Hiking and backpacking are enjoyable ways to spend time with friends and meet new people. You can walk through scenic areas and talk to people hiking with you. With hiking and backpacking clubs, you can also easily arrange for group pick-ups and drop-offs, so you can make one-way hikes and not have to double back to get your car. In Maryland, there are hiking and backpacking clubs that spend time not only hiking the state's trails but also traveling to other locations for hikes.
The Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail is one of the major trail systems in Maryland. The trail runs along most of the Appalachian Mountains from Maine to Georgia, with a portion in Maryland. A couple of Maryland hiking and backpacking clubs concentrate their hikes along the Appalachian Trail: Mountain Club of Maryland (based in Maryland) and Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (based in Virginia with a Maryland chapter). Besides hiking the Appalachian Trail, these clubs also help maintain the trail.
The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath
While the Appalachian Trail is the major north-south trail system in Maryland, the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath is the major east-west trail that runs from Georgetown to Cumberland, Maryland. In Cumberland, the trail connects to the Great Allegheny Passage that will take you all the way to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Association's main purpose is to help preserve the canal, but the association sponsors numerous member hikes throughout the year along the towpath. The association also has a Level Walkers Program made up of members who regularly walk sections of the towpath to collect trash and note needed repairs for the National Park Service.
Adult Only
Some clubs are just for adults. This may be for social purposes in some cases or because having children on hikes can slow a group down. One of the more-popular adult-only clubs is the Maryland Outdoor Club. Despite the name, the club is open to any adult in the U.S., though a majority of the hikes take place in Maryland. Another club is called the 20s and 30s Hiking Around Baltimore group. The group does two- to four-mile hikes around Baltimore and is an opportunity for adults to meet.
Targeted Groups
Like the adult-only hiking clubs, some hiking clubs try to attract members with other similarities besides enjoying hiking and backpacking. The Go Betty group is for active, 30-plus-year-old women in Howard County. The Baltimore Area Gay Men's Outdoor Adventure Group offers gay men an alternative to bars to meet men with similar interests. The Baltimore Off-Road Dogs Meetup Group is for hikers who are also dog owners. Mosaic is a hiking club for Jewish people in Maryland.
More Than Hikes
Many of the clubs enjoy activities other than backpacking and hiking. The Maryland Outdoor Club also offers mountain biking and canoeing trips. The Go Betty group sponsors rock climbing outings, snowboarding and kayaking for its members. The Baltimore Gay Men's Outdoor Adventure Group has skiing, tubing and camping outings for its members.
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