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