Category Archives: Hiking

Further along

Posted on May 4, 2015 by John M

We’re moving further along through springtime; another week and we’ll be halfway done. (Spring vernal equinox was March 20; summer solstice will be June 21.) My nose tells me we have quite a way to go, and if that isn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Hiking, History, Photography | Tagged Christ Church, Dark Star Park, David Herold, John Wilkes Booth, Lewis Powell, Marine Corps War Memorial, Nathanael Greene, nature, Netherlands Carillon, outdoors, Potomac Heritage Trail, Potomac River, Red-winged Blackbird, Washington DC | Comments Off

Rites of Spring

Posted on April 22, 2015 by John M

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Hiking, Photography | Tagged Bollman Truss Railroad Bridge, Cherry Blossom Festival, Jefferson Memorial, National Cherry Blossom Festival, National Mall, nature, outdoors, Patuxent Branch Trail, Patuxent River, ribbon snake, Savage Mill, Savage Mill Trail, spring, tulips, Washington DC | 2 Comments

Tugwell’s Dream

Posted on April 17, 2015 by John M

Good heavens, it’s been a month and a half since I last posted! It’s not for lack of hikes, certainly: we’ve been doing two just about every week since my last post. Maybe it has more to do with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Hiking, History | Tagged Constitution, Greenbelt, New Deal, Tugwell | 2 Comments

Hiking the holidays

Posted on December 26, 2014 by John M

Actually, this post is about hiking over the entire month of December, to date! But given that merchants, the media, and accompanying decor shift into Christmas holiday mode the very second after the Thanksgiving feast is served, I figure I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in Hiking, Photography | Tagged Christmas decorations, Christmas holiday, Christmas in the City, Christmas Tree, Freeman Store, Meetup, old town alexandria, outdoors, Potomac River, Smithsonian Visitor Center, Vienna, Washington DC, wildlife | 6 Comments

Buzzard Rock

Posted on December 4, 2014 by John M

Had a great time yesterday reconnoitering a hike on Buzzard Rock, just southwest of Front Royal in the Shenandoah Valley. It’s an easy to moderate 4-mile hike with a 650-foot elevation gain, and offers a nice climb and spectacular views … Continue reading →

Posted in Hiking, Photography | Tagged Buzzard Rock, Buzzard Rock North, Front Royal, nature, outdoors, Shenandoah Mountains, Shenandoah Valley, State Fish Hatchery, VA, Vienna Metro Station, wildlife | 4 Comments

Down to zero

Posted on November 24, 2014 by John M

The past three weekends have been filled with hikes, as Mother Nature put on her Autumnal show of colors before finally turning the temperatures down to zero. Here’s a few highlights: Brookside Gardens Brookside Gardens, in Wheaton-Glenmont, MD, with its … Continue reading →

Posted in Hiking, Photography | Tagged Billy Goat Trail, blue heron, Boulder Bridge, Brookside Gardens, C&O Canal, deer, Fort Ethan Allen Park, Great Falls National Park, Gulf Branch, nature, outdoors, Peirce Mill, Potomac Heritage Trail, Potomac River, Rock Creek Park, Washington DC, Wheaton Park, wildlife | 4 Comments

To the colors

Posted on October 29, 2014 by John M

With the arrival of Fall colors, the past couple of weekends have been taken up with trips to see them! The color changes in Virginia usually start in the mountains and over a few weeks, progress to the Piedmont and … Continue reading →

Posted in Hiking, Photography | Tagged Billy Goat Trail, C&O Canal, C&O Canal National Historical Park, Fall colors, foliage, Great Falls Tavern, Kingstowne Lake, Leesylvania State Park, nature, Neabsco Creek, outdoors, Potomac River, Shenandoah Mountains, Sugarloaf Mountain, wildlife | 10 Comments

3 x 3 + 1

Posted on October 9, 2014 by John M

Seems like I’m always falling behind — too busy hiking to plan the next hike or too busy planning the next hike to blog about the last hike. During group hikes, I’m usually too busy navigating (avoiding getting lost) to … Continue reading →

Posted in Hiking, Photography | Tagged Butterfly Habitat, Merchant Marine Memorial, National Building Museum, National Museum of Women in the Arts, outdoors, Potomac River, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Smithsonian Gardens Butterfly Habitat, Smithsonian National Zoological Park, urban hike, Washington DC | 4 Comments

Long weekend, lost wonder

Posted on September 6, 2014 by John M

Whenever a Federal holiday comes around, yielding a three-day weekend, I usually feel compelled to fill up with hikes. Maybe this compulsion comes from something I was discussing with a friend not so very long ago, about the lost wonder … Continue reading →

Posted in Hiking, History, Photography | Tagged Billy Goat Trail, C&O Canal, Civil War, Great Falls National Park, nature, outdoors, Potomac Heritage Trail, Potomac River, Washington DC | 4 Comments

Summer on the Potomac

Posted on August 27, 2014 by John M

A couple of hikes over the past two weeks shared something in common, the Potomac River, but yielded two very different feels. The Palisades District of Washington DC, demonstrably the younger of the two neighborhoods we hiked through, still has … Continue reading →

Posted in Hiking, Photography | Tagged Arizona Avenue Railroad Bridge, C&O Canal, Conduit Schoolhouse, Georgetown, Kennedy Center, outdoors, Palisades, Potomac, Potomac River, Rosslyn, The Palisades District, Washington DC | 4 Comments