TRIPS & WORKSHOPS
As we enter into our
9th year at Wildside Adventures we continue to grow by
learning exactly what you are looking for from your outdoor experience.
This aids us in scheduling fun, exciting, and rewarding trips for you!
Thank you to all of you who participated in 2009, and welcome to anyone checking
out our trips and programs for the first time.
We are excited about this years schedule for many reasons and we hope that you take notice of the expanse of Wildside into other areas besides the east coast.
We are aware that if it were not for the incredible women that take part in our adventures there would, quite simply, be no Wildside Adventures for Women. So, in order to show our appreciation to the women who consistently sign up for our trips, we are offering an End of Season Retreat (November 19-21), at no charge, to anyone who has signed up for two or more trips during the 2010 season (we'll cook for you, we'll clean up after you). AND, if you sign up for THREE trips during 2010, not only can you attend the retreat as our guest, but you will also receive a one of a kind "Walk On the Wildside" t-shirt - our way of saying thank-you for being a part of our Wildside family.
If you already receive our monthly Environmental Newsletter then you are
aware of how important it is to protect, preserve, and conserve this beautiful
planet we call earth. We practice "leave no trace" and encourage you to do
the same. In the fall of 2008 we signed up to take part in and join forces
with an environmental waste management company called TerraCycle who has
partnered with Clif Bar to launch a national program called "The Wrapper
Brigade". TerraCycle will donate 2 cents to charity for every used wrapper
collected. The collect wrappers will be woven into a durable material,
which will then be used to make backpacks, gym totes and other products expected
to be available at major retailers by early next year. We all eat energy
bars whether on a Wildside trip or in your own outdoor pursuits, and those are
the wrappers that WE WANT. When we are leading trips we will be happy to
pack out your trash (ok - not all of it, just the empty bar wrappers), or, if
you are so inclined, you can collect them on your own at home and mail them to
us. You can start your own "Wrapper Brigade" by visiting their website:
www.terracycle.net/brigades.
Just think - for every 200 wrappers we collect we will be donating $4 (2000
wrappers = $40, etc.) to a worthy non-profit cause and leave a little less
(which can add up to a lot) of wrappers out of the landfills. It took us a
little over a month to collect our first 200 wrappers and we are ready to
collect even more!
If our scheduled trips are not what you are looking for, then we will organize a trip for your group, yourself and a friend, or just for you. It's your adventure, you choose it. Want to stay in a cabin and spend your time biking, hiking, or kayaking? Maybe all 3? Would you like to bring a group of co-workers on a multi-activity weekend with all of the comforts of home as well as non-stop fun and challenge? Tell us where you and your closest friend would like to go backpacking for a weekend, or even a week. Would you prefer strolling through the woods, binoculars in hand looking at birds, wildflowers, or wildlife? Whitewater rafting by day, star gazing at night sound appealing to you? Whatever your dream is - we're here to help you fulfill it. We will plan an itinerary that suits your schedule and abilities and provide you with a safe and exciting adventure.
The number of women on our hiking trips is kept within the limits of low impact hiking
(8 or less). Not only will we "tread
lightly", but this will allow us to be more in touch with our surroundings instead of
feeling like we are in cross-town traffic.
We will provide the following equipment for backpacking, biking and rafting trips:
-Tents (1 person
tent)
- Cookstoves and fuel
- Water purification
systems (Wildside Adventures uses Polar Pure, an iodine based water
treatment. It is recommended that if you have thyroid problems this
product not be used. We will provide an alternative water treatment to
participants this applies to.)
Once you have registered for a trip with us, we will provide you with an equipment list of items you must have as well as suggestions for personal items.
If you need to rent gear, or would like to try out a pack, tent, sleeping bag, cookware, etc., before you buy it, www.lowergear.com will rent new models of gear to you and include a self-addressed label to ship it back after you return home.
Life should
NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of
arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body,
but rather to skid in sideways,
chocolate in one hand, Mountain Dew in the other,
body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming
"WOO HOO, what a ride!"
IS IT SOUP YET?
What better way to end a rewarding day on the trail than to dive into a sumptuous meal?
The planning and preparation of this meal depends on you.
Wildside
Adventures will be happy to supply you with suggested menu items for you to shop
at home and bring with you (this will keep trip costs low). As far as food preparation - Melody is a
vegetarian and only knows how to cook something that can be prepared in 10 minutes or
less, and Patti . . . well, let's just say she is making progress in the art of boiling
water. 
(Preparing your own
meals is looking real attractive now, isn't it?) Seriously, to be
independent on the trail is part of the learning experience that Wildside
Adventures wants you to go home with, and we will work with you to make sure you
receive what you need to get you up the mountain, down the river, or around the
bend. We see good nutrition as a very important part of our outdoor
endeavors. Like the old saying goes, "You can't run a car on an empty
tank." And like we say, "Only you know the octane you need."
Are you looking for delicious, lightweight and, most importantly, nutritious meals to prepare in the backcountry? Our hiker-friend Mary Holmes has written her own cookbook "The Secrets for Delicious Backcountry Cooking". Mary developed her backcountry cuisine by hiking miles in all seasons and weather conditions. She has hiked extensively in the east, doing the Appalachian Trail and exploring the Adirondacks. After many years of eating food that left her less than satisfied, she finally hit on the recipe (or recipes) for home cooked meals. To order Mary's informative cookbook, recipes and information, mail $15 to Mary Holmes, 4 Forest Lane, Hockessin, DE 19707, and soon you'll be the hiking gourmet yourself!
HOW STRENUOUS ARE OUR TRIPS?
Our ratings are assigned depending on the kind of trip. So remember - a beginning backpacking trip rated "Easy" will be more difficult than a hiking trip with the same rating.
When we judge the difficulty in our trips, we look at the trip length, the pace, elevation changes, the altitude, daily mileage, and the season.
Beginning - New to the trail & carrying a full pack. Low
mileage (5-7 miles a day), moderate terrain with few major
ascents and descents. These trips are one night treks.
Intermediate - If you have joined us on a previous Wildside Adventure, or
have prior experience. Mileage for these trips will be 8-10
miles per day and are 2 or 3 night outings.
Advanced - Prior experience on an intermediate trip is recommended.
These hikes will average 10-12 miles per day and are multi-day trips (4-6 days).
Wildside On The Liteside
At Wildside Adventures for Women our goal is to get women outdoors. We
realize that not everyone wants to heft a 30 pound backpack over hill and dale,
filter water from a stream, eat freeze dried food, then sleep in a tent on a bed
of pine needles while being serenaded by the sounds of the night . . . excuse me
. . . I just heard the trail calling me . . . what am I doing behind this
computer . . . . ?)
Anyway, That is why we offer Wildside on the Liteside trips. On
these trips you can still challenge yourself with various outdoor pursuits, but
at the end of the day there will be a beautiful sink with refreshing, cool
water, a delicious meal prepared by someone other than us, and a comfy, warm bed
waiting for you. Your wild side can still be found on these
adventures - just a lighter version. While you are perusing the schedule
for an incredible, fun, adventure-packed trip, look for the icon of a feather
and you will find the Liteside of Wildside. We hope to see you on
the trail one way or the other!
Lodging is based on double occupancy. Private room requests may be accommodated, if available, with advanced notice and any difference in cost will be paid by the participant.
CAN I BRING MY 4-LEGGED FRIEND?
We are frequently asked about bringing four-legged companions on our trips and although we would like to say, "Yes, bring all of your four-legged friends," we have to respect the fact that some women may prefer not to hike with dogs. Also, many of the areas that Wildside hikes take place in do not permit dogs. However, if there is a particular trip you are interested in being part of and would like to have your animal companion join you (& us), please ask us if it would be permitted. If all currently registered participants agree, then you and your pal are more than welcome to join us!
FINAL NOTE
Out of respect for the quiet and solitude of nature and other trip or program
participants, we request that electronic devices such as cell phones and walkmans be left
at home.
Alcohol is not permitted on any Wildside Adventures for Women trip, program, or
workshop. Alcohol, being a diuretic, can promote dehydration and therefore
should not be consumed during strenuous physical activity, and it may also
impair your ability to make sound judgment and decisions.
Now is the time to take possession of my life,
to start
the impossible,
a journey to the limits of my aspirations.
For the first time to step toward my
loveliest dream.
If I had only known then what I know now -
but now I know enough to
begin.
- Hugh Prather, "Notes On Love And
Courage"