THE OUTSIDE LINE
Columbia Gym Is Starting Point for World Expeditions
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Thankfully, there are plenty of places around Washington where you can get away from it all. Take a bike ride in Rock Creek Park, paddle the Potomac or hike the shores of Great Falls. It's easy to leave the work-a-day world of Washington behind.
But there are times when the only way to shake the daily grind is to check out completely for days and weeks at a time in a foreign scene, where the currency is as strange as the language, and the scenery is like nothing you've ever seen.
Which is why the trips recently announced by Earth Treks, the Columbia climbing gym and mountaineering guide service, sound so enticing. There's the Kilimanjaro expedition, a two-week program that begins in May and costs nearly $5,000, and a trip to conquer Argentina's Aconcagua mountain, which at 22,834 feet is the tallest peak in the Western Hemisphere. The 19-day expedition scheduled for next February costs nearly $4,000.
For more information, go to http:/
Or if you're young and can't afford to lay down a few grand, you might want to apply for the Pole to Pole Leadership Institute, which is sponsoring a trip from the South Pole to the North Pole. A team of 18- to 24-year-olds will make the trip on foot, skis, bicycles in sailboats and kayaks.
For more information visit http:/
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With daylight savings today, one of my favorite days of the year, it really does feel like spring has finally arrived. If for you that means cycling season, you may want to check out the Cycling Basics Class at Hudson Trail Outfitters this Wednesday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Held at its stores in Rockville, Tenleytown and Fairfax, the course will go over wheel and tire maintenance, proper cycling techniques and how to keep your bike in good condition. For more information visit http:/
The Sugarloafers Volksmarch Club is sponsoring a self-guided Cherry Blossom Walk in Bethesda starting today and running through April 8. The 10K walk is along the Capital Crescent Trail. Pick up a map at the Starbucks in The Shops at Sumner Place, 4511-E in Bethesda.
-- Christian Davenport
Have an item to list in the Outside Line? Send it todavenportc@washpost.com.
