Tag Archives: nature

First Manassas Trail

Posted on November 25, 2013 by John M

I visited the Manassas National Battlefield Park last Saturday to hike the First Manassas Trail, a 5.4-mile route that starts from the Henry Hill Visitor Center, leads northeast to the Stone Bridge, up Bull Run to the fording site of … Continue reading →

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The Guns of Autumn: Forts Foote and Washington

Posted on November 14, 2013 by John M

Last weekend was not only a long one (because of Veterans Day), but also about the last hurrah for autumn colors here in northern Virginia. To take advantage of the extra day our hiking group did three hikes over the weekend! The first two, Burke … Continue reading →

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Fall colors at Riverbend and Rock Creek parks

Posted on November 5, 2013 by John M

Last weekend was the start of peak Fall colors along the eastern seaboard of the mid-Atlantic coast, and I tried to maximize the occasion with back-to-back hikes on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s outing was to Riverbend Park in Great Falls, Virginia. Like its adjacent cousin, Great Falls National … Continue reading →

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Hawksbill & Stony Man

Posted on October 28, 2013 by John M

The Autumn leaves are changing colors in Virginia, so on Saturday we went out to the Shenandoah Mountains National Park to get a look.  What better vantage point than the two highest peaks in the park, Hawksbill and Stony Man? … Continue reading →

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Leesylvania

Posted on October 18, 2013 by John M

Yesterday I visited Leesylvania State Park to check it out for a group hike this weekend. The 508-acre park was once the plantation home of Henry Lee II, father of “Light Horse” Harry Lee and grandfather of Robert E. Lee, and is located along the Potomac River in Prince William County, Virginia. The … Continue reading →

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Holmes Run and Winkler Botanical Preserve

Posted on October 7, 2013 by John M

Had a nice walk with friends this past Saturday along Holmes Run Trail, with a side visit to Winkler Botanical Preserve, both in Alexandria, Virginia. We visited the same stretch of Holmes Run Trail earlier this year, but this time we started … Continue reading →

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Kits and Colvin

Posted on September 7, 2013 by John M

Took a beautiful walk with friends along the Colvin Run Trail, starting from Colvin Mill, at 10017 Colvin Run Road in Great Falls, Virginia. The mill is nicely situated as a trailhead, providing plenty of free parking, restrooms and drinking fountains and, during … Continue reading →

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North Marshall Mountain

Posted on August 21, 2013 by John M

Went snooping on North Marshall Mountain in the Shenandoah Mountains on Tuesday. A nice out-and-back 6.2-mile hike, easy to moderate difficulty except for the 1,000-foot elevation gain, and lots of solitude. (Except black bears – two adults and two cubs!) Unfortunately, there’s … Continue reading →

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Startled

Posted on August 7, 2013 by John M

A barred owl at Pohick Bay Regional Park in Lorton, Virginia. It was apparently sleeping under a little footbridge in the woods and when I crossed, it came piling out of there in a flurry and perched only a few feet … Continue reading →

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Scott’s Run

Posted on August 4, 2013 by John M

On Saturday some friends and I went on a pleasant hike at Scott’s Run Nature Preserve, a small park in along the Potomac River in Fairfax County, Virginia. The park features the closest waterfall to Washington DC and a beautiful … Continue reading →

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