Spring has finally arrived, and it’s always great to be able to get out on the trail for a couple of hours without having to spend almost an equal amount of time bundling up for the occasion.

Cherry Blossom Festival

We always put a couple of visits to the National Mall to enjoy the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington DC. This year the peak bloom period just happened to coincide with Thomas Jefferson’s birthday (April 13), so it was as if the Jefferson Memorial was especially decorated for the occasion. Our visit was only a couple of days earlier, and after the hike many went on to enjoy the parade along  Constitution Avenue.

There is a downside to it if you happen to be an allergy sufferer, because while it’s wonderful to get out and enjoy looking at and smelling all the cherry blossoms, you’re going to pay for it in spades afterwards, in the form of congestion and headaches that last for days. (I am, and I did.) Maybe it’s not so bad, though: presidential inaugurations also take place in Washington DC during the spring, but the headaches from those last for at least four years.

Savage Mill

Savage Mill is a historic cotton mill on the Little Patuxent River in Maryland that has been  converted into a complex of shops and restaurants.  Adding to the attraction is the adjacent Bollman Truss Railroad Bridge, one of the oldest standing iron truss bridges in the US. Finally, there are two nice hiking trails extending from the Savage Mill location, the Savage Mill Trail to the south, and the Patuxent Branch Trail to the north. The combination of these and the location’s close proximity, only 12 miles from the I-495 Capital Beltway, made it a nice destination for our weekend morning hike.

There are a couple of more springtime events to come over the next few weeks, but those will be topics for future posts.