Sunday’s hike  was a loop along the Potomac Heritage Trail in Arlington, Virginia. It was a little chilly when we started, but there’s nothing like 4.5 miles of stream crossings, climbs, and scrambling over boulders to warm you up! The route took us from our start point in Potomac Overlook Regional Park, down Donaldson Run Trail to the Potomac, about a mile and a half downstream along the Potomac, and then back up Windy Run Trail before returning to our start point uphill along neighborhood streets. (You get a much better appreciation for sidewalks after a few miles of broken trail!)

A Google map of the hike route is here. Google reflects a straight-line distance of 3.8 miles, but with the extra distance needed to negotiate obstacles, a calibrated pedometer showed 4.5 miles.

Hikers took lots of great photos on Sunday, but here are a few I took during a rainy pre-hike on February 26. (If you’re planning a hike for 75+ hikers, a little route reconnaissance is a good idea to preclude unpleasant surprises.)

Spring is on the way! Hard to believe it’s only 3 weeks until the annual Cherry Blossom Festival, and that’s a beautiful walk that shouldn’t be missed!