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.

Trying out Monocacy Natural Resources Management Area

After reading about this area in the latest PATC newsletter, and seeing it was quite close to home, we decided to pay it a visit. Our hike was relatively short, just over three miles - the entirely of the blue trail, with a loop on the red, orange, and yellow trails. We were pleasantly surprised by how nice it was!

Most of the blue trail follows Furnace Branch, and the far end of the trail is a lime kiln. There were several stream crossings along the way; only the first was bridged. I'd like to visit the entirety of the red and yellow trails out to their trailheads next time.

Great Falls from the Virginia side

My previous visits to Great Falls had been from the Maryland side, as had T's, so we headed down to Virginia to see them from a new angle. We actually started from Riverbend Park, north of the falls, and headed down the Potomac Heritage Trail. 

There were plenty of folks out enjoying the nice weather, especially around the falls themselves. The Virginia side doesn't offer the experience of crossing over some of the channels on bridges, but the falls are spectacular either way.

We went past the three overlooks to where the river narrows, down to Sandy Landing, then returned via the Matildaville trail to the visitor's center area. We took the PHT back up to where we parked, then a bit farther north to see an eagle's nest across the river.

Our hike was about 7.5 miles, without significant elevation gain, but with minor scrambles over rocks. The restrooms at Matildaville were closed, including the port-a-johns stationed there, so beware that the visitor's center may be your only bet. Riverbend does charge $2 to park, on the honor system, so we avoided the fee to enter the national park.