2021 Riverbend Park Hike

Sunday started out rainy, then cloudy, and back to rain.. and so on. However, hiking in the spring Mid-March drizzle was beautiful and definitely worth it. We arrived at noon, finding only about 10 or so cars in the parking lot. Parking was one thing we were worried about, as the day before, the lots of around 60 parking spaces filled up before 10:00, but the forecast had definitely helped us with not running into many people during the hike; having the freedom of the trail to enjoy and really “soak” everything in.

The plants were teeming with life from the downpour and drizzle, giving us the chance to see them in their fully-nourished glory (see the photos below). Bluebells, forsythias, and cherry blossoms were peeking out as we passed through the woods. We also saw various wildlife along the trail, occurring woodpeckers, ducks, turtles, and a variety of river bird species (and a potential eagle’s nest?)

The rain also brought insects up from the ground. The group observed many, brightly colored and large. The hike was approximately 4-5 miles and lasted about 2 and a half hours. Starting out at the visitor center, making our way up the Potomac Heritage Trail, down the Bootlegger trail to the other end of the park, and back up the Potomac Heritage Trail. See a map of our trek below.

The last thing we saw was quite surprising. I was about to throw some garbage we picked up during the hike into a trash receptacle along the trail. Thankfully, I looked into the can before throwing things in, as there was a raccoon on its back, looking straight up at me. It appeared to be stuck in the can, in a food coma from leftovers and specific perishables. We alerted the Park Authority ranger station on the way out, and they promptly left and freed the raccoon, who made a full recovery :)

Special thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Thesmar for attending the outing with the Scouts, and organizing the hike.

Check out the photos of the outing here

- Sebastian Herbolsheimer

National Mall Hike - March 2021

We often head west a few hours to get to the woods. But today was a different story — 13 miles from McLean to the National Mall. For more than 200 years, the National Mall has symbolized our nation and its democratic values, which have inspired the world. The National Mall - the great swath of green in the middle of our capital city and stretching from the foot of the United States Capitol to the Potomac River - is the great civic and symbolic space in our nation. Sunday morning, we met at the Korean War Veterans Memorial Information building. Instead of the intense, longer hikes we usually complete with the troop, this 6 mile, relatively flat terrain hike was the perfect way to get back in shape after a year of pandemic-inspired takeout food and snacking. The group made its way around the Mall, taking a quick look from a distance (they didn’t let anyone get close — see the perimeter fencing below) at the White House, visiting the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Capitol Grounds, MLK Memorial, and much more. The beautiful mid-March weather was definitely a plus during the stroll, with temps reaching about 67 degrees, and a sun-filled afternoon ahead of us. Even though the trees looked barren, we were still able to see the green tips of the soon-to-be Cherry Blossoms poking out, ready for a spectacular season. You can plan your own trip to the National Mall right here, or by using the Troop 1916 map we created below. Thanks to Mr. Thesmar for the great photos.

Check out the troop photos here.

Information/excerpt from the National Park Service (nps.gov)

- Sebastian Herbolsheimer

Duncan Knob Hollow Backpacking Trip - December 2020

I think we've now completed four full-troop backpacking trips to Duncan Knob Hollow. And each one has been a little better than the last one.

On the first trip (Dec 2016), we inexplicably walked past the best campsite, slept on some very dodgy terrain, and had an awful time getting food hung at night. The second time (Dec 2018), we camped at the best spot and employed a much better bear bag system (Marrison Haul technique). The third time (Dec 2019), we split into two groups and journeyed up the mountain in pretty good weather.

We met at the Pilot Travel Center (fancy name for a gas station), at Exit 291 off Interstate 81 South, at 8 am on Saturday, December 12th. The Pilot was about one hour from McLean. From there, we “caravaned” to the trailhead together -- about another hour's drive.

This year (due to covid signup limitations), we decided to stay as one group as we ventured up the familiar terrain.

We backpacked ~3 miles from the trailhead to a campsite in the valley, next to the stream. Saturday afternoon, we took a side hike to the top of Duncan Knob (side hike round trip ~2.5 miles including a 1,500-foot climb and a rock scramble to the summit) and returned to camp.

There had been some heavy rains lately, and the hike had several stream crossings. However, we were able to cross with our boots on. The weather had definitely improved during the trip; warm weather and no daytime rain (also no snow), but still, a slight chance of rain sprinkles, particularly overnight. We got to our campsites and unpacked from the hike, getting prepared for the quickly approaching darkness.

On Sunday morning, we hiked ~3 miles back to the cars. We got back at the trailhead's parking lot sometime between 11:00 and 12:00. Thanks to Bill Muntean and all of the parents who made this trip happen.

To see photos of the trip, click here.

- Sebastian Herbolsheimer

Sebastian's Eagle Project

Sebastian’s Eagle project is now complete! A total of 34 people showed up for both parts of the project--15 volunteers at the invasive species removal and 19 for the tree planting. The weather was great on both days of the project. The group removed multiple large bags of invasive plants from the park, which were blocking sunlight from trees previously planted.

These invasives weren’t cleared last year due to COVID. We also planted about 17 trees in areas around the park. We planted a row of Oak trees across the park property line (see the banner photo above), and we planted various species of native trees in the surrounding lower meadow and forest. These trees ranged from sycamores, river birches, and many other beautiful species. The trees were primarily bare root.

Volunteers first dug holes to the appropriate depth and then inserted the tree. Then they backfilled with a compost and soil mix. We finished off with staking and tying the trees, and of course, watering. You can see some photos (before and after) from the project below. Thank you to everyone who helped! In 10 or 15 years, we will return to see how much our trees have grown!

If you want to see the pictures from Sebastian’s Eagle Project, click here.

Cub Friendly Open House - 2020 COVID Themed

This Saturday, Troop 1916 hosted their annual Cub Friendly for about 20 Cub Scouts and their parents. Given the current COVID environment, we could not offer the usual overnight experience at Lake Fairfax Park but instead offered an outdoor Open House at Redeemer.

Each patrol created a station and set up to demonstrate and perform an outdoor-related activity. The Troop had five stations, one for survival shelter building, a totin' chip station, basic orienteering skills station, a catapult building station, and a station for starting a fire to boil pasta noodles. A separate group of scouts served as "Health and Safety Guides," monitoring the stations to ensure safety guidelines were followed.

The weather was great! A few late morning showers had worried us; however, they rolled out just before the event started. At the totin’ chip station, Cubs observed the proper use of pocket knives, hatchets and axes, and different types of saws. Cubs were also allowed to use the saws and had quite a competition between themselves (for each log cut, they would receive a piece of candy). At the catapult station, Cubs were taught lashings and knots essential for Scouting (and putting together catapults to launch various items through the air). The third station was a fire building station, where Scouts instructed Cubs on the various ways of building fires in the wilderness. We also had an orienteering course set up around the church. Lastly, the survival shelter building station demonstrated examples of the different shelters that one could build in the wild.

Even though this outing wasn’t our usual Lake Fairfax Fall campout Open House, I know everyone enjoyed the socially-distanced version just as much like previous years’ Cub Friendly’s. A BIG thanks to Mr. Pak for organizing this whole event!

You can take a look at the photos from the event here.

- Sebastian Herbolsheimer

Billy Goat Trail June 2020

Approximately 20 scouts and parents of Troop 1916 completed the Troop’s first post-pandemic hike on Sunday morning, with many thanks to Matt Salt and Mike Forrer for helping plan the routes and provide necessary comic relief along the way!

The hikers met at the trailhead at 7:30 for a 5-ish mile jaunt through Loop C of the Billy Goat Trail, along the Potomac River bank and generally parallel to the C&O canal towpath.

The parking lot was already filling up by 7, but the air was relatively cool and skies were relatively clear. Mr Salt oriented everyone to the map, and we measured out 6 feet to give everyone a reminder of the social distancing requirements. All wore masks, as well.

The group made good time through the hike, but the size of the group made social distancing somewhat difficult to maintain as we paused to confirm directions or to make room for passing cyclists.

We saw herons, egrets, a vulture, and a bear-sized dog wearing a life jacket. The river is exceptionally beautiful and wild, and it was hard to believe that we were only a few miles outside the beltway.

The weather remained dry, but poor Mr Salt did not. Virginia’s summer climate certainly can limit the amount of hiking we can do.

We finished the hike and were on our ways home by 10:30. That’s a truly remarkable end time for a Troop 1916 hike— some of our treks on West Virginia trails don’t even start until 10!

Looking forward, I’m thinking the next hike will have to move in a larger number of smaller cohorts to make social distancing easier.

I’ll post a new signup for the next hike on July 12th. I expect we’ll do another one relatively close, and relatively short.

Many thanks to all the parents who came along, it was a great day to be outside!

Mr Ross

Advancement Hike

A group of seven Scouts and five parents participated in yesterday's advancement hike.  The group met close to the trailhead of the Pimmit Run Trail in McLean.  The event began with the group's Instructors -- Christopher F., Ben J., Matthias Z., and Tim J. -- going over several Tenderfoot and Second Class rank requirements with the younger Scouts, Anders P., Cooper T., and  Evan C.  We then commenced our five mile hike.    

The Pimmit Run Trail follows Pimmit Run through McLean.  We are fortunate to have this trail in our community.   One can indeed experience the Great Outdoors without traveling far from home.  The trail is an easy one and has little change in elevation.  The only obstacles we faced yesterday were six creek crossings, four road crossings, and several muddy sections resulting from the lovely snow, sleet, and rain of the previous day.  We fortunately encountered no precipitation during our hike, but most of us were surprised by the cold temperatures.  Strong winds, of course, lowered the windchill.  But the sun appeared every now and then and warmed us up.  

Per one of the Second Class requirements, we looked for evidence of wild animals.  We saw deer hoofprints, woodpecker holes, and, much to our surprise, beaver marks on a tree still standing and on a fallen tree close by.  We viewed some live animals:  a bird of prey overhead, fish in the creek, and (not much to our surprise) a deer.  Some Scouts at the end of our column were treated to the sight of a dead fox.  

At the conclusion of the hike, the older Scouts checked off the covered requirements in the younger boys' Scout Handbooks.  In less than three hours on a Sunday afternoon and not far from home, Scouts got some exercise, experienced the outdoors, provided instruction to one another, and completed several rank requirements.  

If you want to see pictures from this hike, click here.

Duncan Knob Hollow Backpacking Trip

I think we've now completed three full-troop backpacking trips to Duncan Knob Hollow. And each one has been a little better than the last one.

The first trip (Dec 2016), we inexplicably walked past the best campsite, slept on some very dodgy terrain, and had an awful time getting food hung at night. The second time (Dec 2018), we camped at the best spot and employed a much better bear bag system (Marrison Haul technique).

But for both of those earlier trips, moving as a single large group left the younger scouts feeling overly rushed and the older scouts feeling overly delayed.

So this year, we did two separate itineraries. We all met at the trailhead together on Saturday morning. But the more experienced backpackers headed out first and aimed for a campsite 4.5 miles away atop a very steep final climb (to the saddle just below Duncan Knob). The less experienced group followed behind with a much flatter 3 mile hike and camped in the valley by a stream.

I think this worked far better than in past years. The younger guys needed frequent stops to rest and adjust gear. The older ones barely paused along the way. I'm not sure of the precise pace difference. But it was considerable.

But before the hiking could start we had to summon our courage. We left McLean with thick, high clouds and a bit of mist. The conditions consistently deteriorated for the first hour of the drive. At the Pilot, where we stopped for final provisions, we had mid forties and a driving rain….hmmmm, not very inspiring.

But then we had a magical moment when the precipitation halted just as we arrived at the trailhead. You've got to hand it to Mother Nature. She does like to bat us around a bit sometimes.

Each group took a few hours to get to camp. And by the time camp was setup and bear ropes hung, there wasn't much daylight left (at least for the group in the valley).

So we postponed thoughts of summiting until morning. Fires were lit and hot meals enjoyed. The scouts up on the saddle had some considerable wind to battle, which certainly lead to early retiring to tents. But the Coopersmiths still managed to grill some thick steaks before bedding down -- nicely done!

Down in the valley, where the wind was quite light, the scouts continued the age-old (and quite maddening) experiment to see how little wood is needed to keep a fire barely smouldering. One nice thing about that site--multiple campfire spots. The adults had a roaring one going and (unsurprisingly) had an easier time staying outside past 7pm and enjoying the cornish game hens and steak that Jonathan and Mr. Ross brought. (The new Scoutmaster knows how to reward parents for coming winter camping).

Sunday morning was clear with beautiful blue skies. For those of us in the valley, we watched the 'sun line' descend the western slope until the direct light warmed us up. We mounted a side hike to the summit which was totally worth it. And we saw the saddle-campers on their way down.

I'd like to extend a big thank you to all the parents who did that trip. Splitting the group in two definitely required more parents. And a big thanks to Kristen Peterson for handling all of the trip logistics.

If you want to see the pictures from the outing, click here.

Harper's Ferry and Weverton Cliffs Hike

On a beautiful fall day, if you were in the north of England, 12 scouts and an assorted gaggle of old people met up at Harpers Ferry for an out-and-back hike.

As the cars pulled into the parking lot at Harpers Ferry train station the wind picked up and rain continued to fall. Perfect hiking conditions, not!

Once various layers were put on, parking fees paid, we headed out on a stroll down the tow path. My cunning theory of there being shelter from the wind once we dropped down to the tow path was very definitely proved wrong. In fact, the trees formed what was a perfect wind tunnel. The only upside, it was coming from our backs.

This hike mostly followed the Appalachian Trail (AT) as it navigates its way through Harpers Ferry and from Virginia to West Virginia and finally into Maryland and then making its merry way north (which as one scout noted when asked which way was north … it’s up!). After about 3 ½ miles on the tow path we crossed under Rt 340 and began the climb up to the Weverton Cliffs. At the top we left the AT and scooted a few hundred yards down (i.e. south) to the cliffs. What a view! Well worth the climb. Sandwiches were had and hot coffee and hot chocolate were a welcome treat.

After refueling we dropped down back to the tow path. The rain had stopped, the wind died down (not completely, but enough) and the sun was now out. Our trip back up the tow path was uneventful, and the conversations continued. Some discussed the pros and cons of bikers (of the peddle sort) versus hikers (of the foot-using sort) and their lack of understanding of each other’s goals in life (one being to run the others of the path, the others to enjoy a gentle stroll in the outdoors!!). Car buying was a hot topic as was the potential naming of soon-to-be pet Chinchilla sisters.

Once back at the cars we delayered and headed back to McLean. No hike in December as the troop is backpacking on the weekend of the 14/15th. Our next adventure will be sometime in January. Another good calendar year of hiking is behind us, here’s to more outdoor strolls and fun conversations next year.

If you want to see pictures from this outing, click here.

Sandy Springs Adventure Park Camping Trip

This weekend Troop 1916 bravely weathered freezing temperatures for the chance to take to the trees and navigate a whole host of obstacles and ziplines, requiring balance, strength, nerve, and no slight amount of derring-do. The Adventure Park at Sandy Spring Friends School has 13 different courses encompassing many different types of high-wire acts many stories above the ground and for 3-4 hours on Sunday morning, over 50 Scouts (and a few parents) challenged themselves to taking things to the next level.

All of that, of course, was on the heels of a night of camping under a cold, nearly full-moon lit sky. If there was a silver lining to sleeping outdoors in below freezing temperatures it was the lack of precipitation (or even any significant wind). Actually, to the contrary, the cold aside, Saturday ended up being a beautiful day and gave us the occasion to build not one, but two solid fires. After finishing Scouting for Food in the morning and quickly setting up camp after our short trek up to the Olney, Md area, the Scouts largely disappeared in small groups for the afternoon, punctuated only by lunch and dinner. While there were a number of notable meal items, I would be remiss if I didn't call out the burgers and hotdogs Brandon pulled together for the Bulldogs' lunch and the chili pasta that Odin put together for dinner for the Dragons, not to mention the delicious peach cobbler and, of course, S'mores to round out the evening. A special shout-out to JJ for his leadership and organization, which meant that camp was broken up in the morning not only with numerous hot breakfasts, but in time for a full troop set of rose/bud/thorn reflections before we started climbing. While many Scouts felt that the cold was definitely a thorn, perhaps more surprisingly, a good number felt that they were able to manage to sleep and that, once in the sleeping bag, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. There was a strong consensus and anticipation of getting to the climbing and obstacles as well as getting home for a hot shower.


All-in-all, a memorable trip and a solid last camping excursion for 2019!

If you want to see pictures from this trip, click here.

Weakly Hollow Fire Road Hike

It’s early on Sunday morning, it’s dark, it’s raining, it’s windy and basically horrible out, but you’ve committed to hike. Oh how great it would be to turn the alarm off and roll over and go back to sleep. But a commitment is a commitment, so up you get.

Once everyone converged on the White Oak Canyon trailhead (just round the back of Old Rag) and on some advice from the ranger, we decided to modify our hike. It was such a wild day that the footing would have been treacherous and our basic plan when outside is to get everyone home safely and minimize risk. We decided to hike a long the Weakley Hollow Fire Road … unadventurous but still letting us get in a 10 miler and return back to McLean in one piece.

And then everything changed. After about 10 minutes of hiking all coats were removed and after about 20 minutes there was enough blue sky to make a whole army of Dutchman’s trousers! What started as a really foul autumn day turned into one of the best hiking days we’ve had. The fall colours were at their peak and the pictures to follow will show the true beauty of the day. But to try and encapsulate the hike in a few words, it was like walking down the nave of Nature’s cathedral with so many vibrant variations of yellow, it at times made you stop and go “wow”! And the view of Old Rag from the valley floor was pretty special too.

The group split into two. A complete Philmont crew headed off at a fair clip and the rest of us followed. We turned around at or near the base of the Old Rag climb enjoying lunch by the river. The return trip relived the stunning colours and continued fun conversations.

Returning back to the parking lot we all agreed what a lovely walk in the woods we all had just experienced, which couldn’t have been further from our minds when we initially arrived.

The moral of the story, just get outside! Seeing the park like that is rare and a real treat.

The team from the ladies troop included Helen, Sabrina and Amanda. From the boys troop were Brandon P., Noah, Brandon C.S., Andre, Jack T., Keenan, Graham, Scott, Connor C., Daniel, and Jack C.

Old people in support were Kate F., Mike F., Clay P., David B., Don S. and Chris P.

If you want to see pictures from this hike, click here.

Cub Friendly 2019

The Cub Friendly Campout had quite an attendance this year with 45 troop Scouts and 15 Cubs. The troop drove 25 minutes out of McLean to Lake Fairfax Park. The Scouts were required to pitch tarps to sleep in, however, the Cubs had the pleasures of sleeping in tents. The troop tried out a new approach to catapults this year, with PVC and 2x2 planks, instead of using bamboo.

The weather couldn’t have been better on Saturday, as the temperatures were in the low 60’s and the sun was out. After the first hour, most of the scouts had their tarps up and were preparing lunch. Lunch was great; just enough to get you going to launch pumpkins out of the catapults! Everyone hastily grabbed pumpkins and materials for the catapults, and headed down the hill to the field where the assembly began.

Unfortunately, we are not able to use bamboo for the catapults anymore, so we used PVC pipe and wood to build them instead. As the catapults started to take shape, you could feel the anticipation for the first squash to be squashed! The pumpkins were thrown from T-shirt baskets attached to the end of a PVC throwing arm, and were launched into the air, sometimes as far as 60 feet!

When we returned from the field, the scouts and cubs set up an axe and hammer yard to chop up the last year’s bamboo. They did a good job chopping up all of it. If some of the bamboo chambers were missed, the air inside would pressurize and make an explosion when we put them in the fire, so we needed to try to chop up all of the chambers.

We always burn the bamboo from previous years at this outing. Some of the older scouts made the mistake of putting WAY too much bamboo on the fire, and the fire grew too tall, and Mr. Forrer had to pour a bucket of water on it to lower the flames. Also, a very special thanks to all of the Grub Masters during the campout. The food was tasty, and nutritious.

This trip was a blast! Unfortunately, some scouts didn’t look at the forecast for the early morning, as they were out of their tarps at 5:00 am, trying to keep the rain from coming in. Despite the rain, everyone had fun and enjoyed the eventful camping trip, which always is the highlight of the fall season.

-Sebastian Herbolsheimer

If you want to see pictures, click here.

Shenandoah Canoe Camping Trip

It was great to back on the Shenandoah again. I love the sounds from this trip -- the river rushing over rocks, the canoes rubbing through the rapids, and the paddles pressing and slicing the water. It sure beats a day in the office.

Like the beach trip last June, the canoe trip last weekend was a combined outing for troops 2119 and 1916. And all of our scouts experienced the challenges and rewards of a Shenandoah float trip.

Unlike last fall, the water was at it's usual September level (fairly low). So the game was quite simple: read the rapid, find a route near your current course with decent water depth, steer for it, and paddle like mad to make it through. When you got it right, it was like catching a wave in the ocean. When you got it wrong...well there was considerable extra effort required for the 'unstucking' process. So you really wanted to get it right!

Our campsite was right on the bank of the river. So we had great views of the water the whole time. And considering this was our first trip of the year, lots of things in camp went quite well. The grubmaster meals were top notch. And there was plenty of time for campfires Saturday evening.

A big thanks goes out to Shelly for organizing our largest canoe trip ever (over 60 paddlers!).

-Mike

If you want to see the pictures from this trip, click here.