Trail Discovery for Kids: Lake Artemesia

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August 2012 Highlighted Hike

Lake Artemesia Trail

Berwyn Heights, MD

Trail Description

ü  This 1.4 mile circuit hike on a hard surface trail is just across the railroad tracks from the University of Maryland in College Park.

ü  The trail circles the 38 acre Lake Artemesia with no elevation gain or loss.

ü  To find Lake Artemesia, use Interstate 495 and take Kenilworth Avenue south to Greenbelt Rd/Rt. 193. Turn right and drive three quarters of a mile. Turn right onto Branchville Rd. which goes under the railroad tracks and turns left and becomes Ballew Ave. Make a left into the parking lot just after the stop sign with Berwyn Rd. Follow the trail along Ballew Ave. to the gate of Lake Artemesia.

ü  The trail is stroller and bike friendly.

ü  See the trail map image to the right.

Age Appropriateness

This hike is appropriate for children of all ages but especially great for toddlers and preschoolers.

What is fun for kids?

ü  The park has two floating docks for fishing. Children younger than 16 do not have to possess a license.

ü  The park has seven gazebos, one raised above the lake, to seek shade, rest and watch wildlife. Many benches sit along the trail and throughout the park.

ü  Wildlife seen includes: Eastern Painted turtles, Snapping Turtles, Bullfrogs, Green Frogs, Great Blue Heron, Egret, Wood Ducks, and Mallards. The lake is a migratory ground for many birds.

ü  Watch the metro and trains travel by the western side of the lake.

ü  Beautiful water lilies that bloom in July. A few blooms were still alive in August.

ü  There are a few large open green spaces for a picnic or a game of tag.

ü  The Lake Artemesia Trail is part of the Anacostia Tributary Trail System providing miles of trails in Prince Georges and Montgomery counties. From the park, the Paint Branch, Indian Creek and Northeast Branch trails can be accessed.

ü  Lake Artemesia is metro accessible from the College Park station on the green line.

Caution

ü  Swimming, boating and ice skating are not allowed on the lake.

ü  A majority of the trail is exposed to the sun and lacks shade.

A Mama Ah Hah Moment!

    I am a competitive person. It is in my Chambers' genes and has been passed down for hundreds of generations that I am sure.   If I am not competing against another person than I am competing against myself - seeking the next best PR or one upping the last adventure. Until this weekend.

   This Memorial Day weekend, my son, six years old, and I biked and camped the C&O Canal in Western Maryland. We parked at Little Orleans and assembled our gear in a trailer graciously lent to me by a good friend. At noon, we mounted our bikes and headed five miles north to Devils Alley campsite. After pitching the tent and eating lunch, my intended goal was to bike ten more miles north to the Paw Paw Tunnel where I could share with him this unique engineering feat and the micro ecosystem that lays at its mouth. The competitive mama was in denial that my son was not going to be able to bike ten miles north and then back. I expressed my goal aloud and maintained my cheerleading stance throughout the ride to the campsite and then on our quest to the tunnel. We enjoyed the beautiful scenery, particularly the hundreds of butterflies, and I relished in the quality time I was spending with him. 

    Five miles into my goal to reach the tunnel, he stopped for the tenth time and announced, "I'm tired. Can we turn around?" Two voices went off in my head at the same time. 

   The competitive mama's voice said, "Oh, but we haven't reached our goal yet." 

   While the compassionate mama's voice said, "Okay, meet him where he's at for the positive experience and turn around." 

   Which voice made it out of my mouth? The competitive voice wrestled with the compassionate. "Are you sure you want to turn around?" 

   "Yes." he stated. 

   "Okay, we will visit the tunnel some other time, " the compassionate voice said. As we headed back to the campsite, he asked how many miles he had biked. Fifteen. "Hey, that is my personal best," he exclaimed with pride.

Ohiopyle State Park: Pennsylvania’s Outdoor Mecca

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.

Three Muddy Moms: Biking the C&O Canal

   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!