I Do Stuff…

Washington Monument

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This past weekend Nancy was in North Carolina for a baby shower, so I had Saturday to myself.  It is not often that I get a day by myself so I took the opportunity to walk around Arlington and DC.  The weather started off below freezing but the high was going to be near fifty and for the middle of winter around here, that is not bad.  I saw Nancy off around 8 and by 9 I was out the door and headed north.

My first stop was to Arlington National Cemetery, weird I know.  A good friend of mine died a few years back and I have always wanted to go back to his grave and smoke a cigar.  I sat there for 45 minutes or so, smoking my cigar and just enjoying the early morning.  I left one on his grave for him, I hoped he liked it.

From there I was in a walking mood and took the Mount Vernon Trail north to Roosevelt Island.  The trail was filled with runners and bikers also out enjoying the weather.  The island is a little slice of nature just outside the city.  It is an 88 acre island in the Potomac between DC and Virginia that years ago was last purchased by the Theodore Roosevelt Association and given to the American people.  On the island is a memorial to the 26th president with several hiking trails that cross the island.  I took the longest trail around the island and was pretty impressed with the amount of wildlife I saw for such a small island.  I managed to photograph cardinals, robins, a woodpecker and strangely, saw a couple of deer roaming around.  I ended at the memorial which is rather large.  In the center is a giant statue of Roosevelt depicting him giving a speech with several sayings of his on either side about manhood, democracy, etc…

smoked a cigar with a friend

By now I had worked up an appetite so I walked back across to Virginia and had lunch in Rossyln.  I wanted to head to the Mall and enjoy a cigar but decided to cheat and take Metro.  For a beautiful day, the Mall was packed with people taking full advantage of the nice weather.  Most of the lawn was occupied with Frisbee football games, regular football and even a couple of rugby games at the far end.  On each side runs and bikers zipped by the tourists and pedestrians who where out in droves.  I just sat on one of the benches and did some people watching while enjoying my second cigar.

To end my day, I headed to the National Gallery of Art that just reopened their French masters section for a little reading.  I was disappointed I had to check my bag at the door but I grabbed my book and found a nice comfy couch to relax in and catch up on some reading.  I was trying to close to place down but I needed to get to my dad’s house for dinner.  For an entire week me and Nancy were not eating meat, out of choice, but tonight I was going to break that fast and enjoy a nice steak.  To wash all this down we headed over to Rustico after dinner to sample some beers.  We lucked out and got a booth in the back as some people where leaving as we were arriving.  We took the opportunity to sample some different Belgium and Germany beers from their extensive list.

Pileated Woodpecker

After a long exciting day I was happy to get home around 11:30 that night.  According to my GPS logger I walked about 6 miles in total and I was feeling it.  I didn’t get much sleep the night before, then up early to see Nancy off and all the walking wiped me out.  On my adventures that day I did get a few ideas of things to do with Nancy.  I can’t wait for spring and the cherry blossoms, if they bloom, I would like to have a picnic on the Mall again.  This winter has been crazy and is causing the plants to get confused.  There were the tulips starting to bloom on the Mount Vernon trail and some cherry blossoms at the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden starting to bloom as well.

us at the summit

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I called my brother on New Years Eve to shoot the shit for a while, lets be honest, it was a drunk call.  One of the many things we talked about was getting together to do some hiking.  With his future wife pregnant, she is not able to hike like they use to.  He knows I love to hike so we made a pact to get out and do a hike before the end of the month.  We talked to Matt and he was in for a hike too.

I suggested Old Rag Mountain in the Shenandoah National Park which is a popular hike in the park.  It is a great hike to the top of a 3291′ mountain with great panoramic views of the surrounding valleys.  As you near the top you have to scramble across open rocks, down crevasses, and squeeze between cracks.  It is a challenge but certainly fun and I thought both Stephen and Matt would enjoy the experience.

We meet at Stephen’s place and got an early start for the short drive out to Sperryville and the outskirts of the park.  When we arrived I was surprised to see the parking lot pretty full for a day that was not going to reach above freezing.  We got there about 11am and headed out for the trail.

view down to the valley

The first 3/4 miles is just going from the parking lot to the park boundary.  By the time we made this small trek, Stephen and Matt already needed a break for food and water.  This was pretty much how the afternoon went, we would make some gains but take a break.  We commented frequently on all the people that started after we did and passed us on the way up the trail.  I remember this hike being difficult but not impossible.  This just goes to show how out of shape we all are.  We talked like old men, how are joints and muscles ached or old injuries coming back to haunt us.  I am the oldest and am only 33, a shame we are already talking like this.

As we made it up the mountain, things improved a little.  The trail went from being steep rocky switchbacks to not so steep rocky crawling.  The three cover opened up a little which allowed us to see the summit and that gave us encouragement to get to the top and eat lunch.  Stephen kept wanting to eat early but I kept telling him “we are almost there.”  Up this far there was permanent snow on the ground, it wasn’t much but it was there.  The temperature certainly dropped a few degrees at this elevation, down from the balmy 32 degrees when we started.  We were working so hard and dressed appropriately that the chill didn’t bother us much at all.  It was funny, one of of the rock outcroppings we stopped at over looked and got a different perspective on where we started our journey.  It was way down there, we probably climbed 2,000 feet by this point.

the rock scramble towards the summit

When we reached the summit it was pretty full with people enjoying a break and the panoramic view of the valley.  We tried to find a covered spot to escape the bitter wind but on the open rocks, it was rather difficult.  By now all the heat we built up walking up the mountain was gone and things started to get rather cold.  Soon after lunch we headed down the mountain and continued the loop back to the car.

Going down the mountain along the fire road I think is a little easier, it is longer, but there are much fewer rocks and the fire road is not to steep.  Just like going up the mountain, we got a different perspective on the summit.  From the fire road we could clearly see the summit and how high it really was.  We stopped at the Byrd’s Nest and Old Rag shelters for our mandatory breaks.  Matt and Stephen got their first look at a pit toilet at the Old Rag shelter and that experience was pretty funny.  I don’t know how they would do camping at False Cape State Park as you will only find pit toilets.

As we neared the end of the hike everyone was rather tired and the sun was setting fast.  The temperature dropped what seemed a degree or two every 15 minutes as the sun set behind the mountains and we lost day light.  A few stragglers like our self were the only ones left on the mountain by the time we reached the parking lot.  The ride back was not very long, but it certainly was quite as we were all to tired and soar to even talk.

After dropping everyone off I quickly drove home to shower and meet Nancy at Pan Vino in Lorton for a birthday dinner my dad and Pat were throwing.  I was pretty zoned out all night as I was to tired to do anything and Nancy could see it on my face.  The food was good and I couldn’t get enough water.

It was a great hike and I am looking forward to doing some more hiking with Stephen and Matt.  Both are eager to get outside and explore nature.  I am pretty certain the next time we hike it won’t be such a strenuous hike up a 3300′ mountain.  Two days later and I still feeling a little stiff in these old bones.  Maybe next time we will do one of the shorter waterfall hikes in the Shenandoah or maybe I will take them to Prince William Forest for a hike.

a dead tree and new life

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It has been over a year since I last hiked in the park.  Not sure why it took me so long to get back there, I guess I take it for granted living 10 minutes from the park.  I took the opportunity on Sunday to head back and enjoy a leisurely stroll on a mild winter day.  All weekend the temperatures were nice, Saturday it was actually hot when I was outside.  I decided to take a few hours on Sunday and do a little hiking and enjoy the mid-50 degree weather.  Nancy reminded me that I might not get many more opportunities like this one and to take it when I could.

I wanted to park at the H lot but it was full so I went down to the next lot and hiked from there.  This lot is where my friends and I would always park when we would go fishing.  There is a service road that leads down to a fairly good size creek, which eventually leads to a small lake and the damn.  I walked down the service road and took part of the South Valley Trail around the far side of the forest.

I believe the last time I hiked this section, it was winter as well, so things looked exactly like I remember them.  There are many low lying marsh areas and many naked trees out this way.  I remember near the camp ground there was a fire that destroyed quite a few acres of land back here.  When I walked through it this time, the trees are still gone, but the forest has certainly started to recover.  There are many saplings and tall bushes grow everywhere.  You can still see the burned remains of tree stumps and logs.  I would give the forest another year and you will probably not even know there was a fire.  All of a sudden you will just walked from a dense forest into a more open area, not noticing the damage.  I have always been amazed by a forests ability to recover from such a devastating disaster.  In my regards, the forest is better off after a good fire.  It clears out all the dead underbrush and lays down a fresh layer of fertilizer for new growth.  Life goes on.

Only 4.33 mile and it was over in a couple of hours.  Monday came and the morning temperature was below freezing, this is the winter I am use to.  I think if it snows again I will trek out to the forest like I did a few years ago.  That hike was magical, the forest had a fresh blanketed of snow and not much disturbed by people.

I love the light and shadows here

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I was hoping to hike Uwharrie National Forest in North Caroline but that plan got scrapped when my directions broke down and I couldn’t find any trails.  I searched for almost two hours before I finally gave up and just headed to Raleigh.  While in Raleigh I did a search for parks between Raleigh and Portsmouth founding the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Suffolk, about thirty minutes from Portsmouth.  A little research revealed the land was donated from a paper company, Union Camp Corporation, to “the American people forever.”  I don’t know why they donated over 49k acres of land, but any time land is donated for the public domain, I am grateful.

The hike is only a few miles back and forth to a lake in the middle of the park and it took me just a few hours to finish it.  Even thought it is a straight shot from the parking lot to the lake I found many things to photograph.  I tried to get some shots of people enjoying the park and a few of the trail.  I just loved the cart path look and feel of the trail.  There were two gravel tracks with grass in the middle and either side.  When the light was just right, the grass was bright green and everything just popped.

the two cubs, up a tree

About halfway down the trail, I am just listening to nature, when I hear rustling of the leaves next to me.  I look up and across the canal to find two bear cubs scurrying up a tree.  I didn’t know it but I must have scared them and what I heard was the cubs climbing up the tree for safety.  The first think that went through my head was “Kick ass, bear cubs.”  My second thought was “Shit, bear cubs.”  I know that mother bears can be very protective of their cubs and I was only 25′ from them.  I quickly scanned the ground to see if the mother was near and I perked my ears to hear any rustling in the bushes.  I soon realized, to my relief, that the canal was between the bears and myself.  Not that she couldn’t swim, but I figured at best it would possible slow her down.

Realizing my opportunity was quickly slipping away, the danger of me being mauled a lot less, I quickly lifted my camera and started snapping shots of the bears in the tree.  The foliage was thick so it was hard to focus on the bears, but I did my best.  For a moment they both just grabbed the tree for dear life.  Eventually they looked down, probably toward their mother, who gave them the all clear to come down.  They shimmied down and disappeared into the woods.  I wish I hadn’t snuck up on them, I would have loved some shots of them just being bears, doing what bears do.  I was thankful for the pictures I did get and that I was not attacked.  My heart was racing the whole time, it was amazing.

No Hunting

After my bear encounter the rest of the trail almost seemed boring.  I got to the lake which was calm with overcast clouds so it gave everything a dark.  I didn’t have access to a weather report so I was hoping that it was not going to rain at the show that night.  I had a lawn seat and I hate getting rained on in my old age.  I stayed for a while and took some pictures of the lake and surrounding area but needed to get to Portsmouth for the Phish show that night.

On such short notice it was a decent hike but with only a few things to see.  Running into the bear cubs certainly made it a memorable trip, but not much else.  There are other trails that wind through the forest so I might try one of them next time I am passing through town.

Doyles cabin

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Another weekend and another opportunity to get outside and do some hiking.  The weather today was going to be close to perfect, low temps and only the slightest probability of rain.  Not to say that there wouldn’t be clouds, but almost guaranteed no rain that day.  After my previous attempt to hike Old Rag, I was already open to the idea of picking a never before hiked trail.  So when Tab, a cigar smoker and fellow nature photography, shows me some pictures from the Blue Ridge Parkway it peaked my interest.  I tried to find the Corbin Cabin he talked about but soon realized the Parkway is to far for an off the cuff hike.  Lots of options down there, but way south west from home.

I picked a trail within the Shenandoah National Park from an area I have never explored, Loft Mountain.  Doyles River Trail had two water falls and a log cabin all within 3.2 miles round trip.  When I arrived the first thing I notice about the trail you start going down hill.  This is already starting off pretty bad and going down hill is hard on my knees, and I knew I was going to have to hike up the mountain once I was done visiting the falls.  With plenty of water and some food I started down, running into a few people that were most coming up.  The first stop was the cabin which was locked and certainly looks old.  The view is pretty good from the front door, but there is very little flat land to speak of.  I don’t see how someone could have lived on the side of the mountain like that.

lower fall's, 63'

When I arrived at the lower falls there was a large family hanging out at the falls.  My intention was to hike to the lower falls any how so I just continued down the mountain till I reached the larger falls below.  Here I found peach and solitude.  I would hear a bird around me and sound of the water falls to the rocks.  With no one around I snapped some shots before sitting to enjoy some food.  My peace wouldn’t last long as I soon heard the large family coming to the falls for a look around.  This was my que to leave so I packed up and started up the mountain.  Let me tell you that trip up is steep, somehow I just keep pushing through mentally to force my legs.

I for the first time I used my camera to take bracket exposure photos to later be assembled into HDR photos.  Will have to see how these turn out.  My GPS data logger was a casualty of war and is now smashed to bits.  It was rather inaccurate in recording and difficult to connect to my Mac via Blue Tooth so I will get an improved model.