Traces Trail

We spent a few days in Shenandoah, and in large part due to the weather only did a little hiking. On one day, I did a solo hike of the Traces Trail, an easy loop around Mathews Arm campground.

Dyke Marsh

For the PATC Challenge, any hike on National Trails Day counted, so we took advantage of this to make a Pride-month appropriate visit to a trail that had been on our list for a while - Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve. This is a short, one-mile flat trail in Alexandria, starting from the Mount Vernon Trail. 

The difficulty level was very low, of course, but we saw wildlife, including a little green snake. Some volunteers were out planting trees, too. At the end of the trail, which is mostly gravel turnpike, is a boardwalk with views of the Potomac.

Catoctin Mountain shelters

This past weekend we went backpacking in Catoctin Mountain National Park, my first backpacking trip since my move to the DMV. It was T's first backpack, and it was a good intro (or re-intro) for both of us.

Catoctin is divided into east and west halves, with Camp David sitting in the middle, off-limits to most of us. The most well-known parts of the park are in the eastern half - it's where the views are. On the western side is the northern terminus of the Catoctin Trail, as well as two reservable Adirondack shelters. We reserved shelter 1, although the other was empty during our stay. Shelter 1 is more in the trees, while 2 has a mini-meadow around it. Both have their own privy.

Shelter visitors have to camp at Round Meadow, unless of course someone is dropping them off, so there is a natural route of about 3.5 miles to the shelters. Some alternatives could make it longer (and hillier). We chose the easiest route. It was raining on Saturday, so we weren't eager to make it longer than necessary. On Sunday, we came back by almost the same route. There are two spots where two trails are parallel and for a bit, such as the yellow loop, so we enjoy those minor differences. We also enjoyed the sunshine!

The trails were mostly well maintained - the trail off of Round Meadow was the most overgrown, unexpectedly. We found the trails pleasant and scenic, crossing streams and passing interpretive areas. 

Next time we head up there, we will spend time in the eastern half, but I think we will do it midweek. On Sunday when we stopped by the visitor's center, it was extremely busy.

Cherry blosson time

The cherry blossoms came early this year, so we took an afternoon off to stroll around the tidal basin and admire them.

Washington Monument State Park

It was a total coincidence that we visited this park on president's day weekend, but an apt one. For our fifth #HikePATC2023 hike, we ventured to Washington Monument State Park. No, not that Washington Monument, but one in Maryland. 

The park itself isn't very large, but the AT passes through it. From the parking lot, we walked north on the AT before reaching the turnoff to the monument. From the lot to the monument is uphill, but only a quarter mile.

So, from there we proceeded north on the AT to the next road crossing. It was a pretty hike, with views through the winter trees. Round-trip, it added up to 5 miles, with almost 800 feet of elevation gain.