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
January thru March 2019
Tue. Jan 1. Potluck Brunch & Social. Come at 12:30 for a New Year’s Day potluck brunch. A time to reflect on the past year and set goals for the new. At Marilyn & Mary’s in Easthampton.
Sundays in January & February. X Country Skiing. Weather permitting, join us for an afternoon of skiing at Notchview or other locales. Expect a mid week email with details.
Wednesdays - Ongoing. Hike TBD. Nira will post a hike or snowshoe activity for Wednesdays at 1:00 or 2:00. Niraharper@gmail.com, 413-320-3158.
Fri. Jan. 4. Craft Evening with Potluck. Come to Oonagh’s in Northampton at 6:00 for a potluck, followed by crafts making of your choosing.
Sat. Jan. 5. Hike/Snowshoe at DAR. We’ll carpool to DAR late morning or early afternoon to hike around the lake. Contact Nira at niraharper@gmail.com or 413-320-3158.
Sun. Jan. 6. Ice Skating at Lake Wyola State Park. (If it is not snowy only and if it is cold enough). 1:00 pm. Dress warm, since if nature gives us ice, it'll be cold out. Wind pants or two layers can be comfy. Bring your skates and maybe a warm drink for breaks. Hats and mittens, of course. I'll bring some five gallon buckets to sit on to make it easier for skates to get on and off, or bring your own preferred seating. Unfortunately, this is highly weather dependent. There is no cell reception at the lake, so don't count on Google maps to get you there once you are driving. Look it up in advance and save the directions. We'll meet on the beach at the park...across the road from the parking lot.
If enough people are coming from Northampton side of the river, I'll arrange a carpool. Let me know if you are interested. This is definitely my preferred activity this winter so far!! If it works out, let's do it often.
Sat. Jan. 12. Saltwater Pool Swim in Brattleboro. We’ll meet at 2 pm to carpool to the Colonial Motel in Brattleboro for swimming and hot tub. Cost is $15/person. We’ll then go out to dinner in downtown Brattleboro.
Fri. Jan. 18. Craft Evening with Potluck. Come to Oonagh’s in Northampton at 6:00 for a potluck, followed by crafts making of your choosing.
Sat. Jan. 19. Sing A-long. Bring your Rise Up Singing book or ideas for songs to share.
Sun. Jan. 20. Nordic Skating in VT. We’ll leave Northampton at 9:00 and take a 2 hour drive to Lake Morey to try some Nordic skating. Test out Nordic skates with your own ski boots (if they are stiff enough) and your XC ski poles if you wish. Skate away, have a picnic lunch, and return in time for book group. See article for more info on Norkic Skating: https://www.nhmagazine.com/December-2014/Nordic-skating-in-the-North-East/
Sun. Jan. 20. Book Group & Potluck. Meet at 5:30 pm for potluck, followed by discussion of Walking to Listen, by Andrew Forsthoefel, in Northampton.
Tues. Jan. 22. Rollerskating. Meet at 5:30 at Interskate 90 at the Hadley Mall. Cost is $2.
Sun. Jan. 27. Creative Play Date. This is a social, creativity-spurring event from 3 – 5 pm. Play with different materials. Experimental, process oriented, messy fun! At Pathways CoHousing in Florence.
Sat. Feb. 2. Games Night. Potluck at 6:00, followed by games. Bring your favorites.
Thurs. Feb. 7. Rollerskating. Throwback Thursday music from the 80’s- 2000. At Interskate 90 at the Hadley Mall. Cost is $3.
Sat. Feb. 9. Winter Walk at Chesterfield Gorge. Weather permitting. We’ll carpool to the parking lot to meet there at 1:00 pm. A beautiful walk along the gorge to observe ice formations. Optional hot chocolate afterwards at Bread Euphoria on the way back. Weather permitting. Wear YakTrax and bring hiking poles. Otherwise, it’s an easy walk.
Sun. Feb. 17. X-Country Ski at Canterbury Farms. Meet at 240 Frederick Court, Becket, MA to carpool to Canterbury Farms (down the hill) by 11:00 am. Option to come back to my house afterward for soup by the fire.
Sun. Feb. 17. Book Group & Potluck. We’ll have an evening potluck and discuss Villette, by Charlotte Bronte. Details to follow over listserve.
Sat. Feb. 23. Hike TBD. Deb will lead us on a local hike. Details will be sent over listserve.
Thurs. Feb. 28. Rollerskating. Throwback Thursday music from the 80’s- 2000. At Interskate 90 at the Hadley Mall. Cost is $3.
Sun. Mar. 3. Snowshoe Hike at Graves Farm. Meet at 10:00 am at Graves Farm on Adams Rd in Williamsburg for an easy to moderate 1.5 mile walk.
Fri. Mar. 8. Explore the Smith College Museum of Art! Meet at 3:45 pm in the museum lobby on Arts Night Out to explore the exhibitions with a personal guide. Questions welcome! You can check out the museum website for current exhibitions, directions, etc. at https://www.smith.edu/artmuseum.
Fri – Sun. March 15-17. Craftsbury X-Country Ski Weekend. Organized by Kim W, this trip to Craftsbury Outdoor Ski Center in Vermont will be open to WO members from all chapters. Info & registration will soon be posted on the WO website: womenoutdoors.org.
Sun. Mar. 17. Book Group & Potluck. Book & location to be announced over the listserve.
Sun. Mar. 24. Hike TBD. Deb will lead us on a local hike. Details will be sent over listserve.
Sun. Mar. 31. Mass MOCA Adventure. Please join me at noon at the JFK high school in Florence to carpool to North Adams and visit the Mass Moca museum to see Rafa Esparza's Staring at the Sun and Trenton Doyle Hancock's Mind of the Mound: Critical Mass exhibits. Details to follow. Tickets are $20 but local libraries also provide passes. R
Preview of spring May 25-27 Backpacking. Kim has reserved a cabin for 6 at Mt. Grace in the Northfield area. There are two additional tent platform sites. She’ll lead a weekend of backpacking to and from the cabin. Easy to moderate hiking. For day hikers, Tusi will lead an additional day hike on Saturday to the cabin and back.