Hiking Along

Be Careful or You'll End Up on Your Butt

2011-11-26T09:46:00.001-05:00

After the post Thanksgiving stuffing, my husband, kids, parents and I took a hike on the Appalachian Trail in Maryland to Weaverton Cliffs, north to the Ed Garvey Shelter and back. The leaves are off the trees and ankle deep on the trail. I forgot that freshly fallen leaves are slippery when I almost fell on my butt; however, I managed to catch myself before falling on the edge of a rock. That got me thinking about what are the hazards of hiking after the leaves have just fallen.

Hiking on freshly piled leaves is liked walking on a newly polished floor with high heals; the wax provides a perfect opportunity to skid out. The waxy, protective coating on leaves is similar, particularly going down hill. To prevent this, I stepped from rock to rock because of their textured and abrasive surface. Furthermore, while hiking down hill, I took smaller steps and used my quad muscles as brakes.
The ankle deep leaves messed with my depth perception and where the best spot was to place my foot on the trail tread. The rocks and tree roots played peekaboo, tricking me with my involuntary decisions to make the right choice.
Often times when I hike, I rely on the trail tread to lead me in the right direction and check for blazes at turns and intersections. However, I found myself looking for the white blazes a lot more because the trail tread mimicked the forest floor.

The winter is one of my favorite times of the year to hike because the views are expansive through the woods and the trails are a lot less crowded in the DC area, except for the occasional burst of southwestern air that infiltrates our region in the winter. This causes people to stop hibernating and leave their dens to seek the fresh air of the trail.

Camping at Rocky Gap State Park

2011-09-27T21:50:00.000-04:00

Friends in my neighborhood gather every September to go camping for fellowship and fun in nature. For the past nine years, we have camped at a county park, Little Bennett. This park has beautiful nature, great facilities and is a half hours drive from our homes. Camping at this park allows us to participate in our kids weekend sports activities and be close to home for families who are new to camping. Each year, there are the regulars and some families trying camping for the first time. Two thumbs up for them! Sometimes camping for the new families has been successful and they have become regulars but others have packed up in the middle of the night to return home.

This year on our tenth anniversary, the regulars decided to mix it up and change the location and duration. Instead of one night, we camped the weekend at Rocky Gap State Park. It is a gorgeous park tucked in the mountains of Western Maryland very close to the Pennsylvania border. The park offers an outdoor experience for the novice to the expert: a resort lodge to a campground and mountain bike trails.
I reserved six campsites on Lake Habeeb, each site with their own access and view of the crystal clear lake. We arrived at night to see a mystical fog hover over the lake in the moon light. The kids immediately had a blast exploring the trails to the lake with their flashlights. After hot and humid summer days, we experienced the crispness of fall. Something our bodies were not physically used to. We layered our fleece both morning and night to sit by a campfire and chill while the kids kept warm with a pretend game of Star Wars in the woods - boys against girls! Morning coffee never tasted so good. As the day passed, the sun peeked through the sky providing some warmth. The sun encouraged us adults to move. Some hiked the lake loop while others mountain biked it. To complete my outdoor adventure, I put on my wetsuit for an open water swim in the lake. Refreshing but chilly, as the sun descended over the mountains. As day turned into night, no camping trip is possible without roasting hot dogs and marshmallows over an open fire. Before quiet time descended over the campground, the kids lead us in song from yesterday and today.
Living in a neighborhood with an "it takes a village" mentally is a true blessing in life; where a sense of community is real and shared by all. The gift is even great when the same sense of community can be shared in nature.

Trail Discovery for Kids

2011-08-28T18:12:00.003-04:00

August Highlighted Hike
Stone Bridge Loop Trail
Manassas Battlefield National Park
Manassas, VA

Hike Information
* 1.1 mile circuit hike on a wide trail with crushed gravel and raised wooden walkways.
* The hike has one moderate hill to ascend and descend, hiking clockwise or counter-clockwise. Each has steps that are widely spaced.
* After the Stone Bridge, turn right or left to start the circuit hike.
* An extra 1/4 of a mile may be added to the hike passed the Van Pelt Site along the field to Bull Run (hiking counter-clockwise).
* Hike both in the woods and open field.
* Trailhead and parking lot on Rt. 29 two miles east of Sudley Rd.
* Trail map.

Age Appropriate
This circuit hike is appropriate for all ages because it is short and jogging stroller passable for toddlers. However, it can be a section of a longer hike for children elementary age and older.

What is fun for kids?
* Easy access to Bull Run to play in the stream or throw rocks.
* Great Civil War interpretive signs of the First Battle of Manassas. Being able to use the natural environment to play act the battle.
* Activities in the Park: Stone House, Henry House, and the museum and movie about the Civil War at the Visitor's Center.

Caution
* No bathrooms at the trailhead/parking lot.

Camping in the Rain

2011-08-21T15:32:00.000-04:00

I love to camp but have to admit that camping in the rain sucks. Twice this summer, my kids and I have done it; once at Ohiopyle State Park and the second time in Acadia National Park. Gaining some experience, I have noticed how people protect themselves differently from the elements. The most important is to have a dry tent. The second is to have a dry area to congregate and eat.
About ten years ago, I purchased our first family tent when my daughter was born, a four-person Eureka. I love this tent. It has held up in lots of rain. The rain fly is attached to the body allowing for rain to drain away well. We were expecting rain in Acadia; therefore, placement of the tent was really important particularly since the site was sloped (made it fun to sleep also!) I staked it on the up slope against a large log that cribbed the site. My daughter and I dug drainage ditches at the ends of the log out away from the sides of the tent. Lastly, I dug a small drainage ditch at the edge of the vestibule on the up slope side. When rain drained off the vestibule, it pooled at the corner.
At any campground, it is hard not to notice the different styles and strategies people use for car camping, particularly when it rains. Tents are all different shapes, sizes, and colors: A-frames, domes, pyramids, rectangles, and many more that can't be summed up in one word. Each tent and owner protects their bags and pads differently from rain: a fly at the apex of the tent, full coverage staked away from the body, vestibule flies, and supported screened vestibules and flies. Knowing the rainy forecast, many people hung large tarps in addition to the flies above their tents for extra protection. Some choose to do the combo of tarping their picnic table and the entrance to their tent, creating a covered walkway. Those who didn't protect their tent sufficiently were forced to sleep in their cars (love being a fly on the bathroom wall after rain). Thankfully, our family was not one of them. We had a dry tent!
Just like with tents, campers use varying strategies for protecting a congregating/eating area. Some use canopies, while others put up screen houses for both rain and bugs. I placed the picnic table under some trees. Thankfully someone had left a line across the site where I hung a trap from and tied off the corners. A slope in the tarp is important to wick away the rain. If not, then a big, sagging pool of rain collects and it becomes extremely difficult to drain. Looking around, I noticed some staked one or two sides to the ground or placed poles in the grommets and tied the other corners to a tree, others tied three ropes parallel and hung the tarp with flaps on each side to ward off diagonal rain, and yet another tied one corner to the hitch of their car. Hanging and tying a tarp involves problem solving to achieve the best set-up to ward against the elements. This summer I have gained more practice than I've liked in hanging a tarp.
I have to admit, I considered a hotel room after 20 hours of constant, steady rain in Acadia because my kids and I were wet and cold. However, our tent stayed dry and we opted for a hot shower instead (coined operated outside the park). Clean, warm and in our jammies, we quickly negotiated the rain and climbed into our sleeping bags. The pitter patter of the rain on the tent peacefully and gently put us to sleep. Even though I don't like camping in the rain, I love listening to the rain on my tent!

Family Meals and Packing: Backpacking Style

2011-08-02T16:40:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, my family and I did a kid-friendly backpacking trip to Green Ridge State Forest with some friends. We hiked two miles to our wilderness campsite at a great swimming hole along Fifteen Mile Creek. To get there, we needed to bushwhack off the trail before it ascended a steep ridge. It was a beautiful spot where the kids had fun playing in the water and cooling off from the hot sun. Packing for a successful trip is time consuming, particularly when I do it occasionally and for the family.

Our camping gear is in three bins in the basement. They are easy to pull out and separate backpacking supplies from car camping supplies. For me, meal planning is most time consuming, particularly creating the dinner menu. Time is spent: planning the menu, making the grocery list, going to the store, and then repackaging it to reduce the waste and weight.

Our standard breakfast menu is instant oatmeal and bagels with cream cheese (bought in the plastic tub). I didn't take bagels this time to reduce space. To add protein to the oatmeal, I chopped almonds and put them in a zip bag with craisins. Coffee is a must to get my husband and I going in the morning. Starbucks Via packs are as good as coffee grounds without the clean-up.

Lunch is easy and packed with protein - cheese (smoked Gouda works well and doesn't get greasy) and salami or pepperoni. We eat them with Naan bread and apples or baby carrots. Naan is a great alternative to pita and bagels. It stays moist long and doesn't crumble or take up lots of space. Something sweet is a must and a dark chocolate bar hits the spot.

Burritos, tacos, or fajitas are a standard camping meal particularly when car camping because it is a very simple meal. However, making this meal while backpacking causes a lot of clean-up. This is my least favorite chore whether camping or at home. Therefore, I like to minimize the dish washing. I really like freezer bag cooking which allows you to make a one-pot meal in a freezer bag.

I made two freezer bag meals: one recipe I got from trailcooking.com, Italian mashers with chicken, and a second I created, tuna polenta casserole (see recipe below). I prepped both meals at home combining the dry ingredients in freezer bags and wet ingredients in another. Instead of cooking the meal in the freezer bag, I cooked them in one large pot for a hungry family of four. Freezer bag cooking is great for one or two servings in a gallon size bag but cooking for four in one is difficult to stir and get all the ingredients combined. My family loved the tuna polenta casserole. Clean-up was easy with four bowls and sporks and one pot and spoon. Just the way mom likes it!

Tuna Polenta Casserole - 4 servings

I measured some ingredients and eyeballed others. Therefore, you will need to adjust based on your own taste buds.

1 1/4 cup polenta

5 cups of water

3 stalks of celery chopped

2 chicken bouillon cubes

Onion flakes

Black pepper (no salt, bouillons have lots)

2-5 oz. Packages of tuna

Cheddar cheese

Combine the polenta, onion flakes and bouillon cubes in a freezer ziplock bag. Chop the celery and place in a small zip bag. At the campsite, combine water and celery in the pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and slowly add the dry ingredients while stirring. Once polenta is mixed in, then add the cheese and tuna and stir. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir again before serving.

Just as good as mom's tuna noodle casserole!

Eyeball to Eyeball

2011-07-29T16:16:00.000-04:00

On Wednesday, my kids and I went tubing down the Shenandoah River outside of Harpers Ferry with some friends. It was a glorious day of bright sunshine and crystal blue skies; not the normal humid DC haze. The highlight of the adventure for my kids was leaving the safety of their tube and frolicking in the swallow river. They swam, splashed, chased each other, and jumped off rocks to their hearts content.
The highlight of the day for me was being eyeball to eyeball with a damselfly. I am not sure what it was about my arms; a great landing pad on top of the bright orange tube but I had many visitors. At one time, I had five of them lined up on my right forearm. The leader and I stared at each other. I loved looking into its big black, bulbous eyes each positioned slightly off center. We stared at each other for a while until a splash hit my arm and all five lifted in flight with their delicate clear, cellophane wings. I wonder what the leader damselfly was thinking as we stared at each other. I was thinking, "you are beautiful."

Part II: Volunteering as a Vacation?! A Wild Ride

2011-07-23T13:55:00.003-04:00

Google image

During the American Hiking Society Volunteer Vacation, our group worked five days with one day off; free to do whatever we wanted. After a relaxing morning start, I needed to accomplish a twelve mile run. From the lodge, Gretchen and I ran the Old Cascade Highway to the Iron Goat Trail. In our shorts and t-shirts, we shivered our way down the highway until our body's furnace burned with warmth. We enjoyed an easy run on a fantastic trail with beautiful scenery and views.

We returned to the lodge to quickly change and eat to catch a ride on the Wave Trek bus that would deliver ten of us to an afternoon of riding cold, frothy rapids down the Skykomish River. It took us thirty minutes to arrive at the little town of Index, WA off of Highway 2. Outdoor Adventures, otherwise known locally as Wave Trek, has a great location on the river with a gift shop, bar and cafe, yard with fire pit and hot tub and a river guiding outfit.

Twenty rafters gathered in the cafe to watch a safety video. We gathered our gear in the rain and put on our wetsuits and booties. The temperature of the water was forty degrees. We were the only "girls rock" boat (Gretchen, Phyllis, Nancy and Stacey) with Rachel as our guide. Rachel has guided rivers full-time for eight years but now does the gig part time due to owning her own business (yeah for Rachel!). You can take the girl out of the river but never take the river out of the girl!

Google image

She reviewed the safety tips for falling out of the boat and demonstrated paddle strokes. We assumed our positions in the boat (me - front right side) and off we went on an afternoon full of adventure. After a few class three rapids, we reached the class five rapid. We parked the boat on the river bank to scope and plan our route through the rapid. I was willing to give up the front position. I was a little nervous that our guide's confidence was showing cracks. Gretchen (a former guide) advised that I stay in my position to keep things consistent and help Rachel, since it was obvious that she was nervous about riding this rapid. She hadn't guided through this rapid at the current water level (running high due to snow melt). Therefore, she waited until last and watched all the other boats as they successfully paddled the rapid.

As we waited, the butterflies in my stomach multiplied. I had lost confidence in Rachel's guiding when our boat got stuck on a few rocks upstream. Then it was our turn to ride and maneuver the rapid.We headed for the first drop and nailed it correctly. Then threaded the needle, as the guides call it, between two rocks successfully but didn't quite get the boat turned back left to make the second drop between two rocks. The left side of the boat caught the right rock and we entered the hole.Three went swimming. Gretchen and I managed to stay in the boat by moving towards the floor. My heart pounded in my head and chest. Once out of the hole and in the eddy, Rachel noticed my face and heavy breathing. She asked if I was having a panic attack. No, I wasn't but I was a little freaked out. I had never gone swimming before in a rapid due to a guide's misjudgment in the river. I have gone swimming due to my own misjudgment while kayaking an inflatable duckie.

The three swimmers were quickly rescued by two different boats. As soon as everyone was back into the boat, we went through another rapid. This time, we hit a rock incorrectly on the right side of the boat. It happened so fast after the first rescue. Everyone was so discombobulated that we didn't have enough time to get back in the groove and over we went. All of us, including the guide. As soon as I was in the water, I looked up and grabbed the rope on the boat. Rachel was beside me as an angel kayaker (not part of the crew) approached from her left side trying to assist her to get back in the boat. I remember him say "get back in the boat, you need to get back in the boat." she said, "I cant." And she couldn't. The kayaker left and it was just Rachel and me. I tried to pull myself in the boat but the PFD's are so bulky that I couldn't. I knew the only way I was getting back in the boat is if she did first. She felt my hand under her butt and together we got her back in the boat. Then together, she pulled me in. I grabbed a paddle but sat on the wrong side as she instructed me to sit on the left. We hit another rapid. Working together, we navigated it successfully.

Exiting the rapid, Bernyce appeared beside our boat after swimming through the rapid. Rachel grabbed and pulled her in the boat. She looked water logged and stunned. She lay in the back of the boat catching her breath as we paddled over to the eddy to take stock of all the others who were missing. Once there, we found out that not only Bernyce went swimming but everyone in their boat did except for their guide Josh. Still in our boat, a safety kayaker came over to Bernyce to say that he wanted to pull her to shore while in the rapid but if he did she would have hit a rock hard and decided for her safety that it would be better to let her ride the rapid.

We gathered some of our fellow rafters and then paddled around to another eddy where the rest were. Once there, Mike, the head guide, gave us a pep talk to stay strong and continue to paddle hard because Rachel still needed us to ride the rest of the river, even though we were feeling weary. We did. We paddled hard and stayed together as a team the remaining trip. We made it down the river without swimming again. We had fun riding some class three waves doing 360s. When all was said and done, we lifted the raft out of the water and headed on the bus for our start point, Wave Trek headquarters. There, I sat in the hot tub to add heat to my aching back. There were times on the river that I was exhausted. I forgot how much work it is to ride a river hard and make it through the wild rapids. Maybe running twelve miles and rafting on the same day wasn't the best idea but I did it. Dressing back in dry clothes felt great. So did a warm latte.

Volunteering as a Vacation?!

2011-07-19T17:47:00.002-04:00

For the last couple of summers, I have been taking some "me" time to learn and give back. While my kids are having fun and spending quality time with their grandparents, I rejuvenate my passion for all things hiking and environmental. In the past, I canoe camped in the Adirondacks to learn and become a Leave No Trace Master Educator and strategized with Appalachian Trail clubs in the White Mountains to encourage youth to become trail stewards. This summer, I participated in an American Hiking Society Volunteer Vacation on the Iron Goat Trail in Stevens Pass, Washington (Central Cascades).
Thirteen volunteers from all parts of the United States gathered at the Mountaineers Lodge in Stevens Pass on July 9th for two purposes: to have fun and give our sweat to the Iron Goat Trail. We worked with Volunteers for Outdoor Washington, their Iron Goat Trail committee and the US Forest Service to fix problems caused by multiple avalanches on the nine mile trail. Originally, the group was supposed to break ground on a new connector trail. However, Martin's Creek was running high due to a late snow melt and the Forest Service couldn't build a temporary bridge to access the area (the Cascades received three feet of snow in April). Therefore each day, our large group split into many, each with a crew leader, to tackle blowdowns, dig root balls, fix cribbing, install and clean drainage dips, brush (otherwise known as weed whacking), clear boulders, repair bridges, fix surface gullies, and clear a lot of avalanche debris on the lower and upper pass of the Iron Goat Trail.
The Iron Goat Trail is an interpretive rails trail built from the Great Northern Railroad bed. The railroad was an engineering feat and so is the trail, both built with incredible sweat equity. In the early 1900's, thousands of immigrant workers blasted tunnels, dared heights to construct trellis and chiseled steep mountain sides to complete the railway from Minneapolis to Seattle. In the 1990's, with Ruth Ittner's vision and fortitude , the Iron Goat Trail was built. The trail was built both by many volunteers from American Hiking Society and Volunteers for Outdoor Washington. The Iron Goat Trail is masterfully built; the most beautifully constructed trail I have hiked. The granite, stacked cribbing on the steep mountain slopes matches that of the stone walls built by New England pioneers. Craftsmanship!
The lower pass of the Iron Goat Trail is ADA approved. The trail is wide with a compact surface, gentle elevation gain, easily passable mountain streams and ravines, raised cribbing and wheel chair accessible interpretive signs. ADA trails are also fantastic for families with young children who may need to push a stroller. This trail offers great family fun: easy access, visual and interpretive history, waterfalls, mountain streams, great views, and near and far beautiful scenery. If a challenge is needed, then hike the upper pass of the Iron Goat Trail via the Martin Creek crossover or the more strenuous switchbacks to Windy Point. The best view of the mountains is at Windy Point, whether you are standing or sitting on a toilet. Yes, that's right, there is a composting, pit toilet where you can do two things at once, enjoy the view and well you know....
The group bonded around its central theme, the Iron Goat Trail. We sweated and shivered, created aching backs and muscles, developed hunger pains (then ate really well), grew tired (then slept well), shared stories and conversations and participated in an amazing adventure of white water rafting on our day off (Read Part II of Volunteering as a Vacation). Happy times all for the greater good - hike-able trails to provide access to the bounty of nature!

Trail Discovery for Kids

2011-07-05T16:55:00.001-04:00

Highlighted Hike

River Trail

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

Washington, DC

Hike Information

ü The River trail is wide and flat. It is 1.4 miles out and back.

ü The trail surface is a mix of gravel and mowed grass. It is stroller-friendly (bigger wheels will work best).

ü The trail follows a peninsula of land with the Anacostia River on one side and the Kenilworth Marsh on the opposite.

ü Link to the trail map.

Age Appropriateness

ü This hike is great for all ages but in particular toddlers and preschoolers. The trail is a fantastic introduction to hiking and nature.

What is fun for kids?

ü July is the best month to go because all the water lilies and lotus flowers are in bloom. It is beautiful!

ü Having the kids choose which path they want to follow around the many ponds.

ü Walking the boardwalk to the river.

ü Riverside access to the Anacostia.

ü Seeing wildlife – many types of butterflies and dragonflies, bull and green frogs, painted, red-eared and snapping turtles, deer, beaver and a lot of birds.

ü Small visitor center to educate about marshes.

ü Great place for nature photography.

ü Picnic tables in the shade!

Caution

ü Hot, hot, hot in the summer! The River Trail is mostly shaded but not the boardwalk or ponds.

ü Park is open from 7:00 am to 6:30 pm.

Ohiopyle State Park: Pennsylvania’s Outdoor Mecca

2011-07-01T14:56:00.002-04:00

For years, I have heard many great stories and comments about Ohiopyle StatePark in Southwestern Pennsylvania. My friend and I, two moms, packed her minivan with camping and rafting gear, bikes and our kids and off we went seeking outdoor adventures.

From Washington DC, Ohiopyle is a three hour drive and from Pittsburg, 90 minutes. Ohiopyle is located in the Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania, an area lush and green, a temperate rainforest with a large tree canopy shading mountain laurel, rhododendron and ferns. Mountain streams fall from steep ravines and feed the Youghiogheny River. The river provides a white water adventure for children on class I and II rapids to thrill seeking adults who kayak or raft class IV and V rapids. Four companies in Ohiopyle provide guided and unguided trips. My daughter couldn’t wait to ride the rapids; however, it wasn’t in the cards. We experienced temps in the 60’s and rain that creates blue lips and shivering children. Not kid (or mommy) fun!

We established home for three days in the state park: staking tents, spreading out chairs, hanging a hammock and setting-up the stove. Thank goodness for the tarp because it became our togetherness refuge under the raindrops. The girls stuck together in the two-person and my son hung with the moms. Each site provided a bit of privacy from the next and the bathrooms (showers in a separate house) were “not the best I’ve seen but not the worst,” said my daughter.

Water play, rafting and riding the natural waterslides (video), didn’t make the agenda for the trip due to the weather. Instead, we wore pants and jackets, a great reprieve from the hot, humid temps in DC, to hike, bike, and visit Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright’s incredible, organic architecture home built over Bear Run for the Kauffman family in 1936. This ingenious marvel is the epitome of what outdoor living should be, besides camping of course!

We hiked and biked the Great Allegheny Passage, a rails trail from Pittsburg to Cumberland, MD. After establishing home and cooking dinner, we took a twilight hike down the ravine to the Passage to walk amongst the fog that enveloped the old railroad bridge above the Youghiogheny. We also biked in search of the many waterfalls on side trails along the Passage. My kids braved a STEEP downhill climb to one with me in nervous tow. Well worth the nervous climb!

So much to do in Ohiopyle State Park with not enough time. We will be back to raft or kayak, ride the natural water slides, mountain bike, rock climb and some day bike the entire Great Allegheny Passage. This trip created great memories. We look forward to more in Ohiopyle.

A Veggy Revolution

2011-06-10T20:20:00.000-04:00

The First Lady has generated a lot of buzz about school vegetable gardens and made it very fashionable. Right on for her! So along with the children and nature movement, school systems across the country are starting their own revolution to teach children where food comes from and what a better teachable moment than growing a vegetable garden.

For a very long time, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) did not allow teachers, students or parents to plant vegetable gardens on school grounds. For over a year, a ground swelling of activism occurred to change the school system's stance. With the work from Master Gardeners, Montgomery Victory Gardens, and Audubon Naturalist Society's GreenKids program, the school system softened this spring and started a pilot project to allow schools to grow vegetables in containers.

GreenKids helped seven MCPS elementary schools plant salad greens in an Earthbox or a salad table. The GreenKids Environmental Educators and school teachers integrated lessons on local food sustainability, plant parts and vegetables, what a garden looks like, and observing and taking data about the growing process. Students planted, harvested, and ate their greens at a salad party where they were able to invite other vegetables to their salad bowl. The project was a huge success due to the excitement, smiles, and willingness to try something new, particularly since they had grown it with their own two hands.

Celebrating National Trails Day: Kid Style

2011-06-07T09:10:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, there were two celebrations, Marisa's 4th birthday and American Hiking Society'National Trails Day. I had the pleasure of being invited to her party to lead her and her family and friends on a Beaver and Animal Adaptations hike on the Northwest Branch Trail. This trail follows the Northwest Branch, part of the Anacostia watershed, for four miles. It is noted for a lot of beaver evidence, pencil-pointed tree stumps and trees missing their bark on the lower quarter. This evidence provides invaluable teachable moments about animal adaptations. Pencil-points are examples that beavers' teeth are an adaptation for survival, providing lumber for their lodges and dams to create safety pools. While hiking, the kids and I are on a hunt for beaver evidence, searching for pencil-points. I section the trail and they count the evidence. At each stream crossing, they receive stickers or beads with the goal of counting them at the end to learn how often they observed beaver evidence along the trail. Simple scientific data collection!
Throughout the hike, the kids learn and engage in activities about camouflage and the predator prey relationship and their importance in animal adaptations. For me, the best part of each hike is watching the kids relate to their natural surroundings in their own creative way. Some, throw rocks or splash and stomp their feet in the water or look for critters under rocks or in the stream or chase each other in their own mimic of predator and prey. Whatever they do, I love watching them and looking for critters that I can share.
For Marisa, National Trails Day was about celebrating being four. For me, National Trails Day was about sharing my passion for trails and their enveloping ecosystems with her and her friends. Thank you Marisa for sharing National Trails Day with me.

Fishing Around

2011-06-02T17:58:00.000-04:00

Do you know what is the most popular outdoor activity in America? Yup, that's right, fishing. Fishing transcends age, class, race, and gender, unlike all other outdoor sports. Why is that? My thoughts are that it doesn't require expensive equipment (a bamboo pole will do), requires limited physical activity and therefore less intimidating, and a body of water, whether a stream, pond, lake or river, can be found locally.
Yesterday, I listened to two knowledgeable speakers provide a lot of information about fishing in the DMV (District, MD, VA) on the Kojo Nnamdi Show. It got me thinking about fishing, children and nature. Fishing is a great way to introduce children to nature with opportunities to observe wildlife and receive the positive and tranquil benefits of it, particularly water side. Trout Unlimited with their Trout in the Classroom and the American Fly Fishing Trade Association are two outstanding organizations that introduce fishing to thousands of children around the US. Whether you participate in one of these two organization's fishing programs or go out on your own, fishing helps children develop a relationship with nature. This relationship fosters earthmanship!

Three Muddy Moms: Biking the C&O Canal

2011-05-25T12:57:00.000-04:00

Biking the C&O Canal has been on my bucket list for many years. 2011 was the year to do it. Little did I know in January that last weekend the Potomac River would flood and create many obstacles for three moms and friends who were seeking adventure away from our kids. Mud was the theme of the weekend.
A few weeks before the trip, I did my research and organized the logistics: bike from Cumberland, MD to Washington DC, get dropped off in Cumberland on Thursday and sleep in a hotel, set out on the trail Friday morning with a trailer and two paniers, bike 60 miles per day, bring some food but hit the accessible restaurants, and camp in two pre-determined sites along the trail. Reality hit and plans changed. We didn't camp but stayed in the Riverrun B&B and Harper's Ferry Hostel where we could rest our weary muscles and clean the caked mud off our bodies. A shower never felt so good! We ate at every accessible restaurant along the trail because our lunch food became our snacks due to being ravenously hungry. We ditched the trailer Saturday morning because it was too heavy and created more problems on the flooded trail.
It rained for five days straight before the trip. We were warned by the National Park Service that the trail was muddy but we didn't anticipate the "real" conditions of the trail until we started hearing the stories from bikers heading north - standing water two feet deep, downed trees, and large patches of the trail washed away. Hearing this, we stored the trailer in the basement of the B&B and packed only the essentials, one change of clothes, a little food, and bike tools. This was the best decision. The trail was impassable by trailer from Hancock to Harper's Ferry. On Saturday, we biked 69 miles which took 9.5 hours to complete. We biked through four miles of mud the consistency of chocolate fudge sauce gumming up our gears and brakes. We lifted our bikes over six downed trees and walked many areas where the trail eroded away. We reached Harper's Ferry mentally and physically exhausted with mud caked to our skin and clothes. Many people stared and asked. Even though this section of the trail was the worst, for ninety percent of the 184.5 miles we dodged or biked through mud puddles.
Are we glad we completed the trip? Yes, definitely!

the camaraderie of three friends laughing through the obstacles and physical pain.
the natural beauty surrounding the trail. Our favorites being: Paw Paw tunnel, waterfall after the tunnel, slate valley, vegetation covered cliffs, rapids on the Potomac, mature trees growing in the swampy, black water of the canal, white and purple wildflowers lining the trail, and immersed in varied shades of lush green.
visits with wildlife - six snakes (black rat, northern water and garter), many turtles (box, snapping, painted and red-ear sliders), a broad-headed skink, alive and dead carp, deer, frogs (carpenter, green and bull), ground hog, adult beaver and the best of all a baby beaver. We stopped to look at a map. My eye caught a baby beaver walking towards us. He squeaked at us hoping we were its mama as he walked around our feet and in between our bike spokes. He pulled at our mama heart-strings as he tried to follow us down the trail.
completing a challenge and goal.

Did we learn lessons from the trip? Yes, definitely!

don't drag a trailer when biking long distances and in muddy conditions.
stay in a hotel, B&B or hostel when biking long distances.
be a minimalist.
fenders on a bike aren't so great with thick mud and stones on the trail. It gums up and sprays everywhere. Fenders are good for water in puddles and on pavement.
pack necessities in easy accessible pockets.
don't carry extra water beyond two water bottles.
knobby mountain bike tires aren't needed.
invest in clip peddles and shoes.

We communicated well with each other to problem solve obstacles, logistics and breaks when our bodies needed them. This is essential for all successful trips.

We arrived in Georgetown on Sunday afternoon with sore muscles and butts but with smiles on our faces, hugs from our families and the best tasting smoothies from CycleLife. What is our next adventure? We are not sure but we are having withdrawal from our adventure and camaraderie!

A Secret No More: Patuxent River Park

2011-05-23T15:02:00.000-04:00

My wish for Mother's Day this year was to camp with my family and friends at Patuxent River Park about 45 minutes southeast of Washington, DC on the Patuxent River. Over the past couple of years, our family has hiked the trails in this park from the upland woods to the boardwalks in the wetlands. This park is special because you can't image that you are so close to an urban area with its quiet peacefullness, abundance of wildlife, and lack of people. I debated whether to tell my secret or keep it to myself. In the end, I decided everyone needs to feel the peace and joy that this park deliveries once you have spent an afternoon or a weekend in its boundaries. So now the secret is out.
I reserved the campsite on January 3rd. It is very difficult to reserve for weekends because there is only one campsite and it is such a gem. Our family arrived on Friday evening after tackling beltway traffic. We opened the gate and drove to the site, got out of the car and said wow. The site has a magnificant canopy of mature trees covering it with three picnic tables and a campfire ring. The campsite is big enough to stake down four tents. The campsite sits on a bluff on the river. After checking out the campsite, my kids ran to the river's edge to discover a dock where I heard, "Oh mama, look." This is where we spent most of our time over the weekend: reading, talking, playing, bird watching, canoeing and kayaking.
On Saturday morning, we rented a canoe and a kayak for two days. The rental is cheap at $12 a day or $17 for the day and overnight. The kids had a lot of fun learning how to paddle a canoe and kayak, many of them taking the kayak out themselves after gaining some confidence in their skills. At various times during the weekend, different combinations of parents and kids explored the pathways amongst the reeds to discover, turtles, snakes, beavers, ducks, geese, frogs and lots of osprey who were nesting at the time.
On Saturday afternoon, we hiked the trails to Merkle Wildlife Sanctuary connected to Patuxent River Park by a long boardwalk through the wetlands. Even though the hike was not a highlight of the trip for the kids, they used their imagination to create an adventure on the trail. For them, the best moments were play on or next to the river and the "secret" fort they created near the campsite. For me, the best moments were listening to nature's quiet and my children's laughter, sitting next to and on top of the peaceful river and sharing the natural, beautiful spot with family and friends.

To Hike or Walk

2011-04-25T23:00:00.000-04:00

Do these questions or thoughts enter your mind when you think of a “family hike?”

· How do I fit another activity into my over-scheduled family calendar?
· There are dangerous things in the woods.
· I don’t know where to go hiking. Where are the closest and best trails for my beginning family?
· I have never been on a hike before. How do I start?

The word “hike” can be intimidating to parents. Some parents visualize scenes of skyscraper mountains, deep canyons and vast, never ending forests. Big scenes that can be a little scary. Some parents can’t visualize anything because they don’t have a point of reference or connection. Let’s break the word down and use the less intimidating word of “walk.” More parents can visualize this word – a walk down their neighborhood street (with or without the dog), in a neighborhood park, or along the beach. These are known, provide a point of reference, and create a connection. Now, think of a walk in the woods, along a stream, to a pond, in a wetland, or many other possible places.

A hike is synonymous with it takes a long time to do - an all day event. Whereas a walk means a shorter period of time – an hour. Add a family’s perceived notion that a hike is an all day event together with their overscheduled lives, this equals a barrier to hiking on a trail. Yes, families today are overscheduled but let’s dispose of the perceived notion that a hike lasts all day. Instead, insert the word walk and go for an hour long walk on a trail with your family. When does your family have an hour in its schedule? Where is the nearest trail to walk for an hour?

The nearest trail is one click away:

· Montgomery Parks or any municipality’s Department of Parks or Recreation or a state’s Department of Natural Resources or Environment.
· Trail organizations, for example Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC) or the Washington (state) Trails Association.
· Trail books and guides – PATC guides or 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles.
· OhRanger, type your zip code or click on a state to find a park with trails near you.

None of these sites or resources is geared to help families navigate which trails or “walks in the woods” are best for kids but below are some.

· Trail Discovery for Kids, learn about trails with great playscapes (e.g. Billy Goat Trail, Section C).
· Books – Family Hiking in the Smokies: Time Well Spent or Vermont, New Hampshire & Maine: Best Hikes for Kids. Search “kids hiking books” on Amazon and you will discover many resources.
· Nature Rocks – type in your zip code and find a park/trail near you.

Don’t feel comfortable taking your family for a walk in the woods because danger lurks around the next tree or you have never taken a hike. Don’t fear, Washington DC and many major cities have organizations that guide families to explore and experience fun adventures on kid-friendly trails. These hikes provide opportunities for parents to feel comfortable in an unfamiliar activity in an unknown place and everyone can participate in unstructured play in a structured event. Check out this family hike opportunity.

Family Hiking 101: Exploration, Safety and Leave No Trace

Sunday, May 15, 2011

2:00 – 5:00 pm

Theodore Roosevelt Island National Monument

Join two expert guides from Hiking Along and The North Face on a two mile circuit hike around the perimeter of Theodore Roosevelt Island. The trail is natural surface and raised walkways through two ecosystems, a deciduous forest and wetlands. The hike is great for children of all ages with fun natural playgrounds: rocks for climbing, water for skipping rocks, and the monument plaza for a game of hide and seek. While hiking, learn about hiking safety, Leave No Trace, and the plants and animals surrounding the trail. Enjoy an afternoon in the middle of the Potomac River engaging in the great outdoors! The cost is $15 per family. To register, email jennifer@hikingalong.com.

This spring, make it a family goal to venture outside of your familiar comfort zone and embark on a hike or a walk, if that word feels more comfortable. Seek out the extraordinary amount of resources available both on the web and with organizations whose mission it is to get more people, including families, outdoors. Hiking isn’t a scary word in your family? Then, step it up a notch and venture to adventure on a new level or outdoor activity. Happy trails!

Trail Discovery for Kids

2011-04-25T18:02:00.000-04:00

April Highlighted Hike

Billy Goat Trail, Part C

C&O Canal National Historic Park

Potomac, MD

Hike Information

ü 2.5 mile circuit hike.

ü Take the Caderock exit off the Clara Barton Parkway. Follow the signs to the Park. Drive to the last parking lot where the trail head kiosk is located.

ü The Billy Goat Trail follows the Potomac River up and down the steep river bank. The trail tread is both rocky and smooth. Hikers will climb rocks and cross streams. The last third of the hike is on the wide and flat C&O tow path.

ü Follow the blue blazers, even when the trail strays in different directions, particularly at a large bridge crossing half way and at the end of the Billy Goat Trail when it makes a sharp turn to the left.

ü This trail is NOT jogging stroller passable.

ü There is one creek crossing without a bridge.

ü Link to the trail map, look at the trail in the lower right corner labeled Caderock.

Age Appropriateness

ü This hike is best for kids five years and older due to the hills and rocky terrain.

What is fun for kids?

ü Seeing wildlife – snakes, fish, blue heron, ducks, geese, turtles in the canal, skinks (look in dead tree trunks), toads, box turtles, and deer along the trail.

ü Vernal pools and frogs.

ü Many varieties of wild flowers in April (e.g. Virginia blue bells, phlox, may apples and many more).

ü Lots of rocks to climb. This is an area known for rock climbing.

ü After the stream crossing, there is a big, flat rock on the river’s edge for a rest, snack or picnic lunch. This is also a great spot for playing in or next to the water.

ü Watching kayakers on the river.

ü Seeing a waterfall.

Caution

ü This area of Great Falls and the Canal is very busy on the weekends. There is some difficulty finding a parking spot.

ü Many different user paths off the trail. Follow the blue blazes.

ü Trash free park – pack your garbage out.

Trail Discovery for Kids

2011-03-25T12:35:00.000-04:00

March 2011 Highlighted Hike

Graves Mill Trail

Shenandoah National Park

Madison County, Virginia

Hike Information

ü 2.5 miles out and back hike to the second water crossing or 4.2 miles out and back to the trail head at the Rapidan Fire Rd.

ü Wide trail with easy, gradual elevation gain. There is one hill before the turnaround at the second water crossing. After the second water crossing, the trail gradually gains 200 feet.

ü Continue straight on the Graves Mill Trail at .5 miles when it intersects the Staunton River Trail.

ü The trail is not jogging stroller passable due to a stream crossing at .6 miles into the hike.

ü Driving directions - From Culpeper, go south on U.S. 29 for about 20 miles. South of Madison, turn right at Route 230 West. Follow Route 230 for about four miles to Wolfton. Turn right at SR 662 and follow it to its end at the Shenandoah National Park boundary. Or access the trail from the Rapidan Fire Rd. at the end of Rt. 649 near Syria, Va.

ü Trail map - no online resource. Purchase PATC Map #10 or see photo.

Age Appropriateness

ü This hike is best for children five years and older.

What is fun for kids?

ü The trail follows the babbling Rapidan River with a few rapids, particularly upstream.

ü At .75 miles on the trail, there is a great rock beach for a picnic lunch, rock throwing or skipping, and stream play in warmer weather or testing one’s balance on the ice.

ü At .4 miles on the trail, one of nature’s wonders is on view, beaver’s awe-inspiring engineering. The evidence of two beaver dams and two large lodges is littered on the river banks by the many pencil-pointed tree stumps. Possible opportunities to see the beavers in action are best during a dawn or dusk hike but shhh, beavers are very shy!

ü At the Rapidan Fire Rd. trail head, there is a great swimming hole.

ü Try a little catch and release and bring a fishing pole. There are many brown trout in the river.

Caution

ü Two first stream crossings are difficult for children. The stepping stones are adult stride. Waterproof sandals or shoes are a good option.

ü Popular hiking area. SNP provides twelve parking spots with parking restricted on the road.

ü There are no bathroom facilities.

ü Trash free park – pack your garbage out.

History & Nature in One

2011-01-24T23:20:00.000-05:00

Today, my kids would normally be in school but it was a work day for teachers; therefore, some friends and I took our children and went to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia for a night and two days. I rented a Potomac Appalachian Trail Club cabin, only one of nine cabins are modern (electricity/plumbing) while the other 31 cabins are primitive (a roof over your head with a fireplace). Highacre is a beautiful old house, built in the late 1800's, that sits high on the cliff above downtown Harpers Ferry with an incredible view of the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers with the high ridges that surround the rivers. If it wasn't six degrees this morning, watching the sunrise from the front porch would have been breathtaking. Instead we witnessed it in warmth from the big dinning room windows.

Whether you go to Harpers Ferry in the winter or summer, there are many activities to do providing different opportunities and experiences. The summer invites families to play in the rivers along the rivers' edges or drifting in the river's flow on an inner tube. The winter offers a family time to observe the icy caps on the rivers and hear the crackle of the ice and enjoy all the activities of Harpers Ferry with minimal visitors.

Learn about Harpers Ferry in the 1800's, its abolitionist movement, and its place during the Civil War, in particular the John Brown raid, at the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.
Watch trains as you walk the bridge over the Potomac River.
Hike the Appalachian Trail into Maryland to Weaverton Cliffs or into Virginia to Loudon Heights.
Watch the sunset at Jefferson Rocks.
Hike the Maryland Heights Trail to experience an amazing view of the river's confluence and Harpers Ferry.
Bike or walk the C&O Canal path.

Even though it was a frigid day, the sun was shining with blue skies; we layered up, crossed the train bridge over the Potomac, walked the C&O Canal Path, to the trailhead of the Maryland Heights Trail and ascended the ridge. Even though, my little one couldn't make it to the amazing view at the top of the cliffs, the rest did. Walking back along the train bridge, we viewed the waving arms of my daughter and our friends on the cliffs. The hike and its spectacular views were the highlight of the staycation in Harpers Ferry. Harpers Ferry is definitely a historical and natural oasis in the Mid-Atlantic.

Trail Discovery for Kids

2010-11-22T20:26:00.000-05:00

November Highlighted Hike

Blockhouse Trail

Blockhouse Point Conservation Park

14750 River Road, Darnestown, MD

Hike Information

 The Blockhouse Trail is a 3 mile out and back hike with moderate elevation gain after the stream and at the overlook.

 The trailhead is at the second parking lot on the left, driving northwest on River Road. The lot is adjacent to the road and only has room for a few cars.

 The trail is very well marked with sign posts at each intersection and blue blazes along the trail. Follow the Blockhouse Trail to the left of the horse fields until the bridge. Cross over the stream and continue up the hill until the T-intersection. Continue left on the Blockhouse Trail to the overlook. Retrace back.

 An extension to the Blockhouse Trail – at the T-intersection, follow the Calithea Trail for .1 miles and turn left onto the Paw Paw Trail to a second overlook. Retrace back.

 The trails are jogging stroller passable. The obstacles are few large rocks and gullies.

 Link to the trail map.

Age Appropriateness

 This hike is manageable for preschoolers who will switch between walking and riding but best for children 5 years and older.

What is fun for kids?

 Late fall and winter are the best times of year to take this hike because of the amazing 180 degree views of the Potomac River. Trees without leaves provide this beautiful view.

 The overlook at the end of Blockhouse Trail provides a high view of the scenery and a large and safe area for free play and a picnic.

 The overlook at the end of the Paw Paw Trail provides a lower view of the Potomac. This overlook has a small outcropping of rocks to sit, take a break, have a picnic lunch, and watch the great blue herons feast in the river. This overlook is steep with drop offs.

 At the overlooks, keep your eyes peeled for bald eagle sightings!

 Engage in some Civil War play – sticks are always a child’s weapon of choice. Blockhouse Point Conservation Park was home to a Civil War Encampment in 1862 by Union soldiers. Old encampment dugouts still exist in the park.

Caution

 Steep drop offs at the overlooks.

 No bathrooms.

 Trash free park – pack out your garbage.

Fall Family Hikes

2010-10-17T23:02:00.000-04:00

The air is crisp, with an occasional scorcher to remind us of the hot summer, with beautiful blue skies and the leaves are changing into magnificent hues of gold and burgundy. Hiking Along hopes your family has been able to discover fall’s bounty for your senses thus far. If not, we hope you will consider joining Hiking Along with its partnering organizations on either of these two great fall hikes.

Saturday, October 23rd from 9:30 to 11:30 am, Hiking Along in partnership with a new organization, Conservation Montgomery, will lead a family hike on the Northwest Branch Trail (p.1) to learn about trees, their importance to people, animals, and the local watershed. Kids and parents will engage in hands-on activities along the trail, including a service project to collect native seeds for the Growing Native program. The hike is 1.5 miles out and back on a flat, wide trail that is jogging stroller friendly. The hike will begin at the Kemp Mill Rd. trailhead of the Northwest Branch Trail. A suggested $5 per person donation to Conservation Montgomery is greatly appreciated. To register for the hike, please send an e-mail with your family’s name, number of people, and contact e-mail to conservationmontgomery@live.com.

Saturday, October 30th from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, Hiking Along in partnership with Neighbors of Northwest Branch will lead a family hike on the Rachel Carson Greenway Trail, south of Burnt Mills (p. 3). The group will meet in the parking lot adjacent to the Trader Joe’s Plaza and will hike two miles out and back to the 495 overpass. On the return, children will have the opportunity to rock scramble. While on the hike, families will learn about the ecosystem of a deciduous forest in the Washington area. They will understand and follow a food web in the forest and what happens when a species is threatened or endangered. Children will learn about and provide solutions to the human impact on a forest food web. This hike is great for children 5+ years of age but all are welcome. The trail is not jogging stroller passable; however, a few backpacks can be provided for young children. Join the hike, see the forest colors, and learn about its animals!

If your family or group can’t make one of these great hikes, then e-mail Jennifer to schedule any one of the nine hikes in the DC area. In addition, check out Hiking Along’s blog to read “Trail Discovery for Kids” – a review of some of the best hiking trails for kids and families in the DC area. Some highlighted trails are Tom’s Trail in Wheaton Park, a short, easy and adventurous hike for preschoolers or to view the fall colors in Shenandoah National Park, hike with your family on the White Oak Canyon/Cedar Run 2 mile circuit. For more up-to-the-minute trail and nature resources, “like” Hiking Along on Facebook.
Happy Fall Adventures to you and your family!

Trail Discovery for Kids

2010-10-17T22:50:00.000-04:00

October Highlighted Hike

Cedar Run and White Oak Canyon Trails
Shenandoah National Park

Hike Information
 2.2 mile circuit hike on the Cedar Run, the Cedar Run/White Oak Canyon Link and the White Oak Canyon Trails.
 Access is from the park boundary on SR 600.
 This hike is not jogging stroller passable.
 The trailhead is at the top of the parking lot to the right of the NPS kiosk/shed. Hike .2 miles to the first trail marker (cement post) and turn left onto Cedar Run Trail. Hike .5 miles to the intersection (next cement post) with the Cedar Run/White Oak Canyon Link Trail and turn right. Hike .9 miles, cross the Robinson River and turn right onto the White Oak Canyon Trail. Hike .75 miles to the parking lot.
 Cedar Run is a gradual uphill hike with a short incline before the intersection with the link trail. The first half of the link trail is rolling hills with the later half descending the ridge. The White Oak Canyon Trail is a gradual descent to the parking lot.
 Hike an additional .5 miles on the Cedar Run Trail above the link trail to the first falls on Cedar Run.
 To visit the lower falls on the Robinson River (White Oak Canyon Trail), turn left at the intersection with the link and White Oak Canyon Trails and hike an additional 1.2 miles.
 Link to the trail map.

Age Appropriateness
 The 2.2 mile circuit hike is best for children 5 years and older. Children 7+ years are able to add the Cedar Run Falls extension and children 9+ years are able to add the White Oak Canyon/Robinson River Falls extension. The extensions add elevation to the hike.

What is fun for kids?
 Balancing on rocks to cross the Robinson River.
 Rock scrambling along Cedar Run. About half way up the Cedar Run Trail, there is a short access trail on the left to the Run with some big rocks for picnicking, rock scrambling, and cooling off.
 Before crossing the Robinson River, there is a great swimming hole to the right of the trail with a large rock for sitting and/or picnicking.
 Being in the tree canopy hiking along the ridge on the link trail.
 One small campsite halfway on the link trail. Need to obtain a backcountry camping permit.

Caution
 Crowded parking lot on the weekends.
 $10.00 Park entrance fee.
 Trash free park – pack out your garbage.

Other Than Sleeping, Kids Are Scared Of...

2010-09-20T14:56:00.000-04:00

The dreaded statement parents often hear when hiking, "I have to go to the bathroom."
Parent replys, "which do you have to go, pee or poop (silently praying its pee!)?"
"Poop!" replies the child. (parent's mental thought "oh crap, what do I do?" because there is no bathroom or it is too far away).
This scenerio happens to me a lot (two kids hiking on average 4 times a month). I do silently say , "oh crap" but I know what to do. Here are some tips to lessen the panic for you and your child whether you are day hiking or backpacking, in addition to lessening your impact on the environment.
Day Hiking

Create a disposable potty - pack in a ziplock bag, a grocery shopping bag without holes, some wipes, and hand sanitizer.
When the moment arrives, step off the trail and find a private spot, behind a tree or rock. Open the grocery bag wide and place it flat on the ground. Face your child, squat with them, support them under their armpits with your arms or hands, and let them poop in the center of the bag. Warning - often pee comes with poop (that's okay), boys should point their penis down just like on the potty and girls should angle their hips back. Wipe and place in the bag which will absorb the pee. Close and tie up the grocery bag, letting out the air, place in the ziplock bag, and carry home or to the next garbage can. Phew, your done!

Backpacking (no privies)

Carry and use a Restop or Cleanwaste Go Anywhere bag.
Dig a Cathole. Create a toilet bag - place in a gallon-sized ziplock bag, a cat hole shovel, toilet paper (take out the paper tube and pull the paper from the center to prevent the role from unraveling), quart-sized ziplock bag, and hand sanitizer. Find a private location 200 ft. from the trail, campsite, or water and dig a hole 6 in. deep. As mentioned above, help your child to squat over the hole and poop. Didn't make the hole, that's okay, use a stick (not the shovel - contamination) to push it into the hole and stir it with some dirt (increases decomposition) and then cover, placing the stick in the hole like a flag. After wiping, place the toilet paper in the quart-sized ziplock bag. You ask, why not put the toilet paper in the hole? Animals will dig it up and TP makes beautiful tree decorations. Your done and it wasn't that scary!

Okay, the same "I gotta go to the bathroom!" but this time its only pee. Phew, that's easy, I can handle this! Find a private spot 200 feet from the trail, campsite, or water and have your child pee on leaf litter (otherwise known as dead leaves). Boys (and men) love to practice target shooting at trees; however, deer love to lick the salt after the pee evaporates. For girls, just like when pooping in a cathole, carry an extra ziplock bag in your backpack and carry out the soiled toilet paper. TP flowers aren't as pretty as the real ones!

When nature calls next time you and your children are in the wilds, don't panic, you got it covered!

Trail Discovery for Kids

2010-09-02T15:39:00.001-04:00

September Highlighted Hike

Brookside Nature Center

Tom's (Self Guided Nature) Trail

Hike Information

Tom's Trail is .75 miles starting at the Brookside Nature Center.
This trail is wide, without many tread obstacles, and has a few small hills. It is jogging stroller friendly.
From the parking lot in front of the Nature Center, walk to the asphalt path on the left side of the lot. Follow it until it intersects with the service road. A trail marker appears with Tom's Trail and an arrow pointing to the right. Follow the path uphill (passing the trail off to the left). At the second trail intersection, continue to follow the sign for Tom's Trail to the right. At the third intersection, turn right towards the nature center, through the meadow. (For a longer loop, one mile total, continue straight and it will loop around to the right to the Nature Exploration Area. Don't follow signs to Pine Lake.) After the meadow, a sign will appear for the Nature Exploration Area on the left and the pioneer cabin and smoke house straight ahead. To complete the circuit, pass the pioneer cabin and follow the service road to the right back towards the nature center.
To make this hike longer, add the Oxbow Trail and the wood walkways around the pond or Oak Ridge and Equestrian Trail back to Tom's Trail.
Link to the trail map.

Age Appropriateness

This trail is perfect for toddlers and preschoolers.

What is fun for kids?

Nature Center before or after the hike.
Nature Exploration Area behind the Nature Center. Great nature activities for kids, such as crawling through hollowed tree trunks, sitting in a human sized bird's nest, playing in a sand garden, observing birds and butterflies through a blind, and many more stations.
Pioneer house and smokehouse.
Reading and learning about nature through interpretive signs.
Finding frogs and turtles in the pond.
Having lunch at a picnic table – adjacent to the Nature Exploration Area or at the Tom's Trailhead.

Caution

Wearing bug spray is advised, along with a tick check after the hike.
Not too many cautions, go have FUN!

Trail Discovery for Kids

2010-08-31T14:11:00.001-04:00

August Highlighted Hike

Shenandoah National Park

Hazel River Trail

Hike Information

The Hazel River Trail is at the eastern boundary of the Shenandoah National Park just south of Sperryville, Virginia.
The Hazel River Trail is a 2.6 mile out and back hike along the Hazel River to the intersections of the Hazel River and White Rocks Trail. To extend the hike, turn right onto White Rocks Trail and ascend the ridge .8 miles to a short side trail on the left that connects to the falls and a cave. The .2 mile descent and ascent is very steep but well worth the hike.
The ascent on the Hazel River Trail is gradual and not steep.
The trail crosses the Hazel River five times. When the water is low the crossing is easy, more difficult with higher water. There are no bridges to cross the river.
Go south on SR 231 from Sperryville and turn right on Road 608. Follow it to the end and turn left onto Road 600. Park on the road near the bridge over the Hazel River. Follow the private road north along the river until you reach the trail head at the top of the hill (before the road makes a sharp bend to the left).
Link to the trail map. This map starts the hike from Skyline Dr. Instead, start the hike where the Hazel River Trail (yellow) and Sam's Ridge Trail (blue) intersect. Do not hike Sam's Ridge Trail with your children; it is a very steep and strenuous 2 mile hike up the ridge. Other map resources - PATC's Map 10 or in the PATC Circuit Hikes in Shenandoah National Park.

Age Appropriateness

The Hazel River Trail is appropriate for children 5 years and older. Hiking the White Rocks Trail extension to the falls and cave is appropriate for 8 years and older.

What is fun for kids?

Hiking along a river and the challenge of crossing it on rocks or wearing water shoes and getting wet.
Playing in the river and cooling off on a warm summer day.
A mile up the trail, there are large boulders that are great for climbing. Kids can find easy and challenging ways to get to the top.
Hiking the White Rocks Trail extension is a great reward for kids – large rocks for great climbing in the river and along the banks, bring a flashlight to go into the cave, and a great swimming hole to cool off in front of the falls. This is also a great picnic spot.
A few unofficial camp sites are located on White Rocks Trail near the side trail to the falls and cave.

Caution

There are no bathrooms.
Shenandoah National Park requires users to pack in, pack out your garbage.
For camping, obtain a backcountry camping permit from the National Park Service.
Wearing bug spray is advised, along with a tick check after the hike.

Trail Discovery for Kids

2010-07-11T22:00:00.001-04:00

July Highlighted Hike

Greenbelt National Park

Greenbelt, MD

Hike Information

The Dogwood Loop is 1.1 or 1.4 miles depending on which loop you take. The trail is jogging stroller friendly with both natural surface and raised wood walkways over wet lowlands.
Perimeter (yellow blaze) to Blueberry (blue blaze) to Dogwood (red blaze) Trails circuit hike is 3.25 miles, a moderate hike with some hills.
The parking lot and trail head for both hikes is on Park Central Rd.
To do the 3.25 mile circuit hike, cross Park Central Road and do the circuit clockwise starting on the Perimeter Trail. At your first intersection after hiking up a hill, turn right and follow the trail with the Baltimore-Washington Pkwy on your left. After hiking for 1.5 miles, the Perimeter Trail intersects with Park Central Road. Follow the road to the left passed the ranger station and first camping loop. Turn right onto the Blueberry Trail at the trail sign. Keep right at the fork on the Blueberry Trail. When the Blueberry trail ends, turn right back onto the Perimeter Trail. Follow it for a mile and turn right onto the Dogwood Trail and bear left around the loop.
Link to the trail map.

Age Appropriateness

The Dogwood Loop is great for preschoolers due to the wide, flat trail and accessibility for jogging strollers. The Perimeter Trail 3.25 circuit hike is best for children ages 7 and older due to its length and moderate hill climbs.

What is fun for kids?

Hiking in a beautiful, deciduous ecosystem and oasis in an urban/suburban area.
On the Perimeter circuit, there are a few stream crossings with an opportunity to throw rocks and play in the stream.
Many benches along the trail to sit, listen, take-in the surroundings, rest and have a drink and snack.
Greenbelt has a campground. Campsites can be reserved for $16 per night.
There are many picnic areas in the park for a picnic lunch or dinner.
On the Dogwood Loop, there are a few vernal pools where amphibian activity can be seen and heard during the spring.

Caution

There is very little poison ivy but there are ticks. Wearing bug spray is advised, along with a tick check after the hike.

Amazing Work by Youth

2010-06-06T21:32:00.000-04:00

This spring has been a busy one for engaging youth in the environment and it culminated into two big celebrations this weekend: the Maryland Green School's Youth Summit in Sandy Point State Park and the completion of the Northwood Chesapeake Bay Trail project.
What an achievement by the Maryland Association of Environmental and Outdoor Educators to encourage 350 schools and their administrators, teachers, and students to implement environmental education across their school's curriculum and implement projects that provide natural habitats for plants and animals on school grounds, reduce energy consumption by people in school buildings to decrease the amount of carbon usage, and encourage green healthy living for all in the community. I was proud to participate as a Audubon Naturalist Society GreenKids Environmental Educator in this Summit of youth coming together from all over the state to celebrate their achievements in becoming a Maryland Green School. Take a look at this amazing day:

Polar Bear Sky from Daniel Dancer on Vimeo.

The First Time

2010-05-11T22:57:00.001-04:00

All I wanted for Mother's Day was the experience to go backpacking with my daughter; so did my friend. Therefore, last Saturday morning, my friend and I and our two daughters, age nine, packed our backpacks, loaded the car, and headed to Pennsylvania to hike a small section of the Appalachian Trail. We drove north on Route 233 into Michaux State Forest and parked the car on a forest road that intersected with the AT. Our plan was to make this fun and adventurous; after all, this was our daughter's first backpacking trip and we wanted it to be memorable and positive.

It was a beautiful sunny day, but windy as we hiked with full packs south on the AT. The plan was to hike four miles and make camp at the Quarry Gap shelter. The girls kept up a great pace and entertained themselves with songs, stories, and horseplay, while us moms enjoyed the amazing greenery of mountain laurel, rhododendron, and blueberry bushes and talked about life. When we arrived at the shelter, we were greeted by eight tired hikers and two dogs. The girls feel in love with the dogs. We decided to pitch tents at a campsite up trail for some quiet solitude, to the disappointment of the girls. However, we joined the thru-hikers during a campfire at the shelter to hear great stories.

During the night, a gentle rain pitter-pattered on the tent waking us moms to thoughts of, "are the girl's shoes and packs under the fly protected?" Indeed, they were which meant no soggy feet in the morning. The morning brought damp, bone chilling temperatures that hot chocolate and oatmeal didn't warm the soul. We even experienced sleet! The only way to possibly warm up was to pack up and get moving. Our plan was to hike to Caledonia State Park and get a shuttle back to the car but the girls were game for walking uphill four miles back to the car. They led the way and kept a great pace with no complaints because they were finally warm. Upon reaching the car, the girls were all smiles because they had accomplished an eight mile backpacking trip and had fun.

Hiking in the frontcountry (urban and suburbia trails) is a fantastic activity to spend quality time with your children. Backpacking and working together as a family to reach a destination and set-up and break down camp as a team is a great vacation to bond with your children. Here are some ideas to help make your backpacking trips with your children a success:

Bring a friend their age.

Invest in the correct fitting backpack that is theirs.

Go a short distance for the first trip and then choose distances that your children can comfortably handle while carrying their suppliers. The girls carried their clothes, sleeping bag, pad, book, and water bottle.

Choose the right trail – flat/no elevation or decreasing elevation, physical features or landscape that offers imaginative adventures. The girls created a secret hiding place amongst the huge rhododendron.

Camp at a shelter – they often have privies, a bear box to store your food, fire pits, and a picnic table.

Allow them to share a tent with each other. This instills a sense of choice, independence, and adventure. The girls shared many giggles and imaginative stories.

Let them help plan the menu.

Have fun!

Trail Discovery for Kids

2010-04-29T11:39:00.001-04:00

May Highlighted Hike

Northwest Branch Trail – Kemp Mill Road

Silver Spring, MD

Hike Information

The trail head for this hike is on Kemp Mill Road across from the trail into Wheaton Regional Park and Glenallan Road, the entrance for Brookside Nature Center and Brookside Gardens.
The Northwest Branch trail and the Rachel Carson trail connect at Kemp Mill Rd. and Rt. 29 to create a 6.8 mile circuit hike. Therefore, families can hike out and back on the Northwest Branch trail until they desire to stop.
This trail is wide and flat, making it a jogging stroller friendly trail.
About a third of a mile from the trail head, the Rachel Carson trail (not labeled but blue blazed) intersects on the left with the Northwest Branch Trail. This trail is NOT jogging stroller friendly. Stay straight and follow the sign for the Northwest Branch trail.
Link to the trail map.

Age Appropriateness

The out and back hike on the Northwest Branch trail is great for children 2+ years old. Completing the Northwest Branch and Rachel Carson circuit hike would be a great challenge for a child 10+ years old.

What is fun for kids?

Walking along the Northwest Branch of the Anacostia River and easily accessing it at various locations along the trail. There are two locations within a half mile of the trail head that have wide stream banks with lots of rocks and sand. Great places to have a picnic (no tables), to throw or skip rocks in the Branch, and bring a shovel and a pail for imaginative play in the sand.
Interpretive signs about vernal pools, animals in the stream valley, caves, and the historical mining of mica in the park.
Walk through a forested wetland with amazing vegetation, like skunk cabbage, and many vernal pools that are great habitats for salamanders and frogs.
In April, the wildflowers are fantastic on this flood plain. They usually peak around the third week of April.
Make a left on the Rachel Carson trail and walk a short distance to the bridge over the Branch. Play I Spy as they look down into the water from the bridge. Then walk back to the Northwest Branch trail.

Caution

Poison ivy and muddy patches on the trail. Wear long pants to access the vernal pools.
There are no bathroom facilities.
Trash free park – pack your garbage out.

40 Years and Counting: Happy Earth Day!

2010-04-22T07:22:00.000-04:00

It has been 40 years since US Senator Gaylord Nelson and Denis Hayes gave birth to the environmental movement, calling upon all Americans to take to the streets on April 22, 1970 to protest gas guzzling V8 engines, polluted air due to power plants, and dumping pesticides, sewage, and sludge into water ways. Twenty million people protested that day and since, our country has made vast improvements in air and water quality and bringing animals, such as the wolf and bald eagle, back from their endangered status.
In 2010, the environmental movement is fighting a new battle against technology and our children’s increasing desire to engage with it. Technology, cell phones, computers, video games, and social media, draws our children in, even adults too, and competes for space in their minds over creativity and imagination. Environmentalists, educators, and doctors believe the advancement in technology and its usage has contributed to childhood obesity and their inactivity outside.
Parents and educators know children love technology; so what if they used it to their benefit and partnered technology with the outdoors. Digital cameras are a fun piece of technology kids love to play with and a great tool for them to observe and engage with nature. This technological tool can open their eyes to many windows of nature in their backyard, behind their school, and on the trail. In these open windows, they may find clouds in the sky, the overhead tree canopy, the fuzz on a flower, the centipede crawling to escape an uncovered rock, or the sunset off the stream valley horizon. The fun doesn’t end outside but begins again at the computer where they see nature from a new perspective, on the screen. There, children are able to appreciate their art and learn to refine it, allowing them once again to see the fine beauty nature provides.
Embrace technology and use it to engage children to develop a relationship with nature; through that relationship, children will care for and respect the environment and become its future Earth Day revolutionaries!
Hiking Along is offering a Nature Photography hike for 8+ year olds on Friday, April 30, 2010 from 4:30 to 6:00 pm on the Northwest Branch Trail. Children may borrow a camera from Hiking Along to participate in the hike (download photos will be provided to each participant). To register for the hike, please e-mail Jennifer Chambers at jennifer@hikingalong.com.

The photos were taken by Kady, Northwood '10 (spider) and Courtney, Northwood '10 (tree).

Trail Discovery for Kids

2010-04-12T22:20:00.000-04:00

April Highlighted Hike
Rose River Fire Road
Shenandoah National Park
Syria, VA
Hike Information
* 2.6 miles out and back from the trail head to the intersection with the Upper Dark Hollow Trail. This is your turn around spot.
* The trail is a fire road; therefore, it is wide, meaning vegetation won’t encroach upon the kids and make them itchy.
* The trail gradually ascends the river valley without any steep portions.
* This trail is NOT jogging stroller friendly due to large gullies and many rocks.
* To access the trail head, drive to the end of Rt. 670 (becomes a dirt road) in Syria, VA.
* Link to the trail map. The trail head on Rt. 670 is not on this map but it will give you an idea of the trails in the Big Meadows area of SNP.
Age Appropriateness
This hike is best for children 7 years an older. However, an energetic 5 and 6 year could complete the hike.
What is fun for kids?
* Walking along the rapids of the Rose River. There are two locations on the hike where kids can safely access the river. At .5 miles, kids can easily access a shallow, slow moving spot on the river to get wet or throw rocks. At 1.2 miles, walk to the right down a short access trail (not marked) to some rapids and a small swimming hole in an eddy. There is also a one tent primitive camping spot here.
* Seeing wildflowers in April.
* The possibility of seeing a black bear along the river.
Caution
* No good on-line map. Best map of this trail is PATC’s Map 10, Shenandoah National Park: Central District. There is a kiosk at the trail head with a map.
* There are no bathroom facilities.
* Trash free park – pack your garbage out.

March Trail Discovery for Kids

2010-03-21T22:30:00.000-04:00

Rachel Carson Trail – Underground Railroad
Woodlawn Manor
Norwood Road, Sandy Spring, MD
Hike Information
-3.5 miles out and back hike to the original Sandy Spring and 4 miles out and back to the Sandy Spring Meeting House.
- Follow the Underground Railroad trail blazers.
- This trail has little elevation change with one small hill.
- This trail is jogging stroller passable.
- The trail head is at Woodland Manor.
- Link to the trail map.
Age Appropriateness
-This hike is good for any age but a great hike for elementary age children and older because of the history they will learn about the Underground Railroad.
What is fun for kids?
-Learn how nature enhanced or hampered runaway slaves travel in the Underground Railroad. Print the second page of the trail map that includes an interpretive guide to the trail.
- Horses surround Woodland Manor.
- Play and throw rocks in the shallow stream of the headwaters of Northwest Branch (best access next to bridge).
- Bring and fly a kite or run in the field new Sandy Spring.
- Enjoy the shade and have a picnic at the 1745 Sandy Spring.
- Visit the 1817 Quaker meeting house and the 300 year old White Ash tree.
Caution
- Multiply trails intersect along the trail, follow the Underground Railroad blazers and signs.
- There are no bathroom facilities.
- Trash free park – pack your garbage out.

Winter Wonderland

2010-02-10T12:05:00.000-05:00

I sit at my desk watching the blizzard of snow fall and swirl as I see two hints of spring: a blooming, potted daffodil on my window ledge and a robin sitting on a branch just outside my window. As the snow blinds the view, most of nature, even humans, is habernating, waiting for the storm to pass except for that one loan robin. I wonder why it is flying about. After all, there is no food to be had, except what is deep under the snow. I am in awe of nature and the juxtapostion it sometimes presents.

Yesterday, I wrote on my facebook page, "Uncle!," wanting to surrender to the reality of nature. Some of you know I grew up in upstate NY where I have experienced snow piled to roof lines. However, that was many years ago and I have lived in DC for 18 years where we don't get this kind of snow. I measured 28 inches on Saturday and who knows what we will get today. Besides all of the shoveling (we had our cars dug out on Saturday night and most of the street by Sunday which was an exception to the rule in the county), we have been having a lot of fun, sledding everyday and making snow forts and tunnels with the kids, just like I remember as a kid. Every winter, my brother and I would join the hoards of neighborhood kids on the hill behind our neighborhood for the best sledding adventures. In addition, he and I loved building snow tunnels and forts in the huge mounds of snow left by the plows. We would be outside for hours until night time, finally having to come in when mom called for dinner. It has been like that a lot around my neighborhood this week. With no snow, the cold winters here are harder for kids to get outside to bike, scoot, and play on the playground. However, I am not making excuses for them because it is not impossible. Snow on the ground creates possibilities and imagination for kids. I have enjoyed witnessing snow ball wars, toy trucks on built snow forts , and the wahoo screams as kids and adults whip down the hills sledding. With Sunday's sunshine and beautiful blue skies, the kids were outside all day not thinking about how tired or bored or hungry they were. For example, the boys from across the street were outside from breakfast until 3:00 pm when their mom brought them a PB&J sandwich. They were having so much fun they forgot to eat lunch. Of course, the visual of the sandwich triggered an avalanche of, "oh, I'm hungry too" from the rest of the bunch. Snow is amazing, not only because of its physically beauty, from the minute snow crystals to the landscape effect, but also for the profound joy and happiness it brings to kids and the kid in all adults.

Year-end Newsletter

2010-01-04T16:38:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays everyone! I hope you all have enjoyed the massive amount of snow that we received last weekend. I admit I procrastinated on my Christmas chores to have two full days of fun in the snow with my children. Having that much snow on the ground turns me into a kid and brings back so many memories of my childhood sledding down the big hill behind my house with all my neighborhood friends. When the snow falls, I am the first to have my snow gear on and cheering all the way down the hill, usually with my four year old on my lap. Even when I finally did stop having fun this week to do my Christmas chores, I found myself distracted by watching my kids find new and imaginative ways to play in the backyard. The playset became something fun and new because it was covered with a foot and a half of snow. They even pretended that the snow covered patio table was a giant birthday cake and decided to get on top of it to gobble it up! Many big smiles were brought to my face. I am sure you all had the same big smiles on your faces watching your children discover the wonders of snow!
I wanted to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to everyone who has participated in a Hiking Along hike this year and in the past. I am very appreciative of your business and instilling me to guide your children, Girl Scouts, and students on the trails to be engage fully in nature. I look forward to another great year in 2010 of guiding and teaching many children about the beauties of nature. Stay tuned in the new year for these opportunities:
· Wildflower Nature Photography hike (children 8+) – date TBD but it will be the third or fourth week of April when wildflowers are at their peak. The hike will be on the Rachel Carson Trail in Northwest Branch Park starting at the Kemp Mill trail head. Look for details in March to register for this hike.
· Leave No Trace Awareness Workshop for Girl Scout Troop leaders – date TBD but it will be in March and will be a two hour long workshop for free. More information will be provided after the first of the year.
Happy Holidays to you all! I hope 2010 is full of peace, love, and many amazing memories with your children outdoors!

Resources for Family Adventures

2009-12-02T15:52:00.000-05:00

Trekaroo is a resource website for families to seek information and reviews about the best traveling adventures for their families around the U.S. Trekaroo is riding a virtual train and made a stop in Washington, D.C. DC area moms and dads got on the train to provide their top 10 lists of the best family adventures in Washington. Hiking Along provided its top 10 list of the best kid-friendly trails in the DC region. Have you hike any of these trails? Send us a comment about your hikes on these top ten trails.
Trekaroo’s growing community of families from all across the country have pitched in with their votes for the most kid-friendly stops in Washington D.C. Here’s the line up for 2009!
Best Kid-friendly Hotels in Washington, D.C. – voted by parents
Best Activities for Kids in Washington, D.C. – voted by parents
Some of DC’s top blogging moms and dads have jumped on board the KidsMobile, playing the role of local tour guide. They are taking us into their fold by sharing with us their inside scoop about what’s fun for kids in their hometown.
Jennifer, a mom who loves the outdoors shares a fabulous list of The Best Kid-friendly Hiking Trails in DC. Jennifer’s passion as an environmental educator led her to start Hiking Along – a super cool educational program where she leads groups of children, preschool to high school, on hikes and allows them to participate in hands-on science activities to learn about their natural surroundings. She also keeps a blog about hiking with kids.
Dave, better known as SuburbanDaddy, knows that cold weather is just around the corner and any parent of a young child will be eager for his list of The Best Indoor Places for Toddlers Around Washington DC. He is the creator of Kidburst, an activities guide written by local parents about the Washington DC area with in-depth coverage of kids activities from summer camps to sporting facilities and classes.
Jennifers, tell us about 8 Things (Under $5) to Do in Washington DC with Toddlers. She is an adventurous mom of a 2 and 4 year old who has not allowed having kids to slow her down. Although she’s based in Florida, Washington DC is one of her favorite vacation spots. She writes in depth about their family’s exciting adventures on Two Kids and A Map
Sujatha is mom to a 9 year old (boy) and 3 year old (girl) and brings us Fun Washington, D.C. Activities that get Kids Fired Up. This list has some great ideas of places beyond the usual tour of Capitol Hill that will really get kids to perk up. She writes candidly and casually about their travels as a family and about her adventures in parenting on her blog: Blogpourri
Amy is a mom who sees everything as a teaching moment and traveling is no exception. As a local DC mom, she’s got some her favorite Day Trips with Kids From Washington DC. As a literacy consultant and former high school teacher her blog – teachmama – is full of wonderful ideas about how to weave education into holiday traditions, travel, games and more.
Jill, brings us her list of Must See Attractions in DC with Preteens and Teens. She is the mom behind her prolific blog Musings From Me that covers a wide range of topics including parenting, travel and reviews of cool products. Jill has been on the go all her life, living in England, Italy, and America but currently calls Maryland home.
Ms Twixt, brings us a list of What to do with Tweens in Washington D.C. As a mom to 3 tweens girls and a toddler boy, she is an expert on everything Tween. Her Blog Twixt and Between provides helpful insights on topics that are current for tween girls and their parents. She even has a store in Georgetown Park with adorable age-appropriate clothing, shoes, gifts and accessories for Tween Girls.
Other Resources for Washington DC:
All 100 Activities for kids in the Washington DC Metro Area
Kid-friendly hotels in and around Washington DC
Next stop, Sunny San Diego, CA
The Trekaroo KidsMobile is a blog carnival with a twist. It’s designed to provide a unique opportunity for mom and dad bloggers to be featured on Trekaroo while
1) expressing their unique point of view
2) getting a web of link exchanges.
Join us for one of our next stopovers.

Taking Initiative

2009-11-02T21:52:00.000-05:00

This morning a friend and I took our kids hiking on the Rachel Carson Trail in Northwest Branch in Silver Spring. For an impromptu hike, it turned out to be a fantastic time. The kids picked up sticks and used them as tools in their imaginative play. Seeing a red fox freaked them out a bit and deadened their pace to a crawl in fear of it "coming after them." After a few reassurances that our human foot steps scared it away, they resumed their role playing on the trail. We stopped at a sandy area as our turn around location and let the kids play by the water. Our adult conversation distracted us from their activities. After a pause, we noticed our children had been actively dislodging trash from the stream in an effort to help clean it up. I was brimming with pride to see they had taken the initiative to see a problem and fix it. Of course, they didn't want to stop when I announced we needed to make haste to return to the trail head because they were seeing success in their "work." Unfortunately, I didn't carry my backpack that always has trash bags and we couldn't take the fruits of their labor out with us. However, we put the trash out of the flood plain and assured them that we would come back with bag in hand to collect it. Their initiation in cleaning up the stream made me realize that positive parent modeling is effective.

Trail Discovery for Kids: October

2009-10-16T14:26:00.001-04:00

October Highlighted Hike

Scotts Run Nature Preserve

Great Falls, VA

Hike Information

Just under a 2 mile circuit hike.
Park in the second parking lot (coming from the beltway) which is much bigger and adjacent to Scott's Run.
The trail has little elevation change, particularly following the route below which is more downhill.
The trail to the river is approximately 200 yards long and steep but the rewards are worth it.
This trail is jogging stroller passable. There are two, wide stream crossings on cement pilings and some stairs to navigate.
Link to the trail map (my route does not follow the one labeled on this map).

Trail Route – Hiking the circuit trail counter clockwise, start from the parking lot and ascend the stairs veering right at the top. Follow straight and take the first trail to the left over a tiny stream (most of the time it's dry). Continue on this trail until the next intersection (at a large downed tree) and turn right. Continue straight on this trail until the four-way intersection. Turn left. At the fork in the trail, stay left. Follow this trail passed the Burling House Ruins (front stoop and chimney) and downhill until you reach the stairs. (Turn right at the bottom if you want to hike to the Potomac River and the waterfall.) Turn left and hike downhill to the first crossing over Scott's Run. After the crossing, follow the trail to the left to the next crossing. Finally, follow the trail straight back to the parking lot.

Age Appropriateness

This hike route above is great for preschoolers and young elementary age children. For children 10 years and older, follow the route on the map which has some steep and rocky sections to the river.

What is fun for kids?

Beautiful fall colors from old growth trees.
Two fun stream crossings that test young children's balance and gross motor skills.
Learning about old Burling House Ruins.
Scott's Run waterfall.
Seeing birds (egrets and herons) on the river and bald eagles flying over head.
Throwing rocks in the river.
The river's edge is a perfect picnic spot.

Caution

There are no trail names, blazes, or markers.
Crossing Scott's Run on cement pilings.
There are no bathroom facilities.

Autumn = Trees

2009-10-09T23:19:00.001-04:00

Autumn. What does that word mean to you? Trees? I am sure you also think of apples, pumpkins, and cool, crisp air. For me, trees dominate the feeling of fall. They go through an amazing transformation; one many artists describe as a magnificent bouquet of scenic colors. Just like all things in nature, trees have a cycle of life. The fall brings upon their preparation for winter, storing their sugar supplies made during the summer and hibernating for the winter to conserve energy for the arrival of spring blooms, whether flowers or leaves. When the sun position changes in the sky and the days get shorter, leaves lose their green pigment, chlorophyll (the photosynthetic agent), and the yellow, red, and orange pigments appear. The yellow and orange pigments are always there, just hiding beneath the green. The red is left over sugar in the leaf produced by the tree. Next time you are in your backyard or on the trail, pick up a beautiful leaf and appreciate their purposeful transformation.

Autumn is also the time predominated by trees releasing their seeds. This release is an important part of the cycle of life for the ecosystem: providing large quantities of food for most mammals and birds, tree regeneration in the forest, and egg host sites for insects. Seeds and nuts provide a source of protein for animals, allowing them to build up their fat reserves to survive through the winter, particularly in snow covered regions. The release of a tree seed is part of the its life cycle, growing new trees while old ones die. At a time when many acres of forested land are being developed, growing new trees is essential to the health of people and the planet. Through the respiration process, trees give off oxygen, essential for all humans, in addition they clean and filter pollutants from the air. However, let's not forget the vital role trees provide to all plants and animals in the ecosystem. My son's t-shirt simply states, how to save a tree: plant a tree, hug a tree, and repeat steps one and two over and over again.

How can you help trees? Growing Native, a Potomac Watershed Partnership program, is a regional project to plant and hug trees (well, not literally but love them, yes). Growing Native is an outreach and volunteer project to encourage adults and children to collect deciduous tree seeds and nuts to plant and reforest the banks of Potomac watershed streams. By reforesting stream banks, it will improve water quality by reducing sediment runoff and filtering pollutants. Please visit the Growing Native website to learn about collection opportunities in October, like one this Saturday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at Arlington National Cemetery.

To learn more about trees and participate in Hiking Along's Growing Native collection drive, please join us for:

Why Are Trees Important Hike

Thursday, October 22, 2009

9:30 am to 12:00 pm

Scotts Run Nature Preserve, Great Falls, VA

This is a great hike for preschoolers. Please contact Jennifer Chambers at jennifer@hikingalong.com to sign-up or for more information on the hike.

Clean the Stream for Halloween Event

2009-10-06T14:05:00.000-04:00

Come join the Neighbors of the Northwest Branch for the Clean the Stream for Halloween Event!
You can make a spooktacular difference for our stream!
Grab your family, friends, and neighbors and participate in cleaning up the truly scary amount of trash and litter that can be found along the Northwest Branch. The trick is to reduce trash in our watershed in order to enjoy the treat of a clean Chesapeake Bay.
Be sure to wear long sleeves and pants. If you have waterproof boots, bring them. We'll have extra gloves, but bring yours if you have heavy-duty waterproof gloves. Younger children are welcome to join in the cleanup with a parent or adult guardian accompanying them.
The Clean the Stream for Halloween Event will take place on Saturday, October 24, 2009 from 10:00 am until 12 noon.
We have three sites participating in this event along the Northwest Branch. Directions to the sites and contact info for the site coordinators are as follows:
Randolph/Kemp Mill Rd Site: Contact Glenn Welch at glenn.welch@yahoo.com
Directions: From New Hampshire Ave./Randolph Rd. intersection, go west on Randolph Rd. and left at the light at Kemp Mill Rd. Park along Kemp Mill Rd near Glenallan Ave. From the Randolph Rd./Georgia Ave. intersection, go east on Randolph and right at the Kemp Mill Rd. traffic light, then as above. Look for us at the NWB trailhead on Kemp Mill Rd. near the foot of Glenallan Ave.
Burnt Mills Site: Contact Larry Hush at lchush@verizon.net
Directions: From I-495 head West on University Blvd. Turn right on Rte. 29/Colesville Rd. In ~1/2 make a u-turn at the Citgo station. Park in the lot behind the red brick building on the right.
West Hyattsville Metro Site: Contact James Graham at iceagewasa@verizon.net
Directions: Take either Riggs Rd or Queens Chapel Rd to Ager Rd and the West Hyattsville Metro is on the west side of Ager Rd. We will meet in the Metro parking lot and access the clean-up site via the Northwest Branch Trail.

Trail Discovery for Kids

2009-09-07T22:01:00.001-04:00

September Highlighted Hike

Northwest Branch Trail

Northwest Branch Park

Silver Spring, MD

Hike Information

1.5 miles out and back hike.
Two trail heads: the dam on Route 29 and at the end of Lockridge Drive. The trail head at the dam is less safe for kids because they will need to walk south a couple hundred feet along Rt. 29 but it is easier to find as opposed to the trail head at the end of Lockridge Drive.
This trail follows alongside Northwest Branch, a feeder stream for the Anacostia River.
The trail is wide, flat, and smooth with bridge crossings at each feeder creek.
This trail is jogging stroller passable.
Link to the trail map, page two.

Age Appropriateness

This hike is good for any age but a great hike for toddlers and preschoolers because it is flat, smooth, and wide.

What is fun for kids?

Vernal pool with lots of frogs, particularly in early spring (read my March blog posting). Access the pool from the Rt. 29 dam trail head.
A lot of beaver activity along the trail. There are many pencil, pointed tree stumps and bark, scraped trees. Citing a beaver is unlikely because they are present at dawn and dusk and are human shy.
At the turn-around point (shortly after the third bridge crossing), is a large rock bar in the middle of the stream. This is a great place for a picnic, snack, adventuring to find bugs and amphibians, listening to the ripples, and free play, like throwing or skipping rocks in the stream. Take the short side trail to the right down towards the stream.

Caution

In some places, the trail's edge is a steep drop off into the stream.
This trail is heavily used by dog owners whose dogs are most often off leash.
There are no bathroom facilities.
Trash free park – pack your garbage out.

August Trail Discovery for Kids

2009-07-31T17:46:00.001-04:00

August Highlighted Hike

Billy Goat Trail, Part B

C&O Canal National Historic Park

Potomac, MD

Hike Information

2 mile circuit hike.
From the parking lot, walk across the bridge over the canal and turn left on the tow path. The trail head will be a short distance down on your right (marked with a sign).
Part of the hike is on the flat and wide tow path. The other 2/3 of the hike is rocky at the beginning and smooth at the end.
At the stream crossing, head up the hill instead of along the creek back towards the river (not marked with blue blazes).
This trail is NOT jogging stroller passable.
There is one creek crossing.
Link to the trail map.

Age Appropriateness

This hike is best for kids four years and older due to the large section of rocky terrain.

What is fun for kids?

Seeing wildlife – snakes, fish, blue heron, and turtles in the canal and skinks (look in dead tree trunks), toads, box turtles, and deer along the trail.
Climbing a rock slab (at mid-point on the Billy Goat Trail is an angled, rock wall. If your kids don't want to climb it, they can follow the blue blazes around the wall along the river.)
Sandy beach along the river to take a snack break, have lunch, or play.
Great wild flowers in April.
Watching kayakers on the river.
Playing in the creek.

Caution

This area of Great Falls and the Canal is very busy on the weekends. There is great, difficulty finding a parking spot.
Less than adequate port-a-potties at the parking lot.
Many different user paths off the trail. Follow the blue blazes, except for where I mentioned above to turn off to reach the tow path.
Trash free park – pack your garbage out.

Exploring the Mississippi River in Western Tennessee

2009-07-26T14:39:00.000-04:00

Many people don't think of escaping to western Tennessee to see the beautiful sites our country has to offer. More often, Yellowstone, Yosemite, and the Grand Canyon come to mind first. My kids, parents, and I drove sixteen hours to Meenan-Shelby State Forest Park in Western Tennessee; the halfway point between my brother and his family, who live in New Mexico, and us. Meenan-Shelby is a 13,000 acre park forty-five minutes north of Memphis on the Mississippi River. However, the Mississippi River is not the center of attention in this park, only a side bar. We stayed in an old, run-down cabin (they call it that but not one by my definition) on Poplar Tree Lake, a 125 acre dammed lake, pea green in color (sometime neon) due to an over production of algae because of high temperatures and dry creek beds. The natural beauty of the park and watching seven kids (my own and my five nieces and nephews) create imaginative adventures overshadowed the undermaintained and underfunded facilities in the state park. Even with the small problem of invasive species like Kudzu and Japanese Stilt Grass, the park has an incredible variety of trees: Sweet Gum, Cottonwood, Live Oak, Red Bud and many more, creating a forest of different shades of greens and trunks of different textures. This heterogenous ecostystem of forest, lakes, and dry stream beds created many eye-popping moments for the kids when they saw turtles, raccoons (they were a nightly problem), deer, skink, snakes (even a copperhead), egrets, herons, owl, fox, and toads and frogs galore. The kids had so much fun running after the "baby" toads in an attempt to capture and hold them. They even made a mud house for one toad hoping to capture him for a while; that while turned into 30 seconds. It jumped the wall and escaped from 40 fingers all trying desperately to hold it captive. Fishing in the row boats (no oars but paddles) was the favorite daily pasttime. Everyday, sometimes more than once, a different set of kids and an adult set out to capture that night's dinner. No such luck! One memorable fishing event occured one evening before dinner during a break in the rain when my brother took six of them (leaving the 17 month old behind) out to fish in the boat. Within fifteen minutes of starting their outing, it began to rain. Forty-five minutes later, after two heavy downpours, they still had not returned. The reinforcements, my dad and I, were called in to rescue what we anticipated to be six, crying and screaming kids. Boy were we wrong! In our boat, we rounded the corner and came upon six, soaked kids, laughing and screaming with happiness, and the three oldest jumping out of the boat into the pea green lake yelling, "this is awesome!" Seeing the happiness on the faces of all seven children during our adventures along the Mississippi River (yes, we did play on the sand bars in the river) makes the best memories of my vacation.

July Trail Discovery for Kids

2009-07-05T21:40:00.001-04:00

July Highlighted Hike

Cash Lake Trail

Patuxent Research Refuge

Laurel, MD

Hike Information

2 mile circuit hike – Goose Pond Trail to Cash Lake Trail to Valley Trail to Laurel Trail and back to Goose Pond Trail.
Facing the museum, the trail head is to the left of the parking lot.
The trail is mainly flat with one small hill on the Valley Trail. There is one raised boardwalk on the Cash Lake Trail.
This trail is jogging stroller friendly.
Link to the trail map.

Age Appropriateness

This hike is great for all ages. The trail is wide and jogging stroller friendly for toddlers and preschools and minimal elevation change for children five years an older to hike.

What is fun for kids?

Lots of wildlife – hear and see (if you are sneaky) carpenter and green frogs, butterflies, dragonflies, birds like osprey, great blue herons, egrets, red-wing black birds, blue birds, deer, chipmunks, snakes, turtles, and tons of toads (particularly in the summer).
A beaver lodge on the Cash Lake Trail.
Blueberry and raspberry bushes.
Fallen trees to test your balance skills.
A floating bridge near the dam on Cash Lake.
The National Wildlife Museum.

Caution

No cautions – no steep edges or muddy areas, trails are marked, little poison ivy, and all the creatures of comfort needed, bathroom, water, and shelter!

A Crab Highway

2009-07-02T09:01:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, the kids and I visited good friends who live seven miles from Point Lookout on an inlet on the Chesapeake Bay. Mid-afternoon, we ventured in the canoe to a beach at the point where the inlet meets the Bay. Instead of getting caught in the swirling confluence of water between the inlet and Bay, we parked at an eddy. This eddy provides a safe haven for all kinds of Bay life: frogs, crabs, fish, snails, and much more that I am not mentioning. I was amazed at the flurry of activity of all on the beach at the eddy, particularly the crabs. I stood and watched for a long time as the crabs used the shoreline as their busy city street, passing each other to subsist on another day of survival in their little world. It was fascinating in particular to watch the fiddler crabs be ultra defensive and overcompensate with their one huge claw and one tiny claw 10 times smaller on their drive to survive. At one point, I came face to face with a blue crab. We stared each other down both wondering what the other was thinking. He probably thought I was an osprey and its next meal. But no, a harmless human just taking a look into his world. The coolest inhabitant I watched was a northern pikefish. Not knowing what it was until I looked in a field guide, I observed in awe as it swam like a delicate five inch ribbon close to the shore. With its one inch snout, I hypthosized that it siphoned organic matter from the water until I saw it open its mouth like an alligator. Wow, how cool and not what I had expected. It is wonderful what you can learn from an animal just by taking the time and patience to observe it.

Our Great American Campout

2009-06-24T21:47:00.000-04:00

This past weekend our family and friends took the scenic drive over the Bay Bridge, along route 50, and passed all the chicken farms around Salisbury to Janes Island State Park outside of Crisfield, MD. Instead of a hiking camping trip, we tried a canoeing and kayaking camping trip. Janes Island is well known for this, in addition to novice crabbing.

On Friday afternoon, we arrived at campsite 75. We dragged our stiff legs and all of our "stuff" piled high in the truck onto the well-groomed tent pad equiped with a fire ring and picnic table. We set up camp before we enjoyed a beer, a warm breeze (that ward off the mosquitos), and a beautiful sunset to await the arrival of friends. All was well until the breeze died and the mosquitos came out to drink. The campfire to make banana boats (anyone remember them from Girl Scouts) calmed the blood thirsty critters a bit.

On Saturday, we woke to overcast skies and humidity but we all ventured out on the bay in canoes and kayaks for fun at the beach. Little did we know that hungry green flies awaited us. They were determined but slow. Many died as our hands became quick swatters. With the kids enjoying the fun in the water, the adults watched the storm approach and quickly assessed whether to make a fast get away in our not so speedy boats. Away we went to out run the storm and just in the nick of time. We returned to the campsite to find our laid out stuff drenched. As soon as they were dry is was time to duck for cover again; this time in our tent to hold it down as the winds were fierce. Finally all was calm for the evening to enjoy a delcious dinner, the kid's reward of novice crabbing, and relaxation by the campfire.

Sound asleep, I woke to 30 mph sustained winds and gusts which continued throughout Sunday. Making coffee and cooking breakfast, not to mention eating it, became a challenge; one we were determined to master. After breakfast, it was time to pack up but wait, yet another storm. We managed to get the tents down and all of its contents into the truck where we dove for cover just in time again. With the wind too strong and the waves too high, we headed for a secluded cove north of Janes Island for a picnic and more fun on the sand. Even though we fought with the bugs and dodged three thunderstorms, the fondest memories made were helping mommy and daddy paddle the canoe, using chicken necks to crab with old and new friends, and relaxing by the fire for quality time with friends. Another great adventure!

Great American Backyard Campout

2009-06-17T22:35:00.000-04:00

It has been the tradition since 2004 when President Bush proclaimed June to be “Get Outdoors Month,” President Obama signed the same proclamation this year. “Get Outdoors Month” started with American Hiking Society’s National Trails Day (visit my blog and Facebook to see what I did on National Trails Day). The month will end with the Great American Backyard Campout (GABC) sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). With the Campout, NWF encourages families across the country to enjoy a night out under the stars experiencing nature either in their backyard, at a local campground, on vacation in a national or state park, or at a public event sponsored by an organization. Visit NWF’s website for more information.
Campout Public Events in the DC Region
· Calleva Outfitters at Riley’s Lock (Seneca, MD) along the C&O Canal
· Montgomery County Parks at Little Bennett Campground in Clarksburg, MD
· National Park Service at Greenbelt National Park, Greenbelt, MD
· Shenandoah National Park in Luray, VA – learn how to camp, all camping equipment is provided.

If camping at a public event is not for your family, pitch a tent in your backyard and celebrate the outdoors while listening to the crickets, frogs, birds, and maybe even the howl of a coyote neighboring in a deciduous park near you. Roast some marshmallows, eat some hot dogs, tell some scary stories, plus some of the activity ideas here:
Backyard Camping Activities
· Catch fireflies in a glass jar. Preschoolers will be fascinated with their blinking lights while older children can learn about their bioluminescence.
· Look for bats at dusk. Find an opening between trees and watch them fly between the trees using echolocation to catch their prey. Which is?
· Sound mapping game. The children (and adults) participating close their eyes for five minutes and listen for the sounds around them. During the five minutes, they use a pen and note card to mark the center of the card with a smiley face for themselves and with each sound mark on the card corresponding to the direction they heard the sound.
· Visit NWF’s Great American Backyard Campout for camping tips, activities, camp songs, and recipes.

I will celebrate the Great American Backyard Campout one weekend early with my family and friends at Jane’s Island State Park. I look forward to enjoying and experiencing this area of the Chesapeake Bay. Check out my blog next week to read a posting and view photos.

Whatever amazing vacation you take this summer with your family, spend some time soaking in all that nature offers! Have a fantastic summer!

The Girl Scout Experience

2009-06-08T11:25:00.000-04:00

This weekend I had the opportunity to experience the Girl Scout way when volunteering to chaperone and lead a hike for my daughter's Brownie troop. I have lead many Girl Scout troops on hikes in the DC metro area. Many of them go on my hikes to learn about how to hike safely and reduce their impact on nature by using Leave No Trace. Because of this, I have gained a little snippet of the Girl Scout culture: friendship first and foremost, comraderie, fun, and learning how to be responsible and civic-minded individuals all while building girls' self-esteem. After this weekend, I gained a greater appreciation for the mission of the Girl Scouts, the experiences my daughter has from her participation, and a greater appreciation for my own as a Brownie.

Camping this weekend with the Brownies brought flashbacks of my own memories: campfire songs, sit-upons, and dittybags. In the seventies, I don't remember the Girl Scouts teaching us about reducing our impact on the environment, particularly when camping. We definitely didn't throw trash on the ground because we were taught to be responsible citizens. However, the Girl Scouts didn't place an importance on reducing our impact whether it was walking on durable surfaces or reducing our carbon emissions. Leave No Trace or the knowledge about green house gasses didn't exist in the 70's but the environmental movement was well established to encourage citizens to be conscious of their treatment of Earth. In many ways, the Girl Scouts have not moved forward with their camping training and practices since the 70's. The camping supply list is long and many items are unnecessary creating a bigger impact on the environment. From their perspective, these items keep the girls safe and provide better camping experience. However, the Girl Scouts can camp safely and create a positive experience by knowing the area in which they camp and preparing for the potential safety hazards without packing an entire household of items, like bleach and buckets to wash dishes. Ouch, bleach is so harmful to the environment. Instead, I taught the Brownies how to wash dishes to minimize their impact on nature without using bleach or soap. The Girl Scouts need to revisit some of their camping rules and training to practice what they preach to the girls who camp.

Even though I disagree with the Girl Scout's camping practices, this does not diminish my opinion of the organization as a whole. Because the Girl Scouts initiate camping for many girls who don't have the opportunity, they help them to create life long relationships with nature. These relationships foster stewardship and respect for the natural world. Bravo Girl Scouts!

Preschool-sized Adventure

2009-06-03T11:43:00.000-04:00

Yesterday morning, my son and I went on a hiking adventure to Theodore Roosevelt Island in the middle of the Potomac River. In the center of the island is a monument to Theodore Roosevelt for the land he conserved across this beautiful county by creating the National Park Service. We celebrated Theodore Roosevelt by doing exactly what he loved to do, hiking and spending time in nature to listen and see wildlife. We heard three different kinds of frogs (spring peepers and green frogs, didn't know the sound of the third), saw two snapping turtles, a young, red-headed skink, ducks, geese, blooming yellow lillies, a spiky, pod like grass (pictured - I don't know its name), and a young deer. The deer on Roosevelt Island are very used to humans!

Roosevelt Island is a great toddler/preschool-sized adventure with wide and flat trails, great climbing rocks, a boardwalk to stomp on and play Billy Goat's Gruff, a sandy beach for the creative at heart, and a monument area where moms and dads can relax and watch their children run around and be free. For full details, read the June Trail Discovery for Kids on this blog.

June Trail Discovery for Kids

2009-06-03T11:40:00.001-04:00

June Highlighted Hike

Swamp and Woods Trails

Theodore Roosevelt Island National Park

Washington, DC

Hike Information

1.3 mile circuit hike.
The trail head is across the bridge, next to the kiosk.
The trail is flat and wide. Half of it is natural surface and the other a raised boardwalk.
This trail is jogging stroller friendly.
Follow the trail clockwise to visit all the natural play areas described below.
Link to the trail map.

Age Appropriateness

This hike is great for toddlers and preschoolers. However, older siblings will enjoy it too because of a challenging rock outcropping on the northeast side of the island.

What is fun for kids?

Walking in the middle of the Potomac River.
The trail is in two ecosystems, a deciduous forest and wetlands.
Seeing and hearing the big jets overhead, in addition to many plants and animals: frogs, skinks, fish, turtles, ducks, geese, and deer.
A toddler/preschool-size rock on the trail – instead of taking your first right to stay on the Swamp trail, follow it straight and the rock will be on your right.
Sandy beach with rocks, shells, and a fallen tree – after climbing on the toddler-size rock, take your first left towards the water. You will be facing the Key Bridge. Caution – retrace your steps back to the Swamp trail. Do not continue on the social/user path. It is too narrow with lots of poison ivy and fallen trees.
Large rock outcropping next to and in the river – at the four way intersection on the Swamp trail, go left to the rocks. Retrace your steps back and take a left back onto the Swamp trail. You will soon approach the boardwalk.
The monument is a great place for a picnic and a game of chase and hide and seek among the bushes.

Caution

The trail is not blazed or marked with signs.
MUDDY!

National Trails Day: June 6, 2009

2009-06-01T11:15:00.000-04:00

Many environmental and outdoor recreation organizations have signed and sent a letter to President Obama to declare June “Get Outdoors” month to encourage more families and children to live healthy lives, to explore the amazing outdoors in our country, and to become stewards of our great land. The month begins with American Hiking Society’s National Trails Day on June 6th (always the first Saturday of June) and ends with National Wildlife Federation’s Great American Campout on June 27th (always the last Saturday of June).
I encourage you and your children to get out on the trails this Saturday to hike, bike, or even canoe or kayak to enjoy some of the new canoe trails on our local waterways, like the Patuxent River at Jug Bay in Prince George’s County. Below are some great sponsored and organized events around the DC region:
Greenbelt National Park
Greenbelt, MD
8:30 am to 1:00 pm
This is a beautiful, deciduous ecosystem park between the Baltimore/Washington Pkwy and Kenilworth Ave. with trails and campsites. Come out and join the National Park Service and REI to do trail maintenance, remove invasive species, clean-up the watershed, and/or participate in a children’s nature hike. REI encourages preregistration at 301-344-3944. For more information, please visit http://tinyurl.com/mom77q.
For more National Trails Day events in Maryland.
Riverbend Park
Great Falls, VA
8:30 am to 2:00 pm
Join REI to hike 2 miles, reconstruct a 1 mile section of the Potomac Heritage Trail, remove invasive species, and replant the floodplain in Riverbend Park along the Potomac River. Activities for young and old. REI encourages preregistration at 703-379-9400. For more information, please visit http://tinyurl.com/ljqe6m.
Trails Day Fit Families Running Festival
Daniels Run Elementary School, Fairfax, VA
8:00 am to 11:00 am
The City of Fairfax Parks and Recreation Advisory Board is sponsoring a 1 mile trail fun run and a 5K trail run and walk. For more information, please visit http://tinyurl.com/nm8f53.
For more National Trails Day events in Virginia.
For more information about National Trails Day or to register your own trail event (private or public), please visit www.americanhiking.org/NTD.aspx. American Hiking Society has a partnership with the Girl Scouts for National Trails Day. Girl Scouts can earn “Get with the Land” patch by hosting or participating in a National Trails Day event.
Whatever you do this Saturday, get out on the trails with your kids to give back or just plan have FUN!!!

Teaching Rewards

2009-05-07T20:19:00.000-04:00

Today marks the last day of teacher appreciation week. A time to be thankful for the dedication and energy of our children's teachers who help them become productive people and stewards of the world. As a teacher, the biggest appreciation I receive is when I see the eyes of the students I teach light up. This means so many different things: oh, I got it or I knew that or oh, that is so cool! Seeing those moments in the students are my biggest rewards. I hold on to those.
I teach the PATC/NHS (Potomac Appalachian Trail Club/Northwood High School) Student Trail Steward program, an environmental education class for juniors and seniors who engage in field work and learn how humans impact natural surfaces trails and their surrounding ecosystems. For the past four weeks, we have been working with Brookside Nature Center naturalists to identify and inventory plant and animal species in Northwest Branck Park, a suburban, stream valley dediciuos ecosystem. I have enjoyed observing the students finding different animal and plant species in the park. They have found a wood frog, a worm snake, an american toad, a garter snake, salamanders, crayfish, and different kinds of mushrooms and wildflowers to name a few. The reward comes when I see the light in their eyes from touching, holding, and observing these different species. This light represents wonderment and empathy for all living things. These feelings translate to stewardship of them. This is the biggest reward a teacher can receive.
Learn more about what the students are doing in the Steward program by visiting their blog at http://www.studenttrailstewards.blogspot.com/.

May Trail Discovery for Kids

2009-05-07T20:17:00.001-04:00

Cabin John Trail

Cabin John Local Park

7401 MacArthur Blvd.

Cabin John, MD 20818

Hike Information

2 mile out and back hike from the Cabin John Local Park to Seven Locks Rd.
The trail head is next to the kiosk and playground.
Moderate up and down hills – the trail follows the stream up and down along the stream valley.
This trail is not jogging stroller friendly.
Link to the trail map

Age Appropriateness

This hike is great for children five years and older. For children under five, you can hike a quarter of a mile on the trail to play in the bamboo forest and the sand bank along the stream.

What is fun for kids?

Walk along the stream.
Three natural play spots along the stream: at the bottom of the first hill a rock beach, a quarter of a mile on the trail a sand bank, and 2/3 of a mile on the trail another rock beach, a large climbing boulder, and rock hopping across the stream.
A bamboo forest along 75 yards of the trail.
Some climbing obstacles on the trail.
A shaded playground and picnic tables at the trail head.

Caution

The trail has some steep drop offs along the stream.
One port-a-potty at the trail head.
Follow the blue blazes on the trail. There are a few neighborhood feeder trails that intersect with the Cabin John Trail.

It's Never Too Early!

2009-04-21T21:43:00.000-04:00

It is never too early to introduce nature to children. My cousin introduces his new son of two and half weeks to a horned lizard. Will he be a caring and compassionate steward of Earth? Most definitely.

A Baby Snake!

2009-04-21T17:21:00.000-04:00

On Sunday, I lead a hike for three curious and smart girls in a Brownie Girl Scout Troop. The highlight of the hike was one of the girls almost stepping on this baby Northern Water Snake (12-14 inches long, and not posinous). We observed it for a while. The girls ooohed and awed over it as it slithered and stuck its tongue at us to detect our presence. When they were ready to continue hiking, I moved it off the trail to prevent it from being squashed by bikers. I picked up its tail and held its head with a stick and gently put it in the ground cover next to the canal. The baby snake was now safe and sound.
It was overcast and threatening to rain that afternoon but held off with a few peaks of sun in the sky. We hiked the Billy Goat Trail, Part B along the Potomac River. The River was running high but not too high; the sandy beach was visible to do the erosion activity. The girls made a mountain on the wet sand and answered the question, "Does wind or water erode rock faster?" By experimenting with straws to simulate wind and watering cans to create rain, they said water of course eroded rock faster because it made more sand on their mountain move faster downhill than wind.

Riding the C&O

2009-04-05T21:36:00.000-04:00

The weather has not been very kind to us this spring; giving us snap shots of the kind of spring we are used to having in Washington, DC - bright blue skies and temperatures in the 60's and 70's. Today was one of those snap shot days. Because we have had a cool and cloudy early spring, when we do get a beautiful, blue, sunny, warm day, everyone is outside soaking it up.
My family was no exception. We decided to hang up our hiking boats for the day and put the bikes on the car and head to Riley's Lock on the C&O Canal. Our destination was north on the tow path towards Whites Ferry, stopping to turn around when we thought our seven year old daughter had reached a limit and needed a break for lunch. She was able to bike over 12 miles today; the most ever! We are very proud of her.
The wildland scenery was magical for early spring. The landscape was striped in browns and greens with the tree canapy still brown and two stripes of green ground cover on either sides of the tan to bright red soil on the path. The ground cover was full of virginia bluebells, dutchman's breeches (photo above), blue violets, pink and white spring beauties, toad shades, trout lilies, bloodroot, may apples, and wild geranium. The whole ride, I kept calling out, "oh, look, trout lilies and ...." Not only did I call out the flowers to my son riding in the seat behind me but also the red eared slider and eastern painted turtles, the black rat snake and the spring peepers, hawk, red-bellied and pileated woodpeckers when I heard them. The best scene was a 10-12 foot long floating log with every inch of it covered with big and little turtles basking in the sun!

April Newsletter

2009-04-02T16:45:00.000-04:00

Spring is here but starting very slowly, at least it feels like it to me. I don’t know about you but I have been cold a lot this past month. Mother Nature gave us a beautiful taste of spring at the beginning of March (I was wearing shorts, were you?) but wham, shut the door on it. Even though the weather hasn’t felt like spring, nature is in full swing of spring: the birds are making their mating and terrestrial calls, amphibians are laying their eggs in any sustained pool of water, trees are flowering, and ground cover plants are popping their heads up above the soil, particularly the fresh smell of skunk cabbage (the large green leafy plant found in wet, forested areas).

Spring time also means the celebration of Earth Day; a time to celebrate the Earth and Mother Nature, to care, repair, and give back to it, and remind us the importance of year round sustainability of the environment. Below are some opportunities and resources to celebrate Earth Day and give back to Mother Nature:
· On Saturday, April 4th, the 21st Annual Potomac Watershed Clean-up will be from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. Please visit this website for clean-up locations and more information, http://www.potomaccleanup.org/trash_initiative/trash_cleanup.html
· On Saturday, April 18th from 9:00 to 11:00 am and Sunday, April 19th from 1:00 to 3:00 pm, the Friends of Sligo Creek will hold its annual Earth Day clean-up of Sligo Creek Branch. Please visit their website for more information, http://www.fosc.org/SweepTheCreek.htm
· On Saturday, April 18th from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, the 5th annual Long Branch Earth Day clean-up will be held at 8700 Piney Branch Ave., Silver Spring, MD to clean up the Long Branch Stream Valley.
· On Saturday, April 18th from 8:30 am to 12:00 pm, the 15th annual Anacostia River Earth Day clean-up will be held. From 12:00 to 2:00 pm, there will be a celebration with kids activities, music, and food. Please visit their website for more information, http://www.anacostiaws.org/Programs/Honor/EarthDay/earthday2009.html
· From April 12-18 is National Environmental Education Week. Engage your children (or the children at your school, organization, church, scouting troop, etc.) this week by organizing a small or big activity to teach them about the environment, such as taking them on a hike, doing a litter clean-up of your community, talking about ways to reduce carbon emissions or way to “Be Water Wise,” the theme for this year. You can also become a partner of EE week and receive great free resources for your children or group. Go to www.eeweek.org for more information and to register.

Not only does Hiking Along have a blog, www.hikingalongtrails.blogspot.com (a blog to provide resources, great places to hike with your children, and some personal stories of my time in nature with my children) but Hiking Along now has a FACEBOOK page. If you are a Facebook user, become a fan of Hiking Along; this helps me to promote my passion in life to get children out in nature but it provides you updates on what Hiking Along is busy doing and resources to enable you to have memorable experiences with your children outside. Whether you visit Hiking Along’s blog or FACEBOOK page, I look forward to engaging with you.

Happy Easter to you all!
Peace,
Jennifer Chambers

April Trail Discovery for Kids

2009-04-01T11:23:00.001-04:00

April Highlighted Hike

Rachel Carson Conservation Park

22201 Zion Road, Laytonsville, MD

Hike Information

Circuit hike
Rachel Carson Greenway Trail to Hidden Pond Trail to Fox Meadow Trail
3 miles
Start at the parking lot and kiosk
The trails are jogging stroller passable with a few minor obstacles (i.e. feeder springs into the Hawlings River).
Link to the trail map

Age Appropriateness

This is a great circuit hike for all ages. The trail surfaces are fairly level and smooth with minimal rocks. The hike offers minimal elevation change.

What is fun for kids?

Hike in three different ecosystems: field meadow, deciduous forest, and pond meadow.
Visit the pond.
Hike along the babbling Hawlings River.
Climb and play on the various rock outcroppings.
Quiet. There are few visitors to this beautiful, serene park.
A large boulder in the middle of Hawlings River. Hike .33 miles beyond the left turn to Hidden Pond Trail on the Rachel Carson Greenway. The boulder is to the right of the trail, it sits about 10 feet above the river, and is able to sit four people. A beautiful spot to listen to the river fall over the rocks.

Caution

No bathrooms.
No trash cans. Please Leave No Trace and pack out your garbage.
There a few small stepping stones, not well placed, to cross Hawlings River to reach the pond. A great place in warm weather to wade across in waterproof sandals.
The trail is muddy in places where feeder springs cross the trail. Plan and dress accordingly.

It's Spring: Amphibian Mating

2009-03-11T11:31:00.000-04:00

On Monday evening, my family and I visited the vernal pool above the dam of Northwest Branch (the pool is located of the Northwest Branch Trail) to listen and watch the frogs in their habitat. A friend told me there was a lot of frog mating activity there. Even though we did not see any mating, there was much evidence of it with hundreds of eggs in jelly-like sacks. We sat next to the pool and I modeled to my kids how to be quiet, patient, and use observation to learn how the frogs live and survive in their habitat. They did a great job and therefore, were rewarded with much to observe from the frogs. On the way home, my daughter turned to me and said, "that was nice mom." Sharing moments like these with my children are amazing!

Besides the vernal pool along Northwest Branch in Silver Spring, another great place to hear and observe frogs is Cash Lake at the Patuxent Research Refuge in Laurel. At the end of the Lake closest to the museum exists a vast amount of wetland vegestation, a perfect habitat for carpenter and green frogs. You can walk on the floating bridge and listen to their incredible music. In my opinion, the green frog sounds like a low burp and the carpenter frog sounds like the edges of two pieces of hard plastic being rubbed together. If you stand quietly and for long enough, they will peak out from underneath the lily pads.

Here are some great web resources about frogs:

Learn about the 19 species of frogs that inhabite Maryland: http://www.nwf.org/frogwatchUSA/frogs_state.cfm?showstate=md#frogs
Frog watchin suggestions: http://www.nwf.org/frogwatchUSA/content_tips.cfm
Why are frogs in decline? http://www.nwf.org/frogwatchUSA/content_decline.cfm
When is the best time to observe frogs? At dusk. Sit next to their habitat but keep your distanceto them to not disturbe their activities. Any noise will cause the frogs to stop their activity.

Trail Discovery for Kids: River Trail

2009-02-18T13:30:00.001-05:00

Highlighted Hike

River Trail to Matildaville Trail

Great Falls National Park, VA

Hike Information

Circuit hike
2 miles
Start at the Visitor's Center
River Trail is rocky and requires some rock scrambling.
Matildaville Trail is flat with one small hill.
Park entrance fee is $5.00 per vehicle.
Link to the trail map, http://www.nps.gov/grfa/planyourvisit/upload/trailmap_letter.gif

Age Appropriateness

River Trail is appropriate for 5+ years old (or an adventurous, risk-taking 4 year old). This trail is not jogging stroller passable.
Matildaville Trail is great for toddlers with its flat, even surface. This trail is jogging stroller friendly. To make a jogging stroller friendly circuit hike, combine the Matildaville Trail with the Old Carriage Road. This hike is 1.7 miles.

What is fun for kids?

See Great Falls on the Potomac River.
Kids nature corner in the Visitor Center with two snakes and a fish tank.
Having a picnic lunch at one of the numerous picnic tables (and grills).
Climbing the amazing rocks on the River Trail.
Watching the occasional rock climber or kayaker.
Picnic or play at the grassy, old stone quarry at the intersection of the Matildaville Trail and the Old Carriage Road.
Seeing the old homesteads on the Matildaville Trail.
Catching a glimpse of an American Bald Eagle.

Caution

Steep cliffs on the River Trail. There are no guard rails or safety nets.
Long lines at the entrance booth during beautiful weekend and holiday afternoons.

The Power of Dirt

2009-02-08T22:15:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Holidays to everyone!

2008 has been another great year with some great news that occurred at the end of October. I was nominated and elected to the National Board of Directors for the American Hiking Society (AHS). I will help expand their programs and outreach to children and families. Visit AHS on the web, www.americanhiking.org, to learn about their great resources and to help you plan your next hiking adventure.

DIRT!!
Or as biologists, gardeners, and naturalist say SOIL! But as moms and dads, it is known as dirt because most often we are cleaning it off our kid’s clothes, shoes, and hands. Have you ever stopped to think or ask your kids, what is in dirt? They would say “Mom/dad, dirt is in dirt!” So much is in dirt: sand, silt, minerals, rocks, decomposing plants, like the fall leaves, earthworms, bacteria, bugs, water, oxygen, and much more. A whole other world exists beneath our feet.

This fall, the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History opened an exhibit on its second floor entitled, Dig it! The Secrets of Soil. It is a six room exhibit that helps children and adults explore The Secrets of Soil through reading, watching, touching, listening, moving, questioning, thinking, and learning about what is in soil, how does it form, why is soil important to us, what lives in soil, what types of soil exist, and how does soil affect our drinking water and climate change. Take your children on a school day off.

The exhibit has a great website with lots of information to help you and your children answer the questions mentioned above. They also have a great resource/links page for children who have become really intrigued with dirt. And, the site also provides activities that you can do with your children at the exhibit to enhance their visit and learning experience even more. Visit the site at, www.forces.si.edu/soils/

Here is a great hands-on project to do with your kids at home:
Part 1
Supplies – Trowel, bucket or plastic bin, newspaper, magnify glass, paper, and pencil
Dig out about 6 cubic inches of soil from a garden in your yard and put it in a bucket or plastic bin.
Dump the soil onto a layer of newspapers unless you have placed the dirt in a shallow, big bin.
With their hands, encourage your kids to comb through all the dirt looking at it, touching it, and even smelling it.
For younger kids, have them pull out individuals things they find in the soil, decomposing plants, roots, rocks, worms, etc. For older kids, have them do the same but catalog the items on paper, learning what each item is.
Finally, have your kids examine the items pulled from the dirt with a magnify glass. What details do they see? If the item is living, what do they examine with the magnify glass that allows it to live in soil?
Part 2
Go back out in your garden with your kids and find earthworms and fall leaves.
Using the same dirt, add the extra worms and leaves to it.
Everyday over the next week, observe the soil and what the worms are doing to it and the leaves.
For older children, have them draw pictures and write about the succession, the changes, to the soil. What conclusions can your children draw from the earthworms and the soil? What did the earthworms do and how and why?

Enjoy the fun your children will have with this project, particularly the joy of playing with dirt!

As always, thank you very much for your business in 2008! Come join me on the trail in 2009. I look forward to leading your group and experiencing all that nature has to reveal to us!

Happy Holidays!
Peace,
Jennifer Chambers