By brownpau
Speaking of unhikable, unbikable paths, commenter Phil noted that Theodore Roosevelt Island trails are still a mess of snow and fallen trees and branches. I got to see that firsthand over the weekend; most of the island is still shin-deep in snow, and the boardwalk remains uncleared of branches and ankle-to-shin deep accumulation, with an unevenly packed path in the middle thanks to occasional daring joggers. Hard to walk, but pretty to look at.
More photos after the jump: Continue reading
By shannon
‘cruisin”
courtesy of ‘m hoek’
Now that it really feels like fall here in DC, it’s the perfect time to start riding your bike to work. But doing so can be a little intimidating for a first-timer having to negotiate potentially bike-unfriendly roads alone. If you live in Silver Spring, Takoma, Brightwood, Brookland, Fort Totten, Edgewood, or Eckington, you’re in luck– the Metropolitan Branch Trail is a great way to bike right to downtown DC.
And even better, Rails to Trails is organizing Monday Morning Commute Convoys on the Metropolitan Branch Trail every Monday morning in October (except for Columbus Day). Rails to Trails folks will lead bike convoys from designated locations along the Metropolitan Branch Trail and head off to Dupont/Shaw, NoMa/Judiciary Square, and Chinatown/L’Enfant Plaza. It’s a great way to ease into bike commuting and see how well the trail connects these DC neighborhoods with downtown. If you’re interested in joining the convoy, sign up here (registration is required). And even if you can’t join the convoy, check out the Metropolitan Branch Trail sometime– even though it’s not yet 100% complete, it already offers a great link through some of DC’s beautiful historic neighborhoods.
By Donna C.
‘DSC_0132’
courtesy of ‘chrismeller’
Tomorrow’s supposed to be beautiful — and it’s National Trails Day, with a variety of hikes and trail maintenance events in and around town.
Among the other fun (and useful) choices is a journey to Ice Mountain, where you can find ice even in the summer; locals once used it to make ice cream and lemonade. You need a guide to visit this Nature Conservancy land in West Virginia that’s about 2 hours away, and a day trip leaves Arlington tomorrow morning (it’s course # 643741A).
In all my years hiking this area, I’ve never heard of Ice Mountain before, but it sounds cool (yeah, ha, ha). Happy trails!
By Donna C.
‘IMG_0566’
courtesy of ‘staypuftman’
Yep, it once again sounds like spring on the trails around DC.
Let me say first off that as a runner, I’m a looong way from setting any land-speed records. But I do run outside all winter, and every year during the first warm weeks I notice the same thing. As the birds begin to sing and the frogs to croak, the runners migrating back to the trails make their own special springtime sounds, louder than any I’ve heard for months: whoof, choof, hee, haw, gasp, huff, gaaaaah.
While I sure do sympathize, I admit to getting a little kick out of this. Go, runners! It’ll ease up soon.