What we’re about
SCPRO is a special activities section of the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter that organizes hikes and other events for the general public on behalf of the Sierra Club's Washington, DC chapter and the close-in groups of the Maryland and Virginia Chapters. No Sierra Club membership is necessary to participate. We welcome all people on a variety of outdoor adventures, nature walks, conservation outings, and exploration of our natural and regional history.
Sierra Club Virginia Chapter Events Calendar
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- ONLINE (self-paced) Wilderness First Aid available ALL DAYS NOW until April 30thLink visible for attendees
In your own home, at your own leisure (anytime -- not just the date of this event): now you can learn a ton in the online portion of Disaster + Travel + Wilderness First Aid! COURSE TOPICS VIDEOS are almost exactly as MEDIC SOLO always presents them with the latest on disaster and wilderness medical science. Intermixed at several points we guide you to practice various skills.
Choose one of two ways to learn:
a) Take the self-guided course (no certification) $99.
b) Take the self-guided online course and attend a skills scenarios workshop (one day on-line) and get certified $249 (Early Bird).
Register here: https://solowfa.com/register-online-SOLO-disaster-wilderness-first-aid-course.html
In order to get certified, you will start watching our highly-rated, self-paced videos one month prior to your Skills Scenarios Workshop date and:- Practice skills at home before your Workshop date, send us photographs and our Instructors will provide you with kudos and constructive ideas.
- Pass the multiple-choice quiz and test is what verifies that you're ready for your workshop day with an instructor.
- Attend your online Skills Scenarios Workshop full day with a live instructor and a live human patient. Use a unique software which nearly replicates the in-person learning experience.
- Gain as much to more hands-on learning experience as compared to an in-person course.
- Instructors give individual live feedback to students while you perform hands-on skills in your own home.
- Graduates receive the internationally-renowned SOLO 2-year WFA Certification.
Upcoming online Skills Scenario Workshop dates:
May 3, 2025
May 31, 2025
and June 14 2025.Sneak peek at the course:
https://www.solowfa.com/online-sample.htmEmail us at courses@solowfa.com with questions.
- 50th Annual One Day HikeNeeds location
The One Day Hike comprises two concurrent, non-competitive hikes of 100 and 50 kilometers that follow the C&O Canal towpath, and end at Bolivar, WV. The 100 km event (100K; 62.1 miles) starts at 3 AM from the Thompson Boat Center parking lot in Georgetown, DC; the 50 km event (50K; 31.1 miles) starts at 10 AM from Whites Ferry, MD. Both hikes proceed along the towpath, crossing the footbridge into Harpers Ferry after mile marker 60. The ODH has been held since 1974.
During the hike, hikers pass through eight support stations, manned by volunteers (see below to volunteer), where they receive food and drink and, if necessary, first aid assistance. While on the trail, they are monitored by volunteer bike patrols. Hikers must arrive at support stations by cut-off times or are required to drop out, and must finish by midnight. ALL HIKERS MUST BE PRE-REGISTERED.
Photo albums of previous ODH's: www.bit.ly/MWS-ODH.
REGISTRATION:
Registration costs $95 and is done on-line starting Wednesday, February 12, at 5 pm (5-time finishers may register early starting Sunday, February 2, at 5 pm). Note that registration closes when the 350-hiker limit is attained, which can occur within a few hours. The registration link will be announced via the email list (see below).UPDATES:
For hot-off-the-press, official updates regarding registration and other information, join the ODH email list by sending a blank email to OneDayHike+Subscribe@Groups.io You can also follow us on Facebook. For general information, check out www.OneDayHike.org.TRAINING HIKES:
The Sierra Club Potomac Region Outings (SCPRO) organizes training hikes in the weeks leading up to the ODH. Although open to all, these hikes are specifically designed to prepare you for the ODH—they become progressively longer, they follow routes with relatively easy trails that are generally flat, and hikers walk at their individual paces. Longer training hikes also allow shorter options for 50K trainees. Doing these training hikes, or following a similar regimen on your own, is the best way to improve your chances of completing the ODH.Training hikes will be held from the first Saturday after New Years Day until the Saturday prior to the ODH. They are free, and are held at many venues in or near DC, so it’s a great way to explore this area on foot. On these hikes, you will get to meet other ODH hikers and learn their, or share your, tips on long-distance hiking. Each training hike's details will be posted on SCPRO's Meetup page each week, as well as announced on the email list.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:
About 100 volunteers are required on hike day to help run the ODH. We need reliable, enthusiastic people to man the support stations, patrol the trail on bikes, and to provide first aid—all while encouraging hikers on their way. People with first-aid or medical experience are especially needed as first-aid volunteers. First-time volunteers receive an ODH T-shirt and the eternal gratitude of the hikers. If you are interested in volunteering, please see this announcement, or contact Mike Darzi (Mike.Darzi@Gmail.com). - Volunteers Needed for the One Day HikeNeeds location
Volunteers are needed for the 50th Annual One Day Hike. The ODH is a fully supported event that requires about 100 volunteers to put on and pull off. Volunteers must be enthusiastic, dependable, and hardy—showing up to work on time, regardless of weather. First-time volunteers get a free ODH T-shirt as a small token of appreciation.
Many volunteers are former ODH'ers paying back some of the help they received, and/or are family and friends of a hiker. If you are a veteran volunteer and want to reprise your role or would like to try something different, if you are an interested newbie, or if you just need more information, email Mike Darzi (Mike.Darzi@Gmail.com) about volunteering. (Please do not RSVP, message, or comment instead.)
Photo albums of previous ODH's: bit.ly/MWS-ODH.
1) SUPPORT-STATION VOLUNTEERS are needed to man/woman stations that provide food, drink, and assistance to hikers. If you are interested, let us know your preference in terms of time of day and amount of time you are willing to help. The more flexible you are in terms of location and time, the better. Except for the first three stations (through Edwards Ferry), you do not have to stay for a station’s entire period of operation, although that is preferable, and—yes—many volunteers serve at more than one station.
The stations are:
- Old Anglers, 5 to 7:30 am
- Seneca Creek, 7 to 11 am
- Edwards Ferry, 9 am to 2 pm
- Whites Ferry, 10 am to 3:30 pm
- Monocacy, 11 am to 6 pm
- Point of Rocks, 1 pm to 8 pm
- Brunswick, 2:30 to 10 pm
- At Harpers Ferry and Bolivar (5 pm to midnight), where volunteers are also needed to guide hikers along the towns’ route.
If you are willing to take on especially challenging tasks, we need you! Let Mike know.
2) BIKE PATROLLERS are needed to ride their bikes to check on hikers all along the (mostly) unpaved route, providing assistance as needed. Patrollers are needed from about 6:30 am to midnight. Contact Mike, if you are interested or for more information.
3) FIRST AIDERS that can administer first aid to hikers as needed at major support stations. If you have first-aid or medical training, we’d love your help. If you are interested, or for more information, email First-Aid Coordinator Jason Hauf (LJHauf@Gmail.com) or Mike.
To learn more about the ODH, check out onedayhike.org, follow us on Facebook, or join our email list to get official updates by sending a blank email message to OneDayHike+Subscribe@Groups.io.
Year in and year out, volunteers are what make the ODH the great event that it is!
