not responsible or liable for accidents, injuries, damage, or losses that may occur while traveling to or from the hike. Late Morning Hikers does not condone or encourage impaired driving. Drivers are expected to follow applicable laws and make responsible transportation choices. We look forward to hiking with you! **Background information about the group:** Please remember that this group is an informal group of friends and volunteers initiating trips under the common adventurer model (http://www.ronwatters.com/CADefine.htm). We do expect our members to be familiar with the best practices of hiking – this is not a group for first time hikers and is NOT a group for those seeking hiking instruction. We're also not experts or 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 sure to choose to attend 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. Acting responsibly and safely includes always making sure that you stay with a group (we advise using the buddy system) and staying on, or within sight of (if you need to answer the call of nature or avoid an obstacle on the trail), marked trails at all times. 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/)

This event is NOT for beginners please. If you can't make it, please try to sign out at least 5 hours before the event starts. Thank you!

This is the second hike of a preparation/progression series that builds up to the AMC 150 Relay segment scheduled for 3/29/26. That relay segment will be 8.3 miles. This second hike in our preparation series is five miles in length (out and back). It’s a flat rail trail on a section of the WB&A Trail, so it is rated as easy. If you are recuperating from injury, got busy with work and family, or otherwise feel the need to get in hiking readiness for the year ahead, this hike will work great for you. Feel free to join with no commitment to doing the relay segment or any other hike in this series. All participants must register individually for the hike at [https://activities.outdoors.org](https://activities.outdoors.org/) so that the waiver is signed and an emergency contact is provided. No dogs. The WB&A Trail is a converted rail-trail, converted from an electric commuter railway that served Washington, DC, Baltimore, and Annapolis. The trail winds its way between Prince Georges County and Anne Arundel County, offering a mix of woods, water, and residential communities along the asphalt path. A bridge across the Patuxent River was completed in Spring 2025, now linking Prince George’s County and Anne Arundel County. (We will not see the bridge on this 5-mile hike.) The trail offers a peek behind the curtain of suburbia, with marshy wetlands, woods, bridges and tunnels, along with some trail sections that pass through residential neighborhoods and some road crossings. Participants should expect a mostly relaxed walk with little elevation. Note: As of December 2025, no bathroom facilities are available for the 5-mile hike, so careful with that coffee consumption in the morning! The meeting point is off of main roads, so stop at a gas station or fast food restaurant on your way in to take care of your bio break. A bit about the AMC 150 Relay: we’re celebrating AMC’s 150th Birthday! From March to October, volunteers from AMC are offering events galore—a succession of hikes and other outdoor activities from Virginia to Maine, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the organization’s founding in 1876. Though historically rooted in New England, over time AMC has expanded and established regional chapters through the Mid-Atlantic, including today’s host, the Potomac Chapter. We will meet at the parking lot [location available upon registration]. Severe weather such as heavy rain or poor winter conditions will cancel. If in doubt, or have any questions, contact leader by 7:30 AM day of hike. Leader Desiree Smith/ 410.934.9470 (phone or text).

Join the Ski and Sports Club of Washington DC (SCWDC) on the slopes this season. Show your interest or solicit roommates here on Meetup. **However, [TRIP REGISTRATION IS ON THE SCWDC WEBSITE](https://scwdc.wildapricot.org/Ski-Flight-Trips)**. Trips are open to paid SCWDC members ([see all club benefits on the SCWDC website](https://scwdc.wildapricot.org/membership)), or Blue Ridge Ski Council (BRSC) members. **ASK QUESTIONS directly to the TRIP LEAD on ea SCWDC TRIP page** Trip Prices Include: -**Planning and logistics handled by Trip Leaders** -All trips supported by experienced committee members and club leaders -Club founded in 1936 **-Group roundtrip air travel & ground transportation to the slopes** -Grocery stop, may be included -Ground transportation only (book your own flights), may be available **-All posted prices, Double Occupancy** -Specify preferred roommate during registration, if identified -Trip Lead assigns a same gender roommate if none specified -Private rooms available with the additional single supplement (SS) price **-Pre-Trip DMV social meet/greet, may be included** **-During trip daily social meet/greet, may be included** **-Discount lift tickets, at additional costs, from third-parties may be included**

[Profs and Pints Northern Virginia](https://www.profsandpints.com/washingtondc) presents: **“The Life of Frankenstein,”** on the birth, evolution and impact of a tale of man-made monstrosity, with Bernard Welt, an emeritus professor of arts and humanities at George Washington University who frequently lectures on Frankenstein in literature, cinema, and culture. [Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at [https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/profsandpints/nv-life-of-frankenstein](https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/profsandpints/nv-life-of-frankenstein) .] Guillermo del Toro’s lush and lovingly produced film adaptation of Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* is just the latest of many iterations of the story to capture the public’s imagination. People have watched Victor Frankenstein give life to his monster in numerous films, on television, and on stage, and even perform “Putting on the Ritz” with him thanks to the comic genius of Mel Brooks. Mary Shelley did not just tell a tale. She spawned the modern genre of speculative fiction and gave rise to a myth that would crop up in debates over nature versus nurture and other matters. Even today it stokes anxieties over the potential impacts of robotics, artificial intelligence, and genetic engineering, by evoking the image of a monster turning on its progenitor. Come gain a new appreciation of Mary Shelley’s creation with the help of Dr. Bernard Welt, who has studied the relationship between nightmares and the horror genre and is the author of *Mythomania: Fantasies, Fables, and Sheer Lies in Contemporary American Popular Art.* Dr. Welt will start by telling a literary origin story almost as famous as Frankenstein itself, of how an 18-year-old Shelley started writing *Frankenstein* in 1816 while staying in a villa on Lake Geneva with two of her era’s leading poets, Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley, her lover. Housebound by foul weather, the three read Gothic tales of ghosts and monsters and challenged each other to produce something even more terrifying. Mary dreamed up a story of a man who defied death by creating a living being out of scraps of deceased men harvested from graveyards and anatomy labs. The resulting novel, *Frankenstein*, published anonymously in 1818, would by that century’s end become a touchstone in philosophical discourse on the nature of humanity and in political discussions of imperialism and populism. By the 21st century, Mary Shelley (as she became) had earned a more significant place in the literary canon than Byron and her husband Shelley. We will examine how this grisly tale became a landmark of modern thought and look at the part played by numerous film adaptations from the first years of cinema to the present day. (Door: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. The talk starts 30 minutes later.) Image: From a Theodor von Holst engraving in an 1831 edition of *Frankenstein* published by Colburn and Bentley of London.

One of Adventuring's quirkier traditions is a trek on some stretch of the sprawling Gettysburg Battlefield in mid-January, during what statistically should be the coldest time of year. The secret to keeping warm is to maintain an invigorating pace, with fewer and shorter interpretive stops to discuss the events of July 1863. Plus, we always wind up our day by warming up in a cheerful local tavern with suitable refreshments, alcoholic or otherwise. The advantage we derive by traipsing around the battlefield at such a seemingly inauspicious time is that we can see and appreciate things normally blocked to view when the leaves are out. This year, our itinerary will focus on parts of the battlefield involved with Pickett's Charge, perhaps the most spectacular debacle in American military history. We will hike through segments of both Union and Confederate lines and wind up marching in the very footsteps of the brave but doomed Rebels charging across open fields into the maws of the Army of the Potomac. Our story climaxes with perhaps the most heavily witnessed and recorded same-sex kiss in the entire Civil War. Afterwards we shall repair for recuperation and refreshments at an appropriate town watering hole. Total length of our easy-to-moderate loop hike should not exceed 6 miles, with deceptively little elevation gain over rolling and muddy and/or icy terrain. Bring beverages, lunch and sturdy winter-worthy footwear, and dress in layers. Carpool passengers should pay their drivers $15, and everyone will pay the $5 Adventuring trip fee, cash or Venmo. There will be a pit stop en route at a Sheetz for those wishing to draw rations there. We will gather to form our carpool at 9 a.m. on the Sunday of the MLK Birthday weekend in the Kiss & Ride lot of the Grosvenor-Strathmore Metro Station and should return by 6 p.m. Please [click here](https://adventuringlgbtq.com/Adventuring_Release_Form.pdf) to review our release form. When you RSVP to an event, you affirm that you have read and agree to the terms of the release.

### 🎿 **Liberty Mountain Ski Weekend – January 17–18, 2026** **📅 When:** Saturday, January 17 – Sunday, January 18, 2026 (Depart early Saturday morning) **📍 Where:** **Liberty Mountain Resort** 78 Country Club Trail, Carroll Valley, PA 17320 https://www.libertymountainresort.com Lift Ticket - $125 Ski rental - $67 Taxes - $4.02 *** **❄️ Event Details:** Let’s kick off the new year with a weekend of skiing, snowboarding, and mountain fun at Liberty Mountain! Whether you’re carving up the slopes or hanging out by the fire with a drink, this trip’s a great way to get outside and connect. **What’s Planned:** * Full day of skiing/snowboarding Saturday * Group lunch on the mountain * Optional night skiing Saturday evening * Relaxed group dinner or drinks afterward * Sunday(Optional): more skiing or a chill morning before heading home *** **🎒 What to Bring:** * Ski/snowboard gear (rentals available on-site) * Lift ticket or season pass (available on-site) * Warm layers, gloves, and goggles (available on-site) * Snacks and water (available on-site) * Your best winter energy! *** **🚌 Rides & Lodging:** Carpools will be organized closer to the date. Group lodging options are being explored — RSVP early if you’re interested in sharing accommodations. *** **✅ RSVP Deadline:** Please RSVP by **January 5, 2026** so we can confirm headcount and coordinate logistics. *** **💬 Questions?** Drop a comment or message the organizer if you’d like to coordinate rides, gear rentals, or just see who else is going! Buy Passes: [https://www.epicpass.com/passes/epic-day-pass.aspx](https://www.epicpass.com/passes/epic-day-pass.aspx)

Freedom Plaza is currently closed for construction, so we are shifting the starting line. We will meet at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 14th Street NW, right outside the WWI Pershing Memorial. This 11.6-mile intermediate route will be lead by Big Mike, and offers a mix of challenging climbs, technical neighborhood skating, and smooth trail flow. The Details • Meeting Point: Corner of Pennsylvania Ave and 14th St NW • Meetup Time: 11:00 AM • Roll-out Time: 11:10 AM • Distance: 11.6 Miles • Elevation Gain: 420 Feet • Level: Intermediate (Urban hills and navigation required) Weather Forecast Expect chilly, winter conditions. It will be partly sunny with a high near 34°F and a SLIGHT chance of light snow flurries. Wind will be coming from the northwest at about 6 mph. Please dress appropriately and bring water. Safety Requirements • Helmets are mandatory for this skate. \* Wrist guards are highly recommended, as they provide critical protection during urban falls. • Knee and elbow pads are suggested for additional safety on technical sections and descents. • Everyone skates at their own risk! The Route [https://onthegomap.com/s/dmo62ogu](https://onthegomap.com/s/dmo62ogu?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExRFRPYXYyN1c5cDVVOUs2S3NydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR7I1m6gHZ0B-dDKDrmOd08DtpVod6XE7rBmVCNG_OPX3q1SvRUprjVXOEb0Xw_aem_dkj8WoZZhPrcQ9ald0S1rA) • The Climb: We begin with a steady ascent up New Hampshire Avenue, carving through the energy of Dupont Circle. • The Meander: A technical, scenic flow through the historic streets of LeDroit Park. • The Trail: A fast, car-free stretch on the Metropolitan Branch Trail to find your stride. • The Finish: A final loop through the architecture of Capitol Hill and across the National Mall. For the most up to date details, check Facebook and Instagram. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/WashingtonAreaRoadskaters/events Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weareskatedc/ We hope to see you Sunday!

Come out and meet CAC before our [Night Ski at Snow Trails](https://www.meetup.com/columbusac/events/312767179/?utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=share-btn_savedevents_share_modal&utm_source=link&utm_version=v2&member_id=375776096) event on Saturday! You can find us at a table with CAC displays and name tags! **When**: Thursday, January 22nd **Time**: 6:30 - 9:30 PM **Where**: [Pastimes Pub at Grandview Yard](https://www.pastimespubandgrill.com/index.html#locations) **Address**: 775 Yard St suite 100, Grandview Heights, OH 43212 **About CAC:** Connecting **Young Adults** (20's, 30's, 40's) through **Adventure, Athletics, and Wellness** by providing access to **unique experiences**

**TRY AN OLYMPIC SPORT IN A FUN, BEGINNER-FOCUSED CLINIC!** Enjoy 15 minutes of off-ice basics, 50 minutes learning to sweep and deliver stones, then play a couple of ends with your group. Afterward, join us in the warm room for broomstacking (socializing) with your teammates and opponents. Limited spots available. **What to wear:** Clean rubber soled tennis shoes (required), loose/stretchy clothing (no jeans), and warm layers - ice ranges 32-40 degrees F. ***\*\*\*\*\*Ski Club Membership required for this event!\*\*\*\*\**** [Home - Columbus Ski Club](https://www.columbusskiclub.org/) Once membership is established - follow below link to sign up for Curling: [Curling Clinic - Begin to Curl - Calendar - Columbus Ski Club](https://www.columbusskiclub.org/content.aspx?page_id=4091&club_id=686961&item_id=2793520)

*GOhio!* turns 8!! 🥳 Come celebrate with us at [Pins Mechanical](https://www.pinsbar.com/locations/easton)! 😄 **Summary** Pins Mechanical Co. is a social entertainment venue that combines old-school games like duckpin bowling, pinball, and other classic arcade and table games with craft cocktails, local beers, and punch. The vintage-industrial atmosphere is designed for playful, face-to-face gatherings with friends, family, and colleagues, offering a casual and lively alternative to a typical bar. Pins' Easton location spans over 38,000 square feet, making it the largest in the United States. This massive entertainment venue features two floors, a mezzanine level with stadium seating, and three full-service bars. It offers 16 duckpin bowling lanes, two indoor bocce courts, and more than 60 classic and modern pinball and arcade games. For additional fun, the location is known for its two outdoor patios, an indoor slide, and an expanded patio pong setup. **Activities** As noted below, some machines take actual quarters. Pins has two change machines (one downstairs and one upstairs) that accept ones, fives, or tens (only), and return quarters (only). * *Duckpin Bowling* [Like Bowling](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duckpin_bowling) but with smaller balls, stubby pins, and no oil on the lanes. The cost is $9 per game per person. * *Pinball* [Who](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Who)'s a [wizard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinball_Wizard) on these [retro machines](https://pinballmap.com/map/?by_location_id=15311)? At $1 per play, everyone! Takes quarters. * *Arcade* Play classics like Gorf, Pac-Man, Gorf, Donkey Kong, Gorf, Galaga, and Gorf! The best part is, there's Gorf! And all the arcade games are free! * *Patio Pong* The classic college party staple but bigger. Instead of tossing a ping pong ball into cups, you use a regular ball and oversized buckets. There are two of these upstairs, and they're both free! * *Ping Pong* The most popular sport in China! They have two ping pong tables downstairs and two more ping pong tables upstairs. For those of you who have studied topological spaces and set theory, you will know this means they have four total ping pong tables. They have bubble gum dispensers with ping pong balls in them for 25¢ each. The dispensers take quarters. However, they also have racks where they store the ping pong paddles, and in these racks are slots for ping pong balls. It's not uncommon to see balls already here, so there's a chance you may be able to play ping pong for free if you want to. * *Hookie* You can't put your eye out! The safe alternative to darts: Hook thrown rings on a board. Outdoors on the upstairs patio, and free! * *Bocce* Like bowling, except there’s turf and a lot more balls. You can also knock your opponent’s balls out of the way. There are two of these upstairs, and they're both free! * *Foosball* Everyone loves [foosball](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_football)! 50¢ a game. Takes quarters. * *Giant Jenga* Stack massive wooden blocks into a tower, then take turns pulling out one block at a time without collapsing the tower. There are four of these sprinkled throughout the venue (two downstairs and two upstairs, with one on each patio), and they're all free! * *Skeeball* There are three skeeball machines on the first floor (near the Gorf machine!), and they're all free! * *Giant Connect Four* On the outdoor patio upstairs, and free! * *Bubble Hockey* This is upstairs. Up to four people can play at once, and it costs $1. Takes quarters. * *Cornhole* There are two cornhole lanes upstairs, and they're both free! * *Basketball* There are two basketball machines downstairs. They're tucked behind the downstairs bar, so they're not always obvious unless you go look for them. They're $2 per play, and they take quarters. * *NES and Sega Genesis video games* These are collections, downstairs (near the Gorf machine!), of video games that you can play for free! * *The Big Metal Indoor Slide* This large two-story slide is for kids, and certainly no adults would ride this. After all, it's not like it's free or anything. **Outdoor Patio** Pins at Easton actually has two outdoor patios. But for our purposes, only the upstairs one matters. See, it will be winter and likely cold. But their upstairs patio has multiple ceiling heaters and two massive gas fire pits that put out a ton of heat. Sitting out here may be a real option. As mentioned above, the upstairs outdoor patio has one of the venue's two Patio Pong setups, one of their multiple Giant Jengas, the Giant Connect Four, and Hookie. **Food** Pins doesn't serve food, but there's a [Mikey's Late Night Slice](https://www.latenightslice.com/) next door. This Mikey's is basically an extension of the Easton Pins; there's a large open doorway between both establishments. Mikey's has a fountain dispenser with Coke products. You can also get Coke and Diet Coke (but not Coke Zero, like you can at Mikey's) at the bars in Pins, but I think the quality of the soda pop from Mikey's fountain is better than that from the bar hoses Pins uses to dispense soft drinks. You are also quite allowed at Pins to either bring food in or order it in via your favorite delivery app. **Parking** I recommend parking in the [Worth Garage](https://eastontowncenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/parking-at-easton-updated-file-sept-25.pdf). It's literally right next door to Pins, and it's free as long as you park on Level 2 or above. They recently started charging people to park on Level 1, and you pay for parking on this level the same way you pay for street parking in Columbus, with the [ParkColumbus](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.parkmobile.parkcolumbus&hl=en_US&pli=1) app. I've seen them enforce this by ticketing people's cars, but I don't know how they actually compel payment. The garage is not a public street that actual cops can write you tickets for parking illegally on. If you have an actual ticket from a cop that you don't pay, they can go so far as to issue a warrant for your arrest. But all Easton has, seemingly, is, "[Please pay our ticket](https://eastonpreferredpark.com/)." Still, in my ongoing efforts to eliminate needless stress and aggravation from my life, I just park above the first Level. The actual address of the garage is [4049 Worth Ave, Columbus, OH 43219](https://www.google.com/maps/place/4049+Worth+Ave,+Columbus,+OH+43219/@40.0542293,-82.9137962,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x88388a86de3af559:0xc1dc8b4661fc834f!8m2!3d40.0542293!4d-82.9137962!16s%2Fg%2F11sgzjp4ml?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDkyNC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D). However, your GPS is stupid. The actual entrances to the garage are on the cross steets Brighton Rose Way and Fenlon St, not Worth Ave. Just keep this in mind once you get to the garage. **Where we'll meet** I'll post in the comments where I am. People will obviously want to explore different areas of the venue over the course of the event (and there's a lot to explore), but please just let me know (as in, come find me) once you've arrived. **Peroration** Come on out and say hi! 😄

**Come anytime during 4-8. Stay as long as you want. No set time*** **WE’RE NOW IN A BIGGER AREA!** It’s a chance to meet people in our age group regardless if you’re in your fifties, sixties or seventies! Retired or still working.

Meet in the Maple Grove Picnic area. If trail conditions are poor, we will use the Multipurpose Path.