Out and about in the wilderness of Life – This is my little place to keep track of things that happen while I am 0ut and About.

Last week I talked with my friend Joe, whos an avid hiker, and he asked if I had ever hiked the Potomac Heritage trail. Nope, hadn’t even heard of it. So he invited me for a Saturday morning hike along the Potomac overlooking Georgetown in DC.

The hike began at the parking lot of Roosevelt Island, right off the George Washington Parkway. This place was SWAMPED on a Saturday morning, but it seemed that every few minutes someone was pulling out and someone else was pulling in. Frankly I think we got lucky in finding a spot, but we did.

The trail runs along the Potomac river allowing some wonderful views of Georgetown. It is 10 miles in length, but me and Joe were meeting friends later in the day so we made it an in and back route of about 6 miles total.

At the start of this trail it is smack dab between the Potomac river and the Parkway, this causes for a bit of a sound overload from all the cars. But within a short distance the Parkway curves away and you loose the sound of the passing cars. This is shortly after the Key Bridge and a great place to get a view of Georgetown.

The trail remains fairly flat during our hike, but there are several streams that you have to traverse and some rocky areas that require some minor scrambling. I think one of the things that caught me off guard the most was simply the lack of people. After seeing that packed parking lot I had expected the trail to have a bunch of people, but me and Joe had it pretty much to ourselves the entire trip. There were about 3 runners and the rest were dogs and their owners, all told about 10 people over a 3 hour hike. In fact we probably saw as many people on Kayaks and Canoes in the water as we did hikers on the trail.

During our short time on the trail we passed by 2.5 waterfalls. Yeah, it would have been 3, but with so little water to power it, it was more a wailing wall. Still all were nice and definately at any of these you would look west and see the waterfall and to the east you have the river and forested shore. At this point there was no way to tell that you were so close to civilization, much less the seat of power for Western Civilization.

If you travel much on the east coast, specifically southward, you will see the ever encroaching menace of Kudzu. This alien vine is slowly taking over and engulfing all our natural plants, growing at a rate that outpaces pretty much everything else. I had not seen its presence along any of the other trails, but this one was ripe with it. Hopefully someone will find a way to fight it soon before we start loosing our regional plants.

It was a good hike and certainly the type of hidden gem that you can find in DC. In fact, the start of the trail is not very far from a Metro stop. Will have to check for more like this in the near future.

Photo Gallery of Potomac Heritage Trail

Ever since I moved to Virginia I had seen this old stone building along side of Interstate 66 and wondered about its history. I could see that there seemed to be a road leading to it but never saw any cars there. Well today I found out that the road had long been blocked off but there was a hiking trail that went to it.

After a little research I found my new hike on Hikingupward.com and set off to the starting point from work. The trailhead is only about 20 minutes by car from Manassas so relatively close by. This area is interesting as they require you to fill out a waiver before hiking, luckily you can print it off from their website and have things done in advance.

Upon reaching the trailhead you park in a designated area in front of a house. I suppose its occupied, but its an older looking place that you just aren’t sure if its part of the Conservancy or just where some family hangs their hat. I ran into a guy by the railroad tracks as soon as I dropped off my waiver at the information board. He worked for the railroad and was concerned that the trains did not whistle when they came through this area. Seems that there are a couple of trails that cross the tracks here in/around the Conservancy. I promised him that I would look both ways and headed up the trail.

The trail headed west paralleling the railroad tracks for a short distance before coming to the first interesting site, an icepit. Back in the good ol’ days you had to keep ice stored below ground in straw if you wanted it to survive past the last freeze. The pit was still in very good shape and quite large, about 15′ across.

After that it was a short distance on to the Chapman Mill, built in 1742. This old mill had seen better days, but was actually a working mill up to 1951. Then it was gutted by a fire in 1998 and now stands just as a reminder of how buildings could survive fires back in the old days. I wonder if they might want to restore it in the future.

Hiking uphill a ways I found the remains of a homestead and a mill. This consisted of a good stone mill and a wooden house nearby. Both were quite fragmented of their once greater glory.

It was a very pleasant day for a hike. While it was in the upper 80′s, the shade of the trees took care of most of the heat. This next part of the hike was a constant uphill climb. Luckily it was a gradual incline more than anything. I ran across this feld tree that was covered by an odd fungus. It looked like a bright yellow coral was growing off the tree, never seen anything like that before.

The hike up the ridge of Bull Run Mountain started becoming more and more steep. After last week I refused to give up, and even though I was going higher today it was more gradual. So I paced myself and was not afraid to take several breather breaks along the way. Once I got to the top I was able to go off trail a little bit and see out into the valley below. Pictures weren’t good due to all of the trees, but there was a nice rock outcropping to take a break on.

I knew that for the most part my uphill was over now for the rest of the day, what I didn’t realize that the next section of the trail would be quite so…downhill. Yeah, it was at a decline enough where you almost wanted to run but knew you would be tumbling before you knew it if you did. Still, it let me cool down a bit and enjoy the rest of the hike.

I turned north again on the Quarry Trail and found myself in a beautiful grove. Not much underbrush and only these really tall trees around me. That combined with the bubbling brook it made for a truly tranquil setting. I was soon trodding along to my inner zen.

I seemed to have gone a tad (a lot) further than what my instructions indicated on this leg of the hike. It was supposed to end quickly at a rock quarry, but that site was small enough that I overlooked it until I was on my way back. Instead I kept trekking along until I saw a powerline on the horizon and knew I had made it completely out of the Conservancy area. But like I said, it was a very peaceful area and I was moving at a brisk speed, so at least the walk back to the main trail was quick.

For the next hour of my hike it was just nice rolling trails. I did get to see a fairly large bee/hornet hive (not sure which) and a skunk that was out rooting around for food. Both got their pictures taken but I know better than to get to close to either.

It was a good hike and should be nice in the fall when the colors change. Will definitely come back for that.

Photo Gallery of Bull Run Mountain Conservancy

Part of my new hiking project will involve some Urban hikes. While these do not have the tranquil solitude that I get from my nature hikes, they do provide so many other wonders. On this hike I was nicely surprised by some wonderful architecture and flower gardens.

I picked up a nice little book, Easy Hikes Close to Home: Washington, D.C., recently and it is where I found this particular hike. I do recommend it for hikes in Washington DC as well as the metro area, Southern Maryland and North Virginia.

Today I did a 4 mile hike around the Brookland neighborhood in Northeast Washington DC. To get there I took the the Metro right to the Brookland stop. From the metro I headed west toward the Catholic University of America. The campus is right off the metro and is a nice mix of old and new architecture.

My first sign of some of the wonderful Gothic buildings was the Dept of History, Cardinal Hall. And right after that was Gibbons Hall. Both made me think more of jolly ol’ England than the Northeast part of DC.

Finally reaching the crown jewel of the campus I stood in awe of the great domed Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. While I may not be a religious person, I do love the architectural wonders that they inspire. I spent some time walking around the Basilica taking pictures and enjoying the near perfect weather.

I wondered around some more of the campus checking out the old and new buildings. Being summer there was next to no one around, giving me a feeling of an exclusive pass to this wonderful university. The only other photo I will share here was of a new resident hall, only because they seemed to meld the old and new styles to make it happen. Check the faux battlements along the top of the building.

I continued my hike north along the metro line until I got to Taylor avenue. At this point I headed west through an older neighborhood. I really liked this area as it reminded me of where my great aunt lived in Oklahoma City. Nice tree lined lane with brick row houses mixed in with small wooden homes. The maintenance varied wildly on the homes, with some that seem to have almost been forgotten to others displaying lovely gardens.

My next area for exploration was Howard University Divinity School. I really had no idea what to expect walking up the long drive all I could see from the main road was what looked like a church. The building looked like some of the Spanish inspired churches I had seen in the southwest USA.

The guidebook for this hike, recommended walking around the divinity school. Doing so I encountered a few things. First off the back of this school looks postively dastly, little to no upkeep has been done to the building or the grounds. There was a memorial bench to a Martha Staples donated in 2001 which apparently was busted and left that way ever since. The bench was half sunk into the ground, seat was busted, and several plants had happily taken up residence. (pic in gallery)

Walking along further I came to a very odd sight. There was a paved area, with no corresponding road attached with a free standing wall. Nothing on the wall, just a wall. Here’s a pic just in case someone has an idea.

There was a nice old home attached to the school which I presume was for the dean. But it looks like it had been abandoned years ago, with Danger/Warning tape around the porch area and otherwise just falling apart.

Continuing a short distance on 14th street I came upon a Franciscan Monastery. This was indeed an oasis compared to the previous religious edifice. Here was a large church surrounded by lovely gardens and statues. I did not get to spend as much time as I had liked since I had a lunch meetup so I walked the main gardens and headed out. I will come back though.

Further down 14th street I came across a historical marker for Fort Bunker Hill. Looks like I will have to come back and explore that area another time also. Next I cut through a neighborhood market area on 12th street and then I was back to the metro station.

It was a hot day, but the 4 mile hike drifted by very easily. There were some hilly areas but really with all the tree lined lanes and buildings to stop and look at I felt more exhilarated than exhausted. Sweaty? Yes, but still keepin it cool.

Photo Gallery of Brookland Urban Hike

For this hike I wanted something a little further out and more challenging to test me. I found an interesting hike that wasn’t to far from my home in Manassas, about 40 minutes west right off of highway 17. The hike is actually part of the AT (Appalachian Trail), out and back to Hollow Brook and a waterfall.

The drive out was nice, but that quickly changed when the final leg of road turned into gravel and large ruts from the rains. And my car is built far more for urban areas, so I put it through its paces but it chugged up the mountain just fine.

I researched this trip on hikingupward.com, but when it came to finding the actual beginning of the trail was not exactly clear. Referencing the nearest location on the provided map Frogtown…yes, an actual town in Virginia, I was able to figure out the general location. Since there is no parking lot, I really just got lucky that someone was hiking the trail already and their parked car along the side of the road caught my attention.

The trail starts no the north side of Morgan Mill Rd, and since the AT is well maintained, its pretty easy to see once you know the general area. It starts out as a pretty good ascent over a ridge, initially in steps built into the trail then just dirt track. I ran into the other car owner rather quickly as they were heading down the trail as I was going up, walking their dogs.

While I have read about the AT I haven’t hiked any until today. For those that don’t know, this trail runs from Georgia up to Maine. Many people hike it every year, some in sections others as through hikes. A through hike takes about 6 months though, so this accomplishment is rare if for no other reason than the time you would have to be away from job and family. The trail is well marked and maintained by volunteers. Trees along the trail have a white blaze painted on them to keep you on track.

While it is high summer, this area was still quite lush with greenery. And I even saw a few sprigs of wildflowers and some wild raspberries along the way.

I got to the Hollow Brook waterfall area in quick time. Unfortunately I should have been taken the advice of the trail guide and come in the spring, as the brook was not outputting enough water to really create a waterfall. It was closer to a waterdrool instead.

The area was a bit of an oasis on the mountain though. A nice bubbling brook with lots of big bolders to scramble over. This was just over half way on the hike as listed on hikingupward.com, and I was getting pretty exhausted. It wasn’t the distance, but the climbs that were really getting to me. I am still getting into hiking shape, but that combined with the 94 degree heat and humidity just got to be to much.

I scrambled on some more, but finally came to the realization that I should head back. I don’t like to think about not finishing something, but I figure this is just a good reason to head back in the Spring when I can enjoy the falls better.

Photo Gallery of Hollow Brook Hike

So this is the first of hopefully a large series of hikes around the DC area. I am starting off with some of the more simple, at least in difficulty, so that I can get my hiking legs back in shape.

Today I hiked just over 3 miles at the Riverbend Park in Great Falls, VA. The drive out was very short, about 25 minutes during rush hour from the Dulles, VA area. It wove through the Great Falls neighborhoods and I was stunned by the size and beauty of the residences there. And it was also nice to see several mansions in a row broken up by a much smaller older home. You can definitely see who has been there a long time.

I am using a website called hikingupward.com for my maps and information, it seems not only well put together but with lots of personal comments from fellow hikers. Here is the link for this particular hike: http://www.hikingupward.com/OVH/RiverBend/

I was surprised to find that the Visitors Center was quite modern. It was large and had a huge back patio overlooking the Potomac river. There were signs indicating that you could reserve it but no particular price list posted.

I started off heading north along the Potomac on a wide gentle path. Even though it is high summer, our weather has been quite mild so the lush Virginia green was still in evidence.

There were a few people walking along this path but not many. I did see a good number of fishermen spread out along the bank of the river. Not sure if its safe to eat the fish in the Potomac, but there are a lot of catch/release people out there who enjoy it for a sport. Growing up with my Grandmother we only fished to eat, so the concept of catching a fish and releasing it (unless it was to small or a female with eggs) seems quite foreign to me.

Walking along the bank of the river kept the path at a fairly even keel. I did cross a couple of footbridges but otherwise it was dirt path all the way. After about a quarter mile the path moved away from the river and I finally saw an incline. I chose this path as a starter for a reason, to keep the climbs simple at first. And really Riverbend seems to have fit the bill, with only a 290′ elevation gain throughout the entire track it wasn’t a problem

I came across a strange scene, 2 purple boxes on a long piece of PVC pipe. Seems they are Emerald Ash Borer traps, set up all along the eastern seaboard to combat these little pests. And there were tons of bugs stuck to them.

Going further inland I came across a pond that was almost neon green in algae. It was beautiful yet creepy at the same time. Its in a secluded grove with a little dock that you can walk out on. But standing there I felt like I was in some monster movie. The woods were eerily silent and the wind had died down. I guess I should have taken it as tranquil but my imagination got the best of me and I kept moving.

Next stop was the parks Nature Center. A very out of the way building that seemed to be abandoned but wasn’t. They had posted that it was staffed during certain hours otherwise it was available for rent. I did get to spy a couple of young dear who were playing in a meadow nearby.

For the most part the rest of the hike was uneventful. I did see a few other people on the path, most of them walking their dogs, but generally it was me, the squirrels, a few dear and lots of birds. I did run across a large patch of ferns though right off the trail.

After the trail looped back to the river it went flat again for about a half mile before getting back to the visitor center. They have a small boat ramp at the center along with the ability to rent kayaks and canoes. Might have to come back some day and take a canoe for a paddle, the water was very quite and almost glass like today.

By this time it was about 8pm and I was back at the parking lot. All in all this is a nice place for an evening stroll that is close to DC and the northern Virginia communities. With not to many people on the trail you can truly unwind and just listen to the birds…and the scurry of the squirrels. Lots of nice views of the Potomac River, a lovely yet creepy pond, a couple of streams and an easy trail. Hope you get to check it out!

Photo Gallery of Riverbend Park