Mid-Atlantic News

We had to take a rain check on our Raven Rocks hike in Bluemont, VA.  With a steady rain and temperatures in the 40s, we decided that discretion was the better part of valor.  We'll put Raven Rocks back on the schedule another time so we can enjoy the views it offers.

Paddlers with Women Outdoors Mid-Atlantic weren't the only ones who showed up Saturday morning at Bladensburg Waterfront Park.  Turns out the Anacostia Watershed Society was sponsoring one of its regular clean-up days on the river as well.  Over a hundred volunteers turned out to help pick up trash from the river and its banks. 

After some initial confusion about whether there would be enough kayaks for our group (there were), we launched from the dock and started our gentle paddle down the Anacostia River.  A few of us also grabbed some trash bags and plucked plastic bottles out of the river as we kayaked.

We paddled against the incoming tide as we headed out, but knew we would be with the tide for the return trip when it counted the most.  Our group of 20 paddlers (16 single kayaks, one double kayak and one canoe) rafted up for a break just outside the entrance to Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens.  Within just a few minutes, the wind and tide carried us a couple hundred yards back up the river.  No more breaks after that! 

Paddling past the entrance to the aquatic gardens, we spied three snowy egrets sitting on branches overhanging the entrance and told them we'd be back.  We continued down the Anacostia to where the National Arboretum backs up to the river.  We stopped briefly to admire a tiny new dock at the back of the arboretum with room for a couple of boats.  The dock allows paddlers to tie up and enter the arboretum from the Anacostia River entrance.  Keep that in mind when during azalea season!

We turned around at the arboretum and headed back to Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens.  The marshes at the gardens are so shallow that every minute of incoming tide expands the area that can be explored.  (By the same token, you don't want to be left high and dry in the aquatic gardens when the tide is going out.)  Most of the lilies were past their prime, but the gardens still treated us with sightings of lots of snowy egrets, a couple of kingfishers and a great blue heron.

Out little flotilla headed back up the river about the same time the clean-up crew was finishing.  While the volunteers partied at the pavilion, we gathered in one of the park's gazebos for lunch before heading home.

Thanks to everyone for joining us on our first kayaking adventure.  Hope to see you again.

Okay, so we advertised it as the Dog Days of August Hike, full well expecting temperatures and humidity in the 90s.  Much to everyone's delight, the temps were in the 80s and a breeze accompanied the hikers all along the trails.  Two doggies, Gus and Shadow, led the way for the 14 hikers.  The rolling hills at Sky Meadows State Park offered beautiful vistas at several turns along the hike. 

One of our members couldn't do the hike because of a foot injury but she happened upon the graduation ceremony for the Youth Conservation Corps at Sky Meadows.  Nine young women had just finished three weeks of fence building, bridge repairs and trail maintenance.  Their proud families and park staff honored them for their achievements in a lovely ceremony in the barn at the park.

The weather forecast called for hot and humid weather, but we were undeterred.  We met at the Takoma Park Community Center at 10 and were soon cycling down Maple Avenue to the Sligo Creek bike path.  Lucky for us, the path is shaded almost the entire way up to Wheaton Regional Park and Brookside Gardens.  We made an unscheduled stop at the flea market at the outdoor skating rink, but alas, no great bargains were to be found. 

We ate our lunch along the banks of Pine Lake and then strolled through Brookside Gardens in its full summer glory.  At the gazebo overlooking the pond we counted at least 15 turtles swimming or sunning.  The rose garden dazed us with the brilliant colors of dozens of varieties of roses.  The giant sundial delighted us all and told the right time to boot.

The ride home, as they say, was all downhill from here. Literally, that is, not figuratively.  Everyone agreed this bike ride is a keeper and Brookside Gardens is a treat in every season.

Women Outdoors Mid-Atlantic took its first steps as a regional chapter of Women Outdoors with a five mile hike today, National Trails Day, at Sugarloaf Mountain in Frederick County, MD.  Ten women participated in this inaugural event of our chapter.  Mountain laurel bedecked the entire trail and a surprise sighting of foxglove delighted the hikers.

The sky cleared by lunchtime, and we enjoyed a beautiful view of the valley from the overlook.  Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches proved to be the hands-down favorite for our hikers. 

Women outdoor enthusiasts take note:  A regional chapter of Women Outdoors will be starting in the Mid-Atlantic later this spring.  We welcome women from Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Delaware and West Virginia to join us as we seek adventure from the Atlantic Ocean to the Shenandoah Mountains. Join Women Outdoors and register for the Mid-Atlantic region to receive the latest updates on this new chapter.