Took advantage of the ideal hiking weather this weekend to hike the Appalachian Trail to Raven Rocks. It was a relatively short drive, about an hour from Falls Church, to a hike of moderate length (4 hours) and moderate difficulty (1,530 feet of elevation gain) from a start in Virginia to the Raven Rocks overlook in West Virginia.
The near-record warm winter and lack of snowfall (only 2" in DC) followed by a warm, dry spring has left streams very low. Trails that usually would give you a chance for a little rock-hopping were nearly bone dry:
Spotted this snake about 3 or 4 feet long just off the trail. While most snakes move quietly away from people, this one hurried behind a log, then stared us down. Looks like a black racer, a non-venomous constrictor but one of the few snakes that tends to be aggressive towards people rather than hiding or fleeing:
And here's the reward for a day of hiking - an amazing view of the Shenandoah Valley from the Raven Rocks cliff:
Conservatives love to paint personal vehicles as the pinnacle of freedom, fuel efficiency standards as the government boot on the neck of Lady Liberty, and walkable communities, car sharing & public transit as creeping communism. But an experience last weekend made America's oil-addicted transportation culture seem more constricting than liberating.
I was up in New Hampshire hiking the Boulder Loop Trail off the Kancamagus Highway in the White Mountain National Forest near the town of Conway. The trail walk to the top of Moat Ridge gave us beautiful views of the surrounding mountains as well as the Swift River running through the Passaconaway Valley.
We were hiking with a couple in their 20s who'd brought their 3-month-old baby along. Except for her request for lunch, we barely heard a peep from the baby the whole hike, she was perfectly happy gently bouncing along in her baby carrier.
As we got back to the parking lot, mom said she'd had a great time and wanted to hike more often for regular exercise. I suggested making a routine of it - finding a favorite spot and going for a hike, say, every Sunday.
"Well ... maybe every couple of weeks," she said.
Why not more often? "This thing," she sighed, pointing to her SUV. "I couldn't afford to drive the hour and back to the mountain every weekend."
Over the longer term, President Obama has taken steps to significantly increase fuel efficiency in new cars, trucks & SUVs. But in the short run, families need to consider all the consequences of owning a gas guzzler. I understand the desire for a roomy vehicle to lug around car seats, strollers & such. But what good is owning that vehicle if it means you can't afford to get to the places you want to go?
The newest vehicle that's both fuel-efficient AND family-friendly? Check out the Toyota Prius V:
On the final day of Take a Hike Week here at The Green Miles, a note about picking the right day to get the most out of your hike.
Most people I know in the DC area grew up in other parts of the country, many of them in places like Boston, New York and Chicago that have cooler climates than the Mid-Atlantic. The weather there takes longer to warm up enough for outdoor activities and there's more time before summer moves into the dog days when it's hard to do anything outside without sweating.
Then they move to DC and keep that same mental weather calendar and wonder why they're practically dying of heat stroke on their Memorial Day hike because it's 95 and humid. But Memorial Day was always perfect for hiking in the Blue Hills!
Don't let the nice days slip past you. In the early part of the year, watch for those 60 degree days in March, then keep an eye out for them again in November - the times of the year when many people wrongly assume it'll be too cold to hike are in fact the best days to get outside. All you need is a little sun & a little warmth and if you're on a good hike, you'll be glad it's not warmer.
If you're looking for a really close, easy trail with great views, you can't go wrong with Great Falls Park. The trail to the north of the Virginia parking lot goes for miles, providing a good walk along the Potomac River and a chance to spot Great Blue Herons, Egrets, and maybe even a Bald Eagle if you're really lucky.
And on those first days of warmth, you can get a rare look at Great Falls' angry side. The melting snow can combine with spring rains to turn Great Falls into raging rapids:
One tip - the parking lot can fill up fast on really nice days and during prime fall foliage, so go early.
Did you know National Trails Day is Saturday, June 4th? DC, Maryland & Virginia are loaded with fantastic hikes just a short drive away. Find a NTD event near you at AmericanHiking.org, or explore local trails & climbs at HikingUpward.com.
If you're looking to take an easy trail walk to a beautiful spot, Scott's Run Nature Preserve in Fairfax is the place for you.
I visited Scott's Run last fall and got to see it near the peak of fall colors. While the walk wasn't very challenging and I didn't see any wildlife, the concrete post bridges were interesting. And the view of the waterfall where it meets the Potomac River was worth the trip:
Did you know National Trails Day is Saturday, June 4th? DC, Maryland & Virginia are loaded with fantastic hikes just a short drive away. Find a NTD event near you at AmericanHiking.org, or explore local trails & climbs at HikingUpward.com.
The Green Miles recently made the 75 minute drive from the DC area up northwest of Frederick to Maryland's Catoctin Mountain. It was one of those days that thunderstorms were a constant menace, but surprisingly the rain held off long enough to make the full 8-mile loop around the top of the mountain.
Part of the Bull Run Mountains, a subset of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Catoctin's highest peak is only about 1,900 feet. But the hike provides a great range of views, from Cunningham Falls all the way up to the Blue Ridge Vista:
Like Virginia's Old Rag Mountain, the peaks feature exposed ancient granite, providing some fun rock-hopping at Chimney Rock:
I decided to start a new tradition this hike, bringing two beers for my friend Dan & I to crack open on top of the mountain. Of course, after lugging the beers up the mountain I then realized I'd left my bottle opener in the car. Fortunately, at the Hog Rock overlook Dan found a sign with some exposed screws that made a great bottle opener. After a long slog up & around the mountain, Dogfish Head Raison D'Etre had never tasted better:
Did you know National Trails Day is Saturday, June 4th? DC, Maryland & Virginia are loaded with fantastic hikes just a short drive away. Find a NTD event near you at AmericanHiking.org, or explore local trails & climbs at HikingUpward.com.
The Green Miles hadn't hiked Virginia's Old Rag Mountain since my first trip there back in 2008. Back then, my friend Dan & I took the relatively easy back route to the summit to reach the 3,291-foot peak's spectacular views.
This month, we took the front way up - much steeper and with a series of challenging rock scrambles. I'm not sure we'd have made it up if not for the church & scout groups that were hiking up around the same time - each had an experienced hiker with the group who explained the best way to tackle tough stretches & gave helping hands when needed.
Despite the tough hike, the trip was well worth it. The summit, composed of exposed billion-year-old granite, provided spectacular views of the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains in Shenandoah National Park:
If you're looking to reward yourself on the way home, stop by Pearmund Cellars in Broad Run.
Did you know National Trails Day is Saturday, June 4th? DC, Maryland & Virginia are loaded with fantastic hikes just a short drive away. Find a NTD event near you at AmericanHiking.org, or explore local trails & climbs at HikingUpward.com.
The Green Miles went back to Shenandoah National Park recently to hike White Oak Canyon. The weather was as weird as the waterfalls were beautiful:
3pm: Arrive at top of canyon. 85, sunny. 4pm: Arrive at bottom of canyon. 80, thunderstorm. 5:30pm: Arrive back at top of canyon. 55, cloudy. 6:30pm: Exit park. 80, sunny.
We stopped at the visitors center to grab some water, but instead of buying bottled, I grabbed a reusable water bottle. Didn't say if it was BPA-free, so I'm assuming it has it. I wouldn't use it every day, but for hikes and such, it'll do just fine. Kept the water surprisingly cool, too.
The Green Miles climbed his first mountain this weekend. Yeah, I know, how could an avowed treehugger like me have avoided it for 30 years? I didn't really get into trail hiking until relatively recently. And Northern Virginia has so many great parks and trails to explore, I've always had an excuse to stay local and avoid the two hour drive to the closest mountains.
But my roommate loves hiking Shenandoah National Park, so this weekend we headed down Route 211 to Old Rag Mountain. We took the less-challenging back route up, skipping the rock scrambles of the main trail, but it was still five miles to the 3,291-foot peak and back. As you can see below, the view was well worth it.
Get much more information about hiking Old Rag at Hiking Upward.
