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A gay old time

LGBT hiking group features weekly activities, bike rides

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Adventuring, hiking, Great Falls, Maryland, gay news, Washington Blade

Adventuring hikers on a recent excursion to Great Falls, Md. (Photo courtesy Adventuring)

While there are many competitive LGBT sports clubs in the Washington area, there are also clubs that offer a non-competitive atmosphere for those wishing to get some exercise.

Adventuring is an outdoor club for the LGBT community that offers a variety of excursions for people looking to be physically active.

Started in the early 1980s, the group leads hiking trips every weekend all year long. From May to September, the group adds other activities such as biking, camping, backpacking and canoeing.

“Our typical hike consists of five to 20 people,” says Jeff Hughes, president. “Surprisingly the New Year’s Day hike is usually our largest turnout with 42 people showing up this past year.”

Throughout the winter months, the group can be found hiking locally across trails that offer many sights from the rich history of the D.C. area. The trips can range from short to long and from easy to hard.

“We have a diverse group of hikers that includes Civil War buffs and a geologist,” Hughes says. “For people interested in local history, the hikes are a great learning experience.”

During the summer months, the Adventuring hikers often trek out to the more mountainous areas to enjoy the cooler temperatures afforded by the higher altitudes.

Starting in May every year, the group begins a weekly Arlington evening bike ride series on Tuesday nights. The weekly ride maintains a relaxed pace utilizing a 19-mile loop through the city to the Lincoln and Anacostia Parks. At the conclusion of the ride is an optional social dinner at a local restaurant.

Adventuring operates as a nonprofit and there are no member dues. The only costs for their activities are trip fees ($2 for day trips or $4 for overnight trips), park entrance fees and the sharing of driving expenses if cars are necessary.

The group has a monthly newsletter that gives an overview of upcoming events, trips and activities. About 600 are on the email list and about 150 hikers and 75 bikers are active in the group.

Upcoming trips:

June 24 — American Chestnut Land Trust Hike

June 26 — Arlington evening bike ride (weekly)

July 4 — Great Falls (Md.) holiday hike

July 4 — Great Falls (Md.) holiday ride

July 7 — Blackberry ice cream hike

July 15 — Adventuring summer picnic

Aug. 5 — Paw Paw tunnel hike

Aug. 25-26 — Big Meadows weekend

Sept. 3 — Wilson Bridge hike

Oct. 6-10 — Biking in the Finger Lakes (New York)

For more information on Adventuring or to sign up for the free email newsletter, go to adventuring.org.

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Photos

PHOTOS: World Pride March

LGBTQ rights demonstration held in Amsterdam

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A scene from the 2026 World Pride March in Amsterdam. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The 2026 World Pride March was held on Saturday, Aug. 8 in Amsterdam. Tens of thousands of participants marched from Martin Luther Kingpark to the grounds of the Pride Village at Museumplein.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

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PHOTOS: Daddy Issues at Kiki

Evry Pleasure, Tiara Missou-Sidora, Indiana Bones perform

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Evry Pleasure performs at the 'Daddy Issues' drag show at Kiki on Wednesday. (Washington Blade photo by Landon Shackelford)

The weekly drag show “Daddy Issues” was held at Kiki on Wednesday, Aug. 5. Performers included Evry Pleasure, Indiana Bones and Tiara Missou-Sidora.

(Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford)

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Books

Something’s off about Dad. When is it time to step in?

‘When Memory Fades’ can help when families face dementia

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(Book cover image courtesy of St. Martin's Essentials)

‘When Memory Fades’
By Nathaniel Chin, MD
c.2026, St. Martin’s Essentials
$30/422 pages

Mom called you in a panic the other day.

She’d lost her keys and by the time you arrived to help, she’d found them. In the refrigerator.

These kinds of things keep happening, not often but often enough, and you don’t know quite what to worry about. But in the new book “When Memory Fades” by Nathaniel Chin, MD, you’ll learn about the journey ahead, for both of you.

You can’t remember why you walked into a room. You got lost last week, going to the bank. Popular wisdom says that things like that are normal as we age, but Chin says that’s not true – although the answer may not be a worst-case scenario, either. Yes, memory problems could just be signs of stress, dehydration, or lack of sleep – or is it time to see a doctor?

Chin says maybe, yes.

He was working his way through medical residency when his father, a geriatrician in Madison, Wisc., was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Chin, now a geriatrician, was blindsided, but that diagnosis also changed his life.

Here, he writes about the brain, and how Alzheimer’s and dementia are diagnosed, explaining that dementia has many faces and, depending on a doctor’s evaluation, memory problems might be slowed or improved. He shares his father’s illness with readers, but he also writes about his mother, a steadfast, steady caretaker.

Her story reminds reader-guardians to care for themselves, too.

Know how to talk the talk, so that you can have “a more productive” conversation with your doctor. Understand that there’s nothing “normal” about dementia or Alzheimer’s. Know the statistics – African Americans are affected with dementia twice as much as whites – and know how to lower your risks. Learn here what questions to ask, how to break the news to everyone, and any legal matters that will be important soon. And know how to tend to you.

Says Chin, “The best action you can take is to educate yourself… The more you understand, the better equipped you are to make sound judgments.”

Something’s off about Dad, just a lot of little things that don’t add up. When is it time to step in? “When Memory Fades” can help you decide.

Wise, wide-spread, comprehensive, and compassionately helpful, this is a book you can read and then take it to the doctor with your loved one. It’s a book that makes sense when nothing else does, and its biggest feature is that it smoothly transitions from easy-to-grasp science and charts, to gentle coaching for caregivers. Author Nathaniel Chin, MD writes with storytelling, humility, grace, and experience from both sides of the Alzheimer’s/dementia issue, and his words are reassuring but also urgent. Learn, but don’t wait, he says. Know how to safeguard yourself. See your doctor, and don’t fear testing. Watch for signs of depression. And never, ever stop asking for help.

Read those last seven words, and find “When Memory Fades” now. It’s a book to have on your shelf, whether you’re 45 or 95 because, as you’ll see, dementia happens and knowledge is key.

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