Field Trips

Best darn night ever! Lots of games. Even more laughs. Come and find out for yourself. New members or members who just haven't been out to a meetup are strongly encouraged to come. All are welcomed! OH, and Spider Kelly's has an awesome beer garden in the back. On nice nights, that's where will be. Can't make this board game night? Good thing we do this EVERY Wednesday. Other groups this event is posted to: Fun Times in the DMV, Arlington 20's & 30's Shenanigans, Alexandria-Arlington Active & Awesome, What's Up Arlington, Ballston and Clarendon Singles Mingle Group, Arlington 30s/40s, and !Best Happy Hours in the DMV

**Turkey Run: A Challenging-Moderate 4 or 6.3 Mile Hike with Rock Scrambles** SEE IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON REGISTRATION UNDER "NOTES." This is a great hike to step up your hiking to a more challenging level due to the terrain. There are two loops in this hike: one for 4 miles and a second for 2.3 miles. Work on building your hiking strength while challenging yourself to a rock scramble. This hike would be rated a moderate hike other than the rock scramble over a stream and other stream crossings using ropes, which earns it a “challenging moderate”. Please be aware, that the stream crossings and scrambles are challenging, and that good footwear is a must. Turkey Run Park has a number of wooded and riverside trails. Turkey Run Park preserves a vertical slice of the Potomac Gorge ecosystem. A unique combination of flora and fauna makes a home in the park's riverbanks, flood terraces, upland forest, streams, and underground seeps. There is also a variety of fauna that lives along and in the river. You may see cormorants and a variety of water birds. Trails in Turkey Run Park cross through several of the distinct habitats that make up the Potomac Gorge ecosystem. The Potomac Heritage Trail (http://www.nps.gov/pohe/planyourvisit/index.htm) also runs through the park. Along our route is a fun rock scramble and six stream crossings that you cross using rocks, and of course, a helping hand is always offered. The extra 2.3 miles is challenging in its own way. While we hike mostly along the river and its beautiful views, we will need to navigate several downed trees including one that is quite a challenge. The 4 mile hike should end around noon and the second around 1:30 PM. A leashed, well-trained Fido is allowed on this hike. Bring a lunch to enjoy between the two hikes. **Time to Meet**: Please meet at 9:45 for introductions and sign in. We will start hiking promptly at 10:00 **Contact Information**: Please use the comments feature for routine comments and questions. The hike Leaders are Christa (410-610-6254) and Tim (202-744-0289). Call or text as needed. **Directions to Trailhead**: It is best to use the GPS coordinates. They will take you directly to the parking lot. The GPS Coordinates are [38.964346, -77.153034](https://www.google.com/search?q=38.964346%2C+-77.153034&rlz=1C1ONGR_enUS1207US1207&oq=38.964346%2C+-77.153034&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCTM0NTRqMGoxNagCCLACAfEF4ILw8-9EEOc&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8) Turkey Run Park in Virginia is located along the George Washington Memorial Parkway in McLean, VA 22101. It is accessed via the GW Parkway (Exit 43). We will meet in the main parking, C-1 lot near the parkway exit when coming from the North; when coming from the South the exit is almost immediately. **Rating**: Challenging-Moderate **Distance**: 6 miles total (Loop 1: 4 miles and Loop 2: 2.3 miles) **Elevation Gain**: Approximately 500 feet **Pace**: 2.0 to 2.5 miles per hour **Facilities**: There are no restrooms near the trailhead. **Fees**: no fees **Cancellation**: In the unlikely event that the hike needs to be cancelled, it may be cancelled up to the evening before the hike. Hikers will be notified through comments on this posting. **Weather**: The weather for this location can be found[ here](https://weather.com/weather/today/l/c4025fdf0177c872b7fc2e0d09e7c523995ef49e21145e2d2438fe08649ca9e8). **Notes**: \- RSVP TO ATTEND THIS HIKE\. IF YOUR PLANS CHANGE\, UPDATE YOUR RSVP BY 6:00 PM THE DAY BEFORE SO THERE IS TIME TO BACKFILL YOUR SPOT\. SIGNING OUT AFTER 6:00 PM WILL RESULT IN A "NO SHOW\." REPEATED NO SHOWS WILL RESULT IN BARRING YOU FROM FUTURE HIKES WITH THIS LEADER\. IF YOU ARE ON THE WAITLIST\, CHECK YOUR STATUS SOON AFTER 6:00 PM THE DAY BEFORE TO SEE IF YOU ARE ON THE "GOING" LIST\. -Please do not show up unregistered. -Please keep this a fragrance free event. -To find out more about PATC, [click here.](https://www.patc.net/) -Consider becoming a member of PATC. To join, [click here](https://www.patc.net/membership).

On 161st Anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln's assassination at Ford's Theatre, VSDC Life Member Max Broad has invited us join him on a very special walking tour. See Downtown DC as the conspirators behind the Lincoln assassination knew it--where they scouted out their targets, their hangouts, and their three main attack sites. See familiar sites in unfamiliar ways; take steps around the sites of the Lincoln Assassination. The walking tour is about 90 minutes, outdoors. FREE We will meet in front of St. John's Episcopal Church at 1525 H Street, NW at 6:30pm. After the tour, attendees are invited to an optional dinner at dinner at Wok & Roll--a family style restaurant serving Chinese cuisine that offers ample plant-based dishes. (It would be helpful if you indicate if you are joining the group for dinner when you RSVP.) **About Tour Guide and VSDC Member Max Broad** When not leading environmental and animal advocacy with DC Voters for Animals, Max moonlights as a professional walking tour guide. He started this in 2015, giving his first tour to his family on the 150th anniversary of the Lincoln Assassination, and working with DC Tours by Foot since 2017. Originally from California, he fell in love with Civil War history upon moving to DC and seeing the rich history of the battlefields, Gettysburg, Antietam, Appomattox Court House, and others. Every year he likes to do a free "friends and family tour" on the anniversary of the assassination and has invited VSDCers to join him. **VSDC: More Than A Meetup** We are delighted to have you as part of The Veg Society of DC Vegan Meetup group, and we look forward to seeing you at our events. Did you know that [VSDC](https://vsdc.org/%20) is a nonprofit organization with membership benefits? With VSDC membership, you will save money at area restaurants and businesses, attend VSDC member-only events, and, most importantly, support us as a clear and consistent voice for improving the lives of all beings through community building and education centered on the benefits of a vegan diet and lifestyle. The membership fee is minimal, but the impact is significant! [Join today](https://vsdc.org/membership/)! **Ways to Stay In Touch with Us** Thank you for being part of our Meetup presence and bringing like-minded people together. We invite you to: * Become a [VSDC member](https://vsdc.org/membership/) to save money at area restaurants and support us in being a clear and consistent voice for improving the lives of all beings through community building and education centered on the benefits of a vegan diet and lifestyle. * Sign up for our[ monthly e-newsletter](https://vsdc.org/about/newsletter/) to hear more about our activities. * Follow us on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/vegsocietydc/) or [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/vegsocietydc/) to engage with us. **Interested in Volunteering with VSDC?** VSDC offers many events each month, thanks to the dedication of our event planning team. Would you consider volunteering? To learn more and get started, [please visit our website](https://vsdc.org/volunteer/). **Only Vegan Food, Please** While VSDC welcomes people wherever they are on the path to an all-plant, vegan diet and lifestyle, it is our policy that only vegan food be served and consumed at all of our events. **Liability Waiver and Code of Conduct** When you sign up to attend, you automatically acknowledge [VSDC's Liability Waiver](https://vsdc.org/activity-waiver/) and commit to follow the code of conduct found at [Policies - VSDC - Veg Society of DC](https://vsdc.org/policies/). **VSDC. Creating communities. For your health, the animals, and the planet.**

Competition Night - **Topic: Images from SSCC Field Trips** – **THIS IS AN IN PERSON EVENT!!** Ron Peiffer is the Vice President for Contests for Arundel Camera Club, the Vice President of the Creative Photography Society of Baltimore, and Member-at-Large for the Maryland Photography Alliance. His work has appeared in Maryland Photography Alliance gallery shows over the past several years, and he has received the Frederick R. Kelly Photographer of the Year award from the Arundel Camera Club 4 times in 5 years. Ron achieved a Master’s Certificate in Black and White Photography with the Arundel club in 2020. He is an MPA-certified judge and serves on several MPA committees, including the contest, judging, and finance committees. He has traveled extensively in the U.S. — in southeast Utah and northern New Mexico to document ancient puebloan sites and desert landscape and up and down the East Coast, where cities and small towns and landscapes provide an array of subjects with interesting colors, forms and histories. Ron aims to have his images “produce emotion, to evoke a memory, or to associate an image with something in the viewer’s life.” Ron shot film for many years before moving to digital. Favorite subjects include travel photography, nature, youth sports, and family. To see his work, visit his website, [ronpeiffer.com](https://www.ronpeiffer.com). This is an IN PERSON EVENT!! *** The rules for competition and how to submit images can be found on the Silver Spring Camera Club website. (http://www.ssccphotography.org/official-competition-rules-and-awards/) Competition topic definitions can be found on the Silver Spring Camera Club website. https://www.ssccphotography.org/ *** About the Silver Spring Camera Club: We meet the first three Thursdays of every month, September – May, and one day on a weekend for a field trip to an interesting photogenic location in the area. More information about the Silver Spring Camera Club can be found on our website (http://www.ssccphotography.org/) regarding speakers, competitions, field trips, our monthly "A Closer Focus" forums, and a link to our award winning newsletter the "Cable Release". Visitors to the Club are always welcome to attend meetings, and we hope to see you soon! Membership is a very reasonable $50 for individual members, $80 for family and only $35 for students. Please see the link to our membership application, below, for available discounts. https://www.ssccphotography.org/online-membership-form/ Why become a member of the Silver Spring Camera Club? We are a diverse group of photographers who love field trips, competitions, opportunities to see the world captured by other people's viewpoints, and sharing our knowledge, experience and love of photography. Membership in the club gives you the opportunity to enter your photos in our monthly competitions, to receive our award-winning monthly newsletter the Cable Release, join our field trips without paying the $10 non-member fee, and more! Visit us on the web: http://www.ssccphotography.org/

Arlington has a planetarium called the David M Brown Planetarium. I forget about it all the time. They host a monthly event. This month's starts at 7:30pm on April 18. Let's meet up at Quincy Hall beforehand and get buzzed before we learn about the Solar System. Tickets to the planetarium show are $5. They can be bought at the door and online. The online ones aren't available yet but I'll post a link when they are. The David M Brown Planetarium is at 1426 N Quincy St, Arlington, VA 22207 right around the corner from Quincy Hall. The show is called Dynamic Earth: https://friendsoftheplanetarium.org/event-6339264

Wakefield High School Plant Sale plants available for sale on April 18 10-2 pm Come buy plants as well as other fun activities at the school, including a car show (weather permitting) and the Spring Bazaar. The plant sale is one of the largest fundraisers for the PTSA and strongly supports teacher and student activities and programs. If you are in need of flowers, baskets, planters, herbs, or vegetables, we hope you will take a look at what is on offer for this year. If you are interested in volunteering 5:30 am to 8 am, contact Leeanna

Let's grab some coffee/food and share a morning chat! The East Market has an ample parking lot and outdoor and indoor seating. Grab a cup of coffee from Winston's Coffee & Waffles or on your way to East Market and meet us on the second floor - table behind or east of the elevator. Per what this group is about: "Everyone is welcome! International transplants to Columbus who want to improve language skills, Columbus residents who want to discuss international travel and culture, and anyone who enjoys getting together for good conversations."

We’re bringing back Adult Field Day. Last year was a good mix of competition and just hanging out, so we’re doing it again with some new games mixed in. Think team-based challenges, simple races, and a few things inspired by game shows. You don’t need to be athletic. Most of the fun is just being part of a team and getting to know people you wouldn’t normally talk to. The goal isn’t really winning. It’s meeting people, laughing a bit, and leaving knowing a few more names than when you showed up. If you stick around after, we’ll have a potluck, a bonfire, and a couple comedians in the evening. Bring: * Something to share for the potluck * Clothes you can move around in A small contribution helps keep events sustainable and ensures those who RSVP actually show up. Include your Meetup name + event name in the note. Please send $2 per person to guarantee your spot. Venmo (preferred) or PayPal @WiseUnlimitedLLC Actual links in comments below! Include your Meetup name + event name in the note.

AI is changing how art is made. But when does it stop being your work and start being the machine’s? This month we're going to be doing a panel with with digital image, music, and written word artists, talking about at what point, while using AI in the creation process, does the work become not the artist creation? We encourage audience participation during this event that will be moderated by Chris Slee. Whether you’re deep in the field or just getting curious, come connect with others building and exploring AI in Columbus. Sponsored by [Transform Labs](https://www.transformlabs.com/services) Sign up also accessible via [Transform Labs Luma](https://luma.com/55umjqta)

Let’s get together for a relaxed Saturday brunch! This will be the very first event for our group. Whether you’re looking to meet new friends, get out more, or just enjoy good conversation over brunch, this is the perfect place to start. We’ll be meeting at The Goat Gahanna for great food, drinks, and a welcoming, no-pressure atmosphere.