Outdoor and Indoor Recreational Opportunities

The Greenwood Men's Group has many possibilities for various forms of recreation. We generally have at least one or two outdoor recreational activities every month.  

In addition to sports, exercise, walks, and trips, the Group is also interested in additional recreational opportunities:

Bird Watching

We think bird watching is great for your mental and physical health. It's relaxing and sharpens your observational skills.

One our favorite place for birdwatching is the Union Bay Natural Area, near the University of Washington. It's noted for its microhabitats, which attract a huge diversity of resident and migratory birds. Some 200 species have been seen here over the years. 

Heron Fishing in Union Bay Natural Area

Another favorite destination of the men's group is the great blue heron rookery located in Commodore Park. We try to visit the baby herons every Spring.

This year there are about 45 nests. If you correctly time your visit, you’ll witness courtship displays such as bill duels, neck stretching, feather fluffing and on-going nest building and remodeling. 

To learn more about the herons, visit Heron Habitat Helpers.

Heron Nests at Commodore Park near Ballard Locks

Kayaking & Canoeing

The group has done kayaking and canoeing in the vicinity of the Union Bay Natural Area, Foster Island, and Duck Bay.  We rented our equipment at the University of Washington waterfront activities center.  Loads of fun!

Kayaking in Union Bay

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Orienteering

Orienteering is the art of navigation, using a highly detailed map and perhaps a compass. It is defined as a competitive sport in which participants find their way to various checkpoints across rough country with the aid of a map and compass, the winner being the one with the lowest elapsed time.

However, we don't do it as a competitive sport since none of us are experienced and competitive orienteers. Instead, there are several self-guided orienteering courses in our area, where we can proceed at our own pace and practice our navigation skills.  And maybe get little bit lost in the process.

Using the map below, we recently navigated our way through a tricky course in Magnuson Park. We had a devil of a time finding one of the checkpoints, with everybody heading off in a different direction or going around in circles. Finally, one of the guys went down an obscure path and found the checkpoint.  Later, we encountered a checkpoint that was in a flooded area. Rather the slosh our way through ankle-deep water and mud, we decided to skip that checkpoint and move on. Orienteering is a great way to sharpen your observational skills and have fun collaborating with your friends as you try to find the correct way through the course.

On orienteering maps, a course consists of a triangle, circles, a double circle and sometimes connecting lines all in purple. The triangle is the start. The double circle is the finish. All the circles in between are checkpoints.

Self-Guided Orienteering Course in Magnuson Park

If you would like to do orienteering as a sport, check out the Cascade Orienteering Club.

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Other Outdoor Activities

The Greenwood Men's Group has talked about several other outdoor activities that we might do. We look forward to exploring these ideas:

• Bicycling - bike and trike. Several of us are regular bike riders while others can't. At least one of our members has a trike to traverse the local trails. Perhaps some more of us will try the trike idea and form a micro-group.
• Swimming. There has been some talk of going to the Colman salt water pool in West Seattle for a swim. It hasn't happened yet, but it's on our To Do list.

Colman Pool in West Seattle

Indoor Recreation

Upon occasion, the Greenwood Men's Group will play some indoor games, especially during inclement weather.  One time each man brought his favorite board game and we had more than a half dozen games going on at a time. Lots of laughter, fun, commotion and conversation.

We also have access to indoor ping pong, cards & poker chips, darts, cornhole and more.

Music, Photography & Art

The Greenwood Men's Group has quite a few members who are musically talented. There's been some talk about having jam sessions or musical presentations of some sort. Just talks so far. Maybe you're the one to make something happen?

The group also has at least one very accomplished photographer, as well as several artists.  In the past, they have shared some of their work with the group. We hope that will continue! If you're the artistic type, do you have anything you'd like to share? Or maybe form a micro-group of like-minded individuals?

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Do You Have a Recreation Suggestion?

Do you have any outdoor or indoor activity ideas that you think would be engaging and fun?  Please let us know in the form below!

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