Alpine Climbing

Join us as we keep our boots moving this winter on a moderate 5 mile trail. Designed for steady pacing, fresh air, and community—because hiking is better together. Register Here: https://www.destinationhike.com/events/better-together-hike-3 Winter is on it's way out. Let's go and enjoy hiking fun and beautiful moderate trails. **Once you register, please look for a detailed email from info@destinationhike.com.** \* Excerpt from Destination Hike Waiver\* *Hiking is a recreational activity that has an inherent risk of danger. While hiking I may be exposed to dangers and hazards, not limited to: heat, stroke, dehydration, bee stings, tick bites, snake bites, loss of balance, inclement weather, falling rocks, fatigue, wildlife, negligence of others, drowning, and/or death. Please review full waiver prior to registering for any Destination Hike event.* How to prepare? 1\. Wear comfortable shoes\. If you have hiking boots that would be preferred\. However\, if you have not committed to buying hiking shoes\, wear comfortable tennis shoes\. 2\. Check the weather for the day and dress appropriately\. When you are hiking in the Winter\, you need to pay attention to what the weather may be for that day\. The start of the hike will be cooler than the the end of the hike\. You still will want to dress in layers\, as you will start off cold\, but as we move you will warm up\. Also\, make sure you wear solid footwear with grips on the bottom\. Hiking boots are strongly encouraged\. Winter can bring snowy trails that can be slick if you are not wearing appropriate footwear\. 3\. Bring a small to medium size back pack\. This is to carry any personal items; cell phone\, water\, personal medication\, and any other items you may need\. 4\. Always bring a at ***least*** 1L of water. Make sure you have hydrated the day before, and the day of the hike. 5\. Remember\, there are no bathrooms in nature\, so stay hydrated but make sure you are good to hike without needing a bathroom\. If you do need to use the bathroom\, nature will be your stall\. 6\. Suggested: Download the AllTrails app\. Trail app will be provided in confirmation email\. Any additional questions, comments, or concerns, email info@destinationhike.com

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!

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**

Take the Polar Bear Plunge with us on February 21, either at National Harbor in Maryland, or "brrr-tually"! **[JOIN OUR PLUNGE TEAM!](https://give.chesapeakeclimate.org/p2p/site/mjSJ2/page/ZZSz2D#/)** CCAN is celebrating its 21st annual Polar Bear Plunge to "Keep Winter Cold!", and **[NoVA New Leaf has its very own plunge team](https://give.chesapeakeclimate.org/p2p/site/mjSJ2/page/ZZSz2D#/)** for you to join! Get chilly and raise money for climate action. Every winter for the past 20 years, hundreds of passionate climate activists have dashed into icy cold waters for a winter swim to raise funds in support of the work of the **[Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN)](https://chesapeakeclimate.org/about-us/)**. Just like a charity fun run, Plunge participants accept donations from their friends and family to support CCAN's vital climate work! **NATIONAL HARBOR PLUNGE AGENDA:** **10:00 - 11:00 AM:** Arrive and check in at the Capital Canopy! We'll have action tables, music, games, face painting, warm drinks, and yummy snacks. **11:00 - 11:40 AM:** Pre-Plunge rally and costume contest. **11:40 - 11:50 AM:** March to the Plunge point and get ready to plunge. **11:50 AM - 12:10 PM: PLUNGE TIME!** After plunging, you can change into warm clothes in our changing tents. **12:15 - 2:30 PM:** Head back to the Capital Canopy for continued fun and celebration with your fellow Plungers! We'll have pizza, a hot cocoa bar, a FREE beer from Denizens brewery *(Plungers age 21+)*, games, and music!

Visit Roundtop Mountain Website for lift tickets and rentals. [Roundtop Mountain | Roundtop Mountain Resort](https://www.skiroundtop.com/) Roundtop Mountain Resort 925 Roundtop Mountain Resort Lewisberry, PA 17339

**This talk has completely sold out in advance and no door tickets will be available.** [Profs and Pints Northern Virginia](https://www.profsandpints.com/washingtondc) presents: **“The Everyday Supernatural,”** a discussion of how folklorists and anthropologists view our belief in uneasily explained beings, forces, and experiences, with Benjamin Gatling, folklorist, scholar of belief and everyday religion, and associate professor of English at George Mason University. [Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at [https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/profsandpints/nv-everyday-supernatural](https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/profsandpints/nv-everyday-supernatural) .] Profs and Pints debuts at [Highline RxR](https://www.highlinerxr.com/) bar in Arlington’s Crystal City with a talk that will both teach you and leave you thinking about your relationship with the unknown. Have you ever wondered why people believe in the supernatural? Or where do such beliefs come from and what purposes do they serve? On hand to offer answers will be Benjamin Gatling, who teaches a course on folklore and the supernatural, studies various cultures’ oral traditions, and serves as editor of *Folklorica: the Journal of the Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Folklore Association.* You’ll gain an understanding of how the supernatural isn’t something strange or extraordinary. It’s part of the everyday lives of most people around the world, and it’s fundamental to virtually all cultural traditions. Here in the United States, three out of four people believe in some aspect of the supernatural such as astrology, telepathy, clairvoyance, or communication with the dead. About half attest to having personally had a mystical experience. In discussing the nature of supernatural beliefs, Dr. Gatling will talk about how our experiences are inexact and ambiguous and how we operate on incomplete information. In many ways belief in the supernatural represents an affirmation that human understanding extends beyond empirical observation and that we live in an imprecise, infinite, irrational, and mysterious world. The goal of folklorists and anthropologists studying such beliefs is not to prove or disprove them, but rather to understand various peoples’ lived experiences and gain insight on how individuals make sense of the uncanny around them. Dr. Gatling will talk about such researchers’ findings in terms of how such beliefs are expressed in dream interpretation or the stories people tell about encounters with ghosts or their relationship with the dead. He’ll talk about visits to haunted places and touch upon subjects such as UFO sightings, encounters with the divine, and magic in our everyday lives. (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later.) Image: A deck of 22 Tarot cards. (Photo by Roberto Viesi / Wikimedia Commons.)

Let's go for a hike at Lake Accotink Park! Maybe we'll see some early snowdrops... ❶ **What we'll do:** * Starting from the railroad trestle at the foot of the dam, we'll walk clockwise around the lake. The total distance is 4 miles and should take about an a hour and a half, so we should finish before noon. The trail is a mix of fine gravel and paved paths, with a short stretch on sidewalks halfway through the walk. There may be some patches of snow and ice and snow left from Winter Storm Fern. There are some inclines here and there, but overall it's pretty flat. * Google map: [http://tinyurl.com/zk8qo6n](http://tinyurl.com/zk8qo6n) ❷ **How to get there:** From I-95, take Old Keene Mill Road west. (If you are coming from Franconia, note that Franconia Road becomes Old Keene Mill Road in Springfield.) Turn right on Hanover Avenue and drive north about a mile. Turn left onto Highland Street and drive west about a quarter of a mile to a slight right turn onto Accotink Park Road. Follow Accotink Park Road and watch for the entrance to the park on the left; then follow the road through the woods to the parking lot by the railroad trestle at the foot of the dam. See [https://goo.gl/maps/UodjwqQx1MH2](https://goo.gl/maps/UodjwqQx1MH2) ❸ **What to bring:** Water, comfy shoes with some tread on them, and your furry friend if desired (leashes please). ❹ **Weather:** The forecast is partly cloudy and a high of 52F, with 7 mph WNW winds. No rain in the forecastduring our hike Updates: [https://tinyurl.com/y6o9tgqq](https://tinyurl.com/y6o9tgqq) ❺ **Advisory:** As a reminder, this is an adult group, and you are ultimately responsible for your own safety and well-being during events. No one under 18 years of age is allowed at this event, either as members or as guests, to include babies in carriers and/or strollers. ❻ **Administrative stuff:** There are public restrooms and drinking fountains near the park marina. ❼ **Notes:** * Lake Accotink Park, 7500 Accotink Park Rd, Springfield, VA 22150, 703-569-3464. [http://tinyurl.com/d928nn9](http://tinyurl.com/d928nn9) * Park trails: [https://tinyurl.com/y7mn8h3r](https://tinyurl.com/y7mn8h3r)

[https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35107324](https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35107324) 17 miles. The lunch stop is at Lake Needwood, approximately 10 miles into the tour. We will be e-biking from Veirs Mill to Lake Needwood via Lake Bernard Frank and Meadowside Nature Center. The trail is around 17 miles. Toilets are available in the middle. It includes an optional half-mile excursion on foot to the Pioneer Homestead at Meadowside Nature Center. Please bring some snacks, lunch, and plenty of water. You can leave the bike at the nature center or stay with your e-bike. We will have bike guards if someone volunteers. This is an excellent opportunity to address e-bike separation anxiety, if you have any. https://ebikelovers.com/2021/01/30/md-trail-2-e-biking-from-veirs-mill-to-lake-needwood-via-meadowside-nature-center/ We will have a sign and "healthy" cookies/snacks. Bring your own lunch pack. The meeting place is in the parking lot in Veirs Mill Park near the playground. The group stops a few times for slower riders to catch up. The distance will be 17 miles or less whenever you are fully satisfied with biking for the day. Pioneer Homestead Located about a half-mile from the Meadowside Nature Center, this site includes two log cabins, a smokehouse, a corn crib, gardens, and an orchard. Explore elements of farm life in Montgomery County long ago. FYI: Membership in the Ride With GPS E-bike Lovers club is now free, as [www.ebikelovers.com](http://www.ebikelovers.com/) is generating sufficient income from ads to cover the costs. Here is the link to activate your free membership: [https://ridewithgps.com/auto_approve/Club/6746/Zwa5jhttF5mJrFbN](https://ridewithgps.com/auto_approve/Club/6746/Zwa5jhttF5mJrFbN) The group stops a few times for slower riders to catch up. For the E-bike Lovers group to be successful, we need to grow our membership carefully. Please feel free to invite other E-bike lovers, spread the word, and let's have fun. As usual, non-assisted bikers are most welcome. DISCLAIMER LIMITATION OF LIABILITY: TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMISSIBLE PURSUANT TO APPLICABLE LAW, NEITHER GREGORY MAASSEN, NATHAN MERRIS, TRIP COORDINATORS, THEIR AFFILIATES, FAMILY AND FORMER AND CURRENT EMPLOYERS NOR ANY OTHER PARTY INVOLVED IN CREATING, PRODUCING, OR DELIVERING E-BIKE LOVERS GUIDES, OUR MEETUP EVENTS, AND THE GPS E-TRAILS IS LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, INDIRECT, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF A USER’S ACCESS TO, OR USE OF THE E-BIKE LOVERS GUIDES, OUR MEETUP EVENTS, AND THE GPS E-TRAILS. See the full disclaimer: https://ebikelovers.com/disclaimer

Join us at Losing Weight in Columbus at Bloc Garten on a Saturday afternoon. This will be an active and engaging day, in lieu of our weekly check in. Why climbing you may ask? Because that's what I know best, and also since its and indoor sport, its great for a winter time hobby! Join us and find out what it's all about! We'll also do a brief check in to see how everyone is doing. 🚨🚨 Day passes cost 23$ + 7$ shoe rental fee for a total of 30$ 🚨🚨 [https://5.life/bg/](https://5.life/bg/)

Meet at Wolfe Park parking lot by tennis courts. We willl walk along Alum Creek trail, through Jeffrey Mansion Park then along Bexley neighborhood and back. Optional lunch at Trolley District.