Post Officers for 1998-99
President: Alison C.
Vice President: Maia M.
Secretary: Elisabeth F.
Historian: Rachel T.
Treasurer: Lindsay W.
Phone Tree Captain: Margaret C.
Tour du Port, October 11, 1998: Alison, Amy, Maia, Rachel P., Rachel T., and Rebecca (also: David, Donna, Jim, Karen, Sarah P., Tom, and Kathy) joined almost 2,000 other people in the Baltimore "Tour du Port" ride October 11, sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists. A couple of us chose the 10 mile route, while others did the full 22 miles around the city (including your intrepid reporter). It was a glorious day (in fact the sun was shining so brightly right in our eyes that we almost missed the turnoff to Baltimore). We had a grand time once again -- biking around the museums and Ft. McHenry (where some of us sang the Star Spangled Banner in honor of Francis Scott Key) cruising around the harbor, over railroad operations, factories, and a coal loading operation. Great way to see parts of Baltimore we don't normally see.
November 7: Hike up Old Rag Mountain
John Regan's photo of Old Rag summit, view to the East, back down the Ridge Trail, used with permission.
Check out his Old Rag Web site, including more images.
On Saturday, November 7, Alison, Elisabeth, Elise, Heather, Maia, Rachel P., Rachel T. and Rebecca (plus David, Jim, and Kathy) hiked up Old Rag Mountain (3,268') in the Shenandoah National Park . Three cheers for Elisabeth, our first time Old Rag Mountain climber. This was sort of a nostalgic event for most of the rest of us, since many in the group had first hiked it together in May 1992 and several times since.
Despite a very early start, we had to park in the lower lot. (Apparently a hiker broke a leg two weeks earlier, and the rangers had had a problem getting the emergency vehicles up to the trailhead, so parking at the trailhead was reduced.) In any event we happily parked in the lower lot and completed the 8.8 mile hike in record time for us -- 5.5 hours. Afterwards, we stopped at the Appetite Repair Shop in beautiful Sperryville, VA, for snacks (the two favorites were their famous fries and the delicious blueberry pie a la mode).
For fun, you might check out the National Park Service's list of Reptile and Amphibian Species List found in the Shenandoah National Park, a list taken from information contained in Witt, W.L. 1993. Annotated Checklist of the Amphibians and Reptiles of Shenandoah National Park, Virginia. Catesbeiana 13(2):26-35. We of course seldom see any wildlife because we make a fair amount of noise....
December 6: Service Project
Alison organized another great service project this year. Alison, Amy, Elise, Kate, Katie, Lindsay, Maia, Rachel T., and Rebecca made and decorated approximately 400 holiday cookies -- enough to fill 80 bags for The Arlington County Temporary Shelter. Many thanks to the Cartwrights for hosting this event again this year.
January 31: Ice Skating at Cabin John Regional Park
A small group -- Kate, Maia, crew chief Rachel P. and Kathy -- found time to go ice skating at the Cabin John Regional Park. The ice rink down at the Smithsonian Mall was still not ready, so we opted for the larger, indoor rink.
February 21: Downhill Skiing at Whitetail 
Elisabeth, Elise, Lindsay, Maia, and Rebecca (along with Bonnie and Kathy) had a wonderful day skiing at Whitetail. Rebecca and Elise sailed on the double black diamond course; Lindsay snowboarded happily for hours; Elisabeth travelled between several slopes, entertaining lift attendants; Bonnie managed to watch out for all of us and quite nicely provided hot chocolate and chips; and Maia and Kathy had a great lesson, graduating to Beginner Level 4! We left around 2:30 pm, but we were all pleased with the day and conditions. Hint for the future -- "Learn to Ski" package is best deal for folks who will only spend the day on easy and intermediate slopes, whether or not you end up using the lesson.
photo compliments of Whitetail Ski Resort (ok, so it's the same photo we used last year)
March 19-20: Caving Weekend near Franklin, West Virginia. 
Led by Rachel P., our crew chief for this trip, Elisabeth,
Heather, Jessica, Katie, Lindsay, Rachel P., and Rebecca (along with intrepid adults Tom and Kathy), enjoyed
another beautiful day inside a mountain in West Virginia with Dick, Bob, and Carl. We hiked, climbed, crawled,
and slithered through Sinnett-Thorn Cave, a privately owned cave managed by the Sinnett-Thorn Cave Conservancy.
Here's a picture of Duane (who manages the cave for the owner) because it's a really neat picture. (photo compliments of Duane)
Highlights on Friday night included eating dinner Friday at Dave's Taverna in Harrisonburg (where Tom enjoyed the Greek garlic sauce), cooking s'mores around the cabin wood stove, and watching shooting stars behind the Thorn Spring cabin -- in the COLD. On Saturday morning we packed up and got into our caving gear. We spent about 5.5 hours in the cave and had a great time with our guides. It was a wonderful adventure to end our year. Highlights in the cave included crawling on our bellies and elbows through a very tight tunnel that opened up on a wonderful waterfall where we ate our lunches, rock climbing and scrambling up the "Silo" (a 75 foot tall passage) to the Big Room ( approximately 250' long, 90' wide, 75 ' tall?) where the girls turned off their headlamps and sang Amazing Grace, and observing 5 hibernating bats (Bob didn't think any of them were the Virginia big-eared bats (Plecotus townsendii virginianus). It was another fabulous trip for Explorer Post 1192.
Check out the Potomoc Speleological Society's web site for some pictures
and background information on important topics such as caving clothing and safety.
JULY 5: Celebration Event -- ok, so it's not a dinner...
We finally got a group together -- Alison, Elise, Katie, Maia, Rachel P., and Rachel T., along with several parents gathered to reiminisce, cook s'mores and exchange email addresses. A few tears were shed (by their intrepid advisor), but mainly it was a delightful evening to close out our time together and a chance for everyone to say: "Thanks for the memories!"
Related Link: Weather forecast: Remember, "dress for the weather".
College Choices (Email addresses are added as I get them):
History | 1991-2
| 92-3 | 93-4
| 94-5 | 95-6
| 96-7 | 97-8
| 98-9
Overview | The C&O Canal