Tag Archives: wildlife

Disappointment

Posted on March 10, 2014 by John M

I’m kind of disappointed with the past weekend’s hikes. Plans almost always fall short of expectations during execution, and these were no exception. You just can’t make chicken salad out of chicken sh*t, as this fellow I used to work … Continue reading →

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Carderock

Posted on December 22, 2013 by John M

A wonderful 6-mile hike on an unexpectedly warm, sunny Saturday on the Billy Goat Trail, sections B and C, starting from Carderock Recreation Area along the C&O Canal. (Google map here.) Section A is the most popular (and strenuous) part of … Continue reading →

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Lunch bunch

Posted on December 15, 2013 by John M

A winter afternoon at Huntley Meadows. Despite the cold, everyone was out having lunch.

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Open and shut

Posted on December 1, 2013 by John M

Two hikes this weekend, on Friday and Saturday, yielded looks at the Potomac River in two contrasting states: one open and unfettered, at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, and the other partially shut in and put to work, at Riley’s … Continue reading →

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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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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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