Arts & Entertainment
A gay old time
LGBT hiking group features weekly activities, bike rides
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.
Baltimore
This John Waters interview has been edited for readability — but perhaps not human decency
Pope of Trash dishes on Trump, plane etiquette, last meal, and more
By WESLEY CASE | At 80 years old, John Waters is still the ideal dinner guest — incisively sharp, quick-witted and funny as hell.
The chic Baltimore native proved it again and again in a recent Zoom interview, calling from his summer home in Provincetown, Mass.
The occasion was the Blu-ray releases of two of his movies — the 1977 dark comedy “Desperate Living” and his enduring 1988 musical “Hairspray” — on June 23 by the Criterion Collection, which publishes restorations of films it deems culturally important. The Criterion stamp of approval has become the gold standard among cinephiles.
“It’s like getting an award,” said Waters, who wrote and directed both films.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
The Washington Blade held the seventh annual Pride on the Pier at The Wharf DC on Saturday, June 13.
(Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford)
The 2026 Lost River Pride Festival was held on the scenic grounds of the Lost River Farmers Market in Lost City, W.Va. on Saturday, June 13. Headliner Tom Goss performed at the festival and gave a second performance at the nearby Guesthouse Lost River.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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