30 Hikes in 30 Days! (Recap 1-5)

One of the mini waterfalls along the trail

Hike 1: Swallow Falls Canyon Trail, Deep Creek, MD
 Take off the blinders and live adventurously

It's amazing what you find when you take a couple steps off the paved trail.

My hiking compadre and I decided to go off the beaten path a bit & explore.

The cave we found by looking beyond the trail!

As we were trancing through the woods, we both agreed we felt like we were on the set of Hunger Games. 

We balanced ourselves over fallen trees, ran up and down wooded hills, and zig zagged through roots and branches.

We hopped from rock to rock across the river a couple of times.

We even found a bow and arrow.

Just kidding...

We did get to a spot where there was this straight up rock wall and we both kind of wondered if we could do it. We jumped right in and climbed it quickly, finding that the doubt was overcome by quick action & a good grip on the rocks!


Next to one of the waterfalls, we climbed up a a couple of rocks and found this awesome little cave. It was so lovely and unique and it was like a little secret that only those brave or creative enough to step off the path a little bit will see. 
August 26, 2012




Hike 2: George Washington Masonic Memorial, Alexandria, VA
Explore your own town or city, there is always opportunity right under your nose

Front view of the George Washington Masonic Memorial

With hiking on my mind, I found this memorial by happenstance after running an errand in Alexandria. Somehow I had never seen it before up close, so I decided to explore. 

This is my urban hike. Hiking doesn't have to be through woods or mountains, sometimes the best adventures are right in your own backyard!

The GW Masonic Memorial is surrounded by hills, so I took 25-minutes and hike up to the front door, around the building and then up and down the stairs and around the winding paths in front of it. 

This sign said, "no exercising" on property

One of the things that I love about DC is that the buildings are short and you can see the Washington Monument from so many different places. Standing at the top of the stairs, I looked to the left and saw the Washington Monument and the Capital in the far distance. Mapping it, I found that the Washington Monument was 7.5 miles away walking!
August 27, 2012  

Driving on 95 today I saw the Masonic Memorial. I've seen it before, but now I know what it is! It helped me understand where I was compared to DC.
September 1, 2012

Hike 3: Billy Goat Trail A & Great Falls Overlook, Carderock, MD
From a bird's eye view, you see the whole picture from afar. Dig deeper and get close to find out the the real story.

This is my go-to hiking/running trail. I love it!

Twice a year, I go to the falls overlook.

Today I saw a group of rafters on a tour of the Potomac.  I could hear them yelling and cheering and encouraging each other from a distance, before I could see them. When I got within eye sight, I could see they were fighting to get up a rapid and cheering each other when there was success. 

Bird's eye view of the rafters.

From my perspective, from way up top the mountain (the bird's eye view), the rapid looked small. 

Blue markers mean you are on the trail!

The rafters were working hard, paddling with all their might, and putting their whole bodies into it.  

The point..don't judge another's struggles. Your struggles are your struggles. When you see someone overcome something, no matter how big or small, congratulate them and make a big deal out of it! 

The bird's eye view only tells part of the story.
August 29, 2012










Hike 4: Sugarloaf Mountain, Dickerson, MD
Hiking isn't always glamorous

View from the overlook. It was a bit foggy this day.

The trail I chose shoots straight up to the peak of Sugarloaf Mountain. It's efficient. There is no mercy. Within minutes my heart rate was skyrocketed and in the 95 degree, high humidity environment, I was glistening a pretty good deal.

As I got near the peak, and was finally on just a slight incline,  I passed a young kid walking leisurely down the trail with his mother. The kid pointed at me like a zoo animal and exclaimed "it's wet, it's wet."

It's fun to see where your feet take you!

Awesome.

It was a good laugh.

Point being, getting to the results you want isn't always pretty. Sometimes you have to dig in and accept that the job to be done is going to take some sweat equity. Just do it...and then celebrate.






Hike #5: Bull Run Park, Bull Run Occoquan Trail, Manassas, VA
Sometimes the road to what you want isn't super exciting. Hike on anyway!

I feel super young in this pic, and I like it!

Today I went hiking with my original hiking buddy...my dad. When I was a little one, he used to put me in a baby backpack and hike along the mountains and trails near Augusta, ME, where we lived. I am pretty sure this is why I like hiking so much today.

At dad's suggestion, we went to Bull Run Park, which neither of us had been too. We found a trail and started going, to find that although it was through the woods and on a dirt, rooted, leaf covered path, it was pretty flat and not too exciting. Kind of like a simple walk through the woods.

We had a great conversation throughout the 3 hour hike, but agreed that this wouldn't be on our #1 list for returns, just because we both love a challenge.

Point being, when you are striving for goals, everyday may not be super exciting. That's all part of the process. I constantly want things to be fun and challenging (I know weird, right?). Stay in the process, pursue it and move forward, even when it seems more boring. The reward is there!