Seems like 2021 was a pretty good year for hiking, if our hiking group is any indication. During 2021 we went on 102 hikes for a total of 500.5 miles; averaging 4.9 miles per hike. That’s the most mileage we’ve ever done in a year, since I started keeping track 5 years ago in 2016.

Our first quarter events included seeing the Tall Ship Providence replica at anchor in Old Town Alexandria and a Bald Eagle at Occoquan Bay Wildlife Refuge. In March we visited Washington DC to see the troops and fortifications surrounding the Capitol Building.

Among our events during April through June were a visit to Great Falls, hiking at Dark Hollow Falls and Hawksbill Mountain in the Shenandoah Mountains, and touring historic Frederick in Maryland.

In late Summer and early Fall our outings included a visit to Rippon Lodge, near Neabsco Creek, touring historic Manassas, and a couple of visits to Fredericksburg to check out the historic district and the Rappahannock Canal.

We didn’t see much cold weather during the last quarter, so we were able to do a lot of hiking! Some of the venues were Kennedy Peak, in the Massanutten Mountain Range, the Manassas National Battlefield Park, and Arlington Cemetery, which we visited on the Sunday after Christmas.

I certainly didn’t host all 102 hikes by myself! My partner in crime (so to speak), Jim Bovard, hosted 45 hikes. Most were along the ever-popular C&O Canal, starting from Carderock, Glen Echo, and the Palisades, for a total of 245.6 miles.

A good thing, too, because I was goofing off at the beach during July and taking care of something very important!