An Easy Way to Escape To the Mountains

So you live in the city, enjoying all the amenities and convenience this great city has to offer.

Great!

But were there times when you wanted to get away on the weekends, off to Shenandoah National Park, or Sugarloaf Mountain, yet didn't do it because you either didn't have a car or didn't want to drive all the way there? Or perhaps you couldn't find anyone to go with?

I bet there were. The good news is that you no longer have to wish you could escape to the mountains. With Metro running early on the weekend, starting July 1, now for the first time you can get your wish in quite a style, with amiable fellow hikers, and at a surprisingly affordable price.

You don't need a car for the trip. In fact, it is better if you leave your car at home.

Wanderbirds Hiking Club, one of the oldest clubs in Washington, can pick you up at the Farragut North Metro Station at 8 every Sunday morning, take you in an air-conditioned tour bus to a great hiking location, and back to D.C. —all for $15.

Capital Hiking Club, another club, with a 66-year history, essentially does the same thing with slightly different hiking programs.

Last Sunday, I hooked up with the Wanderbirds Club, joining some 30 other area residents for a very pleasant hike in the Shenandoah National Park. The one-and-a-half-hour bus ride was so comfortable that many fellow hikers took the advantage of it by finishing their Sunday morning sleep on the way over.

Once there, hikers had the option of walking the longer and more strenuous 12-mile route or the shorter eight-mile hike I chose. Although the group was still relatively large after the split, as it usually is, I could still walk on my own pace. And with the red arrows placed by the leader at every turn-off and the sweep at the end of group, it would be impossible to get lost.

After five hours of walking through the woods, crossing the streams, and nibbling wild berries, we were greeted with the awaiting bus, ice-cold beer and soda.

As we munched on the free snacks provided by the trip leaders while riding back home, they walked up and down the bus and asked people to join the club. For a mere $8 annual fee, one can become a new Wanderbird and enjoy extra benefits. But membership is not required for going on the hikes.

At around 6 o'clock in the evening, I was back home in D.C., feeling physically worked out, spiritually recharged and ready for a brand new week.

For more information about the Wanderbirds Hiking Club, call 301-460-3064 or go to http://www.wanderbirds.org.

For more information about the Capital Hiking Club, call 703-812-4855, or go to http://www.capitalhikingclub.org.

Both clubs are entirely run by volunteers, and you will reach private residences when calling the numbers listed above, so please exercise prudence accordingly. §