Maryland Explorer

The weather did play havoc with our weekend plans – rescheduling because of snow and then rerouting because of icy trails. Fortunately, Harpers Ferry is home to several trails, and we would up going for a seven mile hike along the C&O Canal towpath.

Our cabin trip to the Gifford Pinchot State Park in Pennsylvania is a new one for MOC. Fans of Pennsylvania history might recognize the name of the park. A two-term governor of the state and good friend of President Theodore Roosevelt, Gifford Pinchot also served as the U.S. Chief Forester. In fact, many of the policies developed by Pinchot still help guide most national and state forests.

Monday’s hike was a great example of why scouting the trail in advance is a good idea: when I checked out the trails on the Saturday before the hike, I learned that the Difficult Run trail is closed. With a simple re-route of the hike, we managed to stick to the same mileage and still get great views of the Potomac River.

It was a bit chilly, but overall a great day for a hike. Signal Knob, located in the George Washington National Forest, is a 10.6 mile hike. Thanks to everyone who joined us for the day, including first-timers Kyra, Alan, Raymond, and James.

Happy holidays from your MOC officers! We’d like to take a minute to say thank you to all our members for being an important part of the club. A big thank you goes to our organizers who introduce us to new trails and adventures. We’re looking forward to a new year that’s full of outdoor [...]

It’s a blizzard of events on the MOC site! (I had to work in a winter joke.) We’re starting early on our New Year’s resolution to hike more in 2012.

This past Sunday, we headed out to Bull Run Mountain Conservancy for a short five mile hike. It was a great day to be outside — sunny skies and not too chilly for early December. Twelve people joined us for the day — including two first-timers! (Welcome to Michael and Rebecca!)

The Signal Knob area is one of my favorite spots for hiking and camping. We’ve hosted a few camping trips at the group site at Elizabeth Furnace and hiked the Signal Knob route several times. Taking advantage of the three day Veteran’s Day weekend, we braved the cold weather and headed out to Elizabeth Furnace. [...]

Today marked the start of seasonal closures at Shenandoah as Mathews Arm and Loft Mountain shut down for the winter. Lewis Mountain closes on November 6th, and Big Meadows is scheduled to close on November 27th. For a full list of closing dates, check out the park’s website.

It’s a great day for a hike! MOCers are enjoying the swing at the David Lesser shelter during a lunch break. The plan is to hike six to seven miles today before returning to Blackburn for fajita night. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a sandwich to eat!