For Prospective Members of Women Outdoors
Western Massachusetts
Welcome! Please CONTACT US with any questions about events.
Tusi and Nira
Nira at niraharper@gmail.com & Tusi at ritachild@hotmail.com
Western Massachusetts
July through September 2019
Please note that all Women Outdoors trips are cooperative trips led by volunteers. While members are concerned for safety, our experience levels differ and mistakes may be made. There may also be equipment failure, unexpected dangers, or conditions beyond our control (such as weather). There is also an inherent level of risk in many of the activities that cannot be eliminated. Women Outdoors and its coordinators don’t train, screen or certify any of the leaders or supervise the trips. All trips are offered in the common adventurer spirit – where each participant is responsible for her own skills level and safety. Please be sure to verify all of the information above as well as the organizer’s experience and trip plans to your own satisfaction so you can make an informed decision about whether the trip is right and safe for you. Remember that in choosing to participate you are agreeing to assume responsibility for all risks associated with the activity. Women Outdoors trips have an excellent safety record. We ask that you take care to keep it this way!
Thurs. July 4. Tully Lake Outing. Celebrate Inter-dependence Day with a picnic, kayaking, hiking and swimming at Tully Lake in Royalston, MA. We have reserved the pavilion with parking spaces, picnic tables and grills. Meet at Tully Lake at 11:00 or carpool from Northampton at 10:00.
Sat. July 6. Kayak and Swim Sunderland. Meet at 2:00 at the kayak put-in on School St. in Sunderland to paddle up river and stop for a swim.
Sun. July 7. Williamsburg Hike. Meet at 1:00 for an easy to moderate Hike in Goshen/Williamsburg woods with an optional swim in the West Branch of the Mill River, and possible ice cream afterwards.
Mon. July 8. Book Group Discussion & Potluck. This will be the second discussion follow up of Waking Up White, 2nd half of the book. Anyone is welcome to join in, whether you’ve read it or not. Potlcuk at 6:00 pm, discussion 6:30 – 8:00.
Sun. July 14. Bike & Swim Chesterfield Gorge. Meet at the Chesterfield Gorge parking lot to bike the dirt road along the river to a great swimming hole. Hybrid or mountain bikes best.
Tues. July 16. Bike Ride on Rail Trail in Southwick. Meet at 10:30 am for a flat ride on the rail trails. Length depends on what folks want to ride.
Sat. July 20. Hike Mt. Watatic. We’ll hike a four mile moderate loop, with some steep sections, to the summit of Mt. Watatic in Ashburnham, MA, about 1.5 hours from Northampton. Total trip time from Northampton will be about 7 hours.
Sun. July 21. Hammonasset River Paddle. Meet at 9:00 am at the Northampton Bowling Alley to carpool to Hammonasset in CT to kayak a beautiful tidal river. Bring water, lunch, sun protection and pfd.
Sat. July 27. Windsor State Forest Hike. We'll hike one of the trails at Windsor State Forest. Includes a waterfall at Windsor Jambs, and the Windsor Jambs Brook winds through a wide gorge with 80-foot granite walls. Moderate difficulty. Meet at JFK Middle School in Florence to carpool at 11:45 am (or meet us at 1096 River Rd, Windsor, MA at 12:45). Here's the trail map:
https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2016/08/uq/windsor_63761_67885.pdf
Sun. July 28. Deerfield River Inner Tubing. Let’s rent tubes and float down the Deerfield, starting at Zoar Outdoor. Maybe a visit to Shelburne Falls after for a snack. Meet at 11:00 at Big Y plaza Northampton to carpool. Tubing will be from about 1:00 – 3:00 pm. If you can’t swim, you must bring a pfd/life vest. Also, the water can be cold, so wear appropriate layers.
Sun. Aug. 4. Amherst Bike & Swim. Bike ride from Cushman Market in North Amherst to Leverett followed by a swim at Puffers Pond. This is a moderate 11 mile ride with a few hills. Meet at Cushman at 3:00 pm. Bring snacks and water.
Tues. Aug. 6. Bike Ride on Rail Trail in Vernon/Manchester CT. Meet at 10:30 am for a flat ride on the rail trails. Length depends on what folks want to ride.
Sat. Aug.10. Pool Party. 2:00 pm at 266 Rocky Hill Road in Florence. A gas grill is available so folks can bring something to BBQ, sides and/or desserts to share and beverages to drink. I will provide lemon-flavored iced water in an outdoor decanter. Bring a towel for the pool and a chair. There are a few lounge chairs. I will provide paper plates, napkins, cups and utensils. The backyard is large enough for a badminton or volleyball net, or any other backyard games you might want to bring. There are noodles and other floats for hanging in the pool. Full-sized in-ground pool can accommodate pool volleyball if someone has it or other pool games/toys.
Sun. Aug. 11. Hike at Rice Reserve, Wilbraham. Meet at 10:30 am at trailhead, 26 Highmoor Dr. Wilbraham. Someone can arrange a carpool from Northampton. This trail is approximately 1.3 miles from the Highmoor Dr. entrance to Sunrise Peak. It's a loop trail with a lovely view. Here are the links:
https://www.yelp.com/biz/rice-nature-preserve-wilbraham
http://minnechauglandtrust.org/rice-nature-preserve/
Fri. Aug. 16. Sing-a-long. Potluck and 6:00, followed by singing, rounds included.
Sun. Aug 18. Turners – Montague Bike Ride. We’ll do a moderate 14-15 mile ride with some hills, probably from Turners Falls to Montague with a stop at the Bridge of Names at Lake Pleasant. A snack stop is likely.
Sat. Aug. 24. Kayak/Canoe Trip on the Contoocook River. We’ll paddle on the Contoocook River to Powder Pond in Greenfield/HancockRegion, NH. Description: shallow pond with inlets, meandering river; some branches to go around may be in the river. All day trip. Cars start from the Pioneer Valley at 9:00 am. At least a 3 hour padde. Bring lunch, pfd and everything you need for all day.
Sun. Aug. 25. Walk & Concert at Natural Bridge State Park. Hike an easy, well marked trail to see the river, gorge and falls, then attend a concert at sunset in the quarry of Natural Bridge State Park in No. Adams near Mass MOCA. It’s a wonder of white marble arches and gorges. Bring a picnic. The concert is recorded natural sounds embedded in the rocks of the gorge. Don’t miss it. It’s truly a wonder.
Fri – Sun. Sept. 6-8. Women Outdoors National Gathering, Becket, MA. Come for a fun filled, activity packed weekend (or a day) to a lovely outdoor center in Becket for kayaking, hiking, biking, birding, workshops, talent show, socializing and lots more fun. Go to https://www.womenoutdoors.org/thegathering for more info and to register.
Sun. Sept. 8. Seven Sisters Hike. We’ll meet at 9:00 at the Notch to hike the Seven Sisters hills to the Summit House. We’ll do a car shuttle, so the hike will be only one way. It’s a moderate to strenuous 3.5 to 4 hour hike.
Sat. Sept. 14. Mindfulness Hike at Robert’s Hill. We’ll do an easy hike at Robert’s Hill in Leeds starting at 1:00 pm.
Sun. Sept. 15. Volleyball & Picnic. Starting at 2:00 pm at Maines Field in Northampton, we’ll play volleyball and have a picnic together.
Sat. Sept. 21. Hike Mt. Monadnock. We’ll start off at 8:00 am to go to Jaffrey, NH for a moderate to strenuous hike. It’s 2.5 hours up to a 360 degree mountain top view. After an hour lunch and rest, we’ll hike another 2.5 hours back down. RSVP
Sun. Sept. 22. Bike Ride. We’ll do an 18-20 mile ride. Place TBD.
Sun. Sept. 29. Bike4Food.Feel free to join or support the Western MA WO Team riding 35 miles (or whatever you choose) to raise funds for the Food Bank of Western MA to help our neighbors who experience food shortages. Thanks!
Go to https://www.pledgereg.com/3056/Team/10745