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
