Rain or Shine...

August 3rd, 2011

“I think it's really important to use your hands and get close to materials. To be up close to real things like rain and mud; to have contact with nature.” ~Robin Day

Hike: Scott’s Run: Mclean, VA

Length: Approx. 4 miles

Time: Approx. 2 hours

When you’re starting off a hike, the last thing you want to see is a set of lengthy stairs in front of you and a gray sky above your head. That being said, sometimes appearances can be deceiving. The stairs weren’t as bad as expected and when the sky did inevitably open up, the rain was fairly refreshing after the humid start of the hike. Scott’s Run is not too far from Great Falls and has a lot to offer. There are beautiful views of the Potomac River, a small waterfall, and the remnants of a house once built on the land.

The trail is primarily packed dirt and rocks, but can be rather hilly in places. There was a pair of minor stream crossings with man-made stepping stones across the stream. There is a very minor rock scramble over a large rock placed right in the middle of the trail. The trail is almost entirely shaded, which offered some protection from the rain we encountered. We still managed to get pretty wet. This was my first hike in the rain and it did create a few challenges. First, you need to make sure you’re wearing the right clothes and preferably pack a rain jacket in your pack. Second, the right shoes are exceptionally important when facing potentially slippery conditions. I wore my new Vasque Mantra GTX’s for the first time tonight and they did the job perfectly! I had no trouble keeping my footing.

I would definitely like to do this trail again in the daylight and perhaps without the rain so that I could really soak in the views and take more pictures. It was definitely a good mid-week workout considering the hills and the length.

In other news, I’ve begun the process of becoming a Hike Leader for the Mid-Atlantic Hiking group. I contacted one of the group organizers and got the ball rolling. I’ll be co-leading two hikes next week. For one hike I’ll act as sweeper and the other I’ll be expected to lead a group. It’s a little nerve wracking, but I’m hoping it’ll go well and I’ll feel comfortable taking on the responsibility that goes with being a leader. If I do well, then I’ll have to go to Hike Leader Certification and Wilderness First Aid classes to become a full fledged hike leader. It’s very exciting and I’m looking forward to seeing how next week goes.

Keep checking in for updates on my other upcoming hikes including: the trails at Croydon Creek Nature Center, Cedarville State Park, Southwind Trails, and Sewell’s Pond trails! There’s a lot of hiking going on around here!

Rain Rain Go Away!

Trail: La Chouenne, part of the Mont de Lac des Cynges sector at Parc des Grands-Jardins in Charlevoix, Québec, Canada

Length: Approx. 4.4km or 2.75 miles (round trip)

Time: It took us 1 hour 15 minutes, the brochures say 2 hours

So I am up in mostly-sunny Québec where we get mid-afternoon showers almost daily.  This morning, my dad thought it'd be fun to go to Parc des Grands Jardins and get in a little hiking.  Most of the trails here are either 1-hour walks or 2-6 hour uphill hikes.  They are usually dirt with some roots and minimal rock-scrambling.  We went for the shortest moderate hike there was at the Secteur Mont de Lac des Cynges since we had encountered some heavy rains on our drive there and had no idea what weather we would encounter.  


We had been on the trail less than five minutes when the rain started.  I put on my raincoat and pulled out my pack cover.  About 1.5 kilometers in it started to pour.  I said to my dad, "I don't think this raincoat is a raincoat.  It doesn't seem to be waterproof!"  Sure enough, I was soaked through.  At that point, though, my feet were not soaked.  Once we were above the tree line, the rain was freezing!  


The top was beautiful, even in the rain.  One of the things I loved about looking out over the valley was seeing that not so far away there were fields and pastures that were sunlit and free from the thunder and lightening that we were in.  At the top we ate some wild boreal blueberries.  Yum!  There weren't many below the tree line and I can only assume that some creature had been munching on them as well!


I wish that I had pictures to offer, but I don't.  We will be going back there, so I hope to get some pictures of what we would have seen had when been able to see!


Be sure to check out the trip on Map My Hike!


Happy Trails!

Destination Delaware!

July 31^st, 2011

“It’s hard for me to put into words why I like the beach so much. Everything about it is renewing for me, almost like therapy...Beach Therapy.” ~Amy Dykens

Hike: Cape Henlopen State Park: Lewes, DE

Length: 3.8 miles

Time: Approx. 2 hours

There’s nothing more fun than spending a day at the beach with friends. A friend and I headed to Delaware on Saturday anticipating an early morning on Sunday since our hike at Cape Henlopen started at 8am to attempt to beat the heat. There was a little confusion over the meeting place within the park, but once that was sorted out the day was off to a good start. We started our hike from the campground parking lot and headed to the walking dune overlook. Walking in the sand is a bit more challenging than your typical hike terrain. It’s definitely a good workout. I wasn’t sure what shoes to wear for this hike, but was glad I decided on my trail runners because I think if I’d worn my Keen sandals I’d have ended up having to get things out of my shoes all along the hike.

On our way toward the walking dune overlook we came upon one of the observation towers. These towers can be found throughout Cape Henlopen State Park. They were once used by the military during WWII. There are also several bunkers in the park that were used during WWII. We picked up several other trails and I’m not sure exactly which ones they were as I didn’t have access to a trail map during the hike. I believe we used the Pinelands Trail and possibly the Salt Marsh Trail. In total we hiked nearly four miles in the park. The trails were a mixture of shade and sun depending on where we were in the park. Trails were sand, crushed shells, or paved for the most part. We had hoped to do some bird watching around Gordon’s Pond, but found that the portion of the trail we would’ve needed was closed due to the birds’ nesting.

After the hike, we elected to go get lunch in nearby historic Lewes. We picked a restaurant called Kindle, which offered both indoor and outdoor seating, but after hiking all morning we decided the air conditioning would be a welcome change from the midday heat. The menu was fairly small, but offered enough variety that everyone was able to find something to eat. The food was delicious and reasonably priced (I strongly recommend the Brie Baguette)! I would definitely return to the restaurant on future trips to Lewes!

From the restaurant, we headed back to Cape Henlopen, but this time parked in the Gordon’s Pond parking lot. It was beach time! The water was chilly, but refreshing! Three of us went in to cool off and swim. The sky had gotten a bit more overcast as the day went on and it even rained on us a little bit. The rain didn’t put a damper on our time at the beach though. We were able to make the best of the day and enjoy the beach! I hope to do this hike again in the future, but plan it a bit differently perhaps to include camping at the Cape Henlopen Campgrounds.

Things I Learned This Hike:

∙Bass Pro Shop is the place to go for hiking clothes at a reasonable price! (We made a pit stop at Arundel Mills on the way to Delaware)

∙ Sunscreen is a MUST! Apply and re-apply liberally!

∙ Bug spray is critical! The horse flies and mosquitoes were intense especially in the marshy areas!

∙ Hikes that require lengthier drives need to be really well planned and directions need to be clear to fellow hikers to ensure that hike begins on time.

∙ I want to become a hike leader!!