Sunday hike

Last week my emailbox had an announcement:  "Sunday, Nov. 28, Rachel Carson Trail, Silver Spring, MD".  This is a WanderBirds hike.  This group has been around since the 1930s, hikes every Sunday all year through, frequently in the Shenandoah area.  They travel by bus when the hike is 2 hours away.  http://wanderbirds.org/.  This hike was suburban - in Montgomery County.  Two trails:  The Northwest Branch Trail and the Rachel  Carson  Greenway.  Here's a description, copied from the announcement:

"The hikes start and end at the Brookside Gardens Visitor Center.  They will wind past the Garden's lagoons and wetlands gardens, pass by the Brookside Nature Center and after one minor road crossing, turn southward onto the Northwest Branch Trail, a relatively flat trail closely following the right bank of the Branch.  One 7-foot scramble down a streambed is necessary due to floods this last March. The northern section of the trail passes numerous vernal pools that are the breeding ground for many frog and salamander species.  South of the Burnt Mills Dam (Rte 29 crossing), the hike crosses the branch and then goes upstream along the hillier Rachel Carson Greenway. A temporary sign will be placed at a side trail that leads to Rachel Carson's house.  At the north and south ends of the Branch are numerous signs explaining the ecology of the Branch and paying tribute to Rachel Carson.  The hikes will end near the stunning Brookside Conservatory which hikers are encouraged to visit. "

The day was sparkling and bright, and at 10:00 was chilly.  Wanderbirds hikes are two lengths, called Long and Moderate.  The Long hike was between 11 and 12 miles; from past hikes, I've learned that the long-hikers are also FAST hikers.  So I took the Moderate walk, about 8.5 miles total.  All the trees and shrubs were bare except for mountain laurel.  The day was still and quiet - no wind to be heard or felt.  And oddly no birds either.  The stream (or Branch) seemed not to flow at all until we passed gentle rapids here and there, where sunlight sparkled on the moving water.   During the last few miles (between 1 and 2 pm), we saw a kingfisher several times.

Altogether quite satisfying.  However, back at home I really had to lie down for a while - feet, knees, hips all sore!!
Here are some links:
Brookside Gardens:  http://www.montgomeryparks.org/brookside/
Northwest Branch:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_Branch_Anacostia_River
Rachel Carson Greenway: http://www.montgomeryparks.org/PPSD/ParkTrails/trails_MAPS/NorthwestBranch.shtm

Am I showing my age???

Do all old people forget things?  Important things, like what day is the flight back home and where did I put that credit card and didn't I return that client's phone call?   In the short span of one week I've done all those things.  It's worrisome.  I recall how my Dad became more and more child-like, once turning on the burner under the skillet to cook bacon for his favorite sandwich, a BLT, and then walking away to do something completely unrelated and then wondering why the kitchen seemed very smoky.   When that forgetfulness started. though, he was ten years older than I am now.  But will that be me?  and sooner rather than later?  Sometimes I forget to turn a burner off after cooking.  Ok, Lorelei says it was probably because I was really preoccupied with Obree and distracted by doing housekeeperly things like vacuuming the rug and doing laundry and loading or unloading the dishwasher.  She's being kind.   I hope!

A wet week in the Poconos



Off we went on September's final  Saturday, from Rochester NY toward somewhere in eastern Pennsylvania . . . .  after the World Canals Conference.  With Barb driving, Pat navigating (sort of), and Linda and I enjoying the ride.   Our destination was a timeshare house in Eagle Village resort in the Poconos area.  But on the way Barb insisted we break up the long drive with a long walk - - to see waterfalls.  So we stopped at Ricketts Glen Park in Pennsylvania, where the first thing we did was buy tie-dyed bandana scarves printed with a map of the park.  There are 2 dozen or so waterfalls, all of them named, and most of the resembling the one before or the one after.  But the day was lovely, the waterfalls were refreshing, and the trail was interesting and in some places challenging. 

We stopped for dinner where the waitress caused me to burst into hysterical laughter when she told Pat that they had woodchucks in a bottle.  When I finally composed myself and wondered if I'd heard her correctly, Pat explained that "Woodchuck" is a brand of hard cider.  We pushed onward, hoping to reach our destination before sundown.  Which did not happen.  We overshot the entrance and realized it about a mile later.  Eventually, car parked in front of the house, luggage inside, beds sorted, kitchen inspected, we went out to find dinner and then a grocery store.  Four women shopping for breakfast and lunch and snack supplies and drinks meant several compromises. 

Sunday we awoke to see deer outside the dining room; they were eating acorns and drinking from the lake.  Did I mention that our living room had a splendid view of Lake Tamiment?   The day was nice and clear.  We went off to Honesdale, the western terminus of the extinct Delaware and Hudson  Canal that carried Pennsylvania coal to New York.  We saw a hitching post, a mounting block and a canalboat stubbing post.   No canal any more..



Relics of 19th century transportation

Then we drove to the Roebling Aqueduct across the Delaware river.  It is now a bridge.  Let me explain:   The Delaware & Hudson Canal ceased operation around 1898; the aqueduct was paved over and became a toll bridge.  It's still a bridge, but no longer charges tolls.  Roebling's legacy is the suspension bridge.  Nice lunch on a restaurant terrace overlooking the aqueduct that day.

Roebling's suspension aqueduct - the cable is barely visible within the wooden trusses

But the next day was cloudy and drizzly. Not a nice day for hiking, but we were next door to an abandoned and derelict resort with a large golf course. So we wandered over there and walked along the golf cart trail.

 That kept our footwear relatively dry and there aren't roots and rocks waiting to trip me up. How did we pass our evening hours?  After dinner we'd work on a 500-piece crossword puzzle. 

The next day looked to be a repeat (weather-wise) of the day before.  So we packed our ponchos and headed off to the Poconos Environmental Education Center (aka PEEC).  Fortunately the day was not quite so drizzly, and the Center had several really nice trails through hemlocks and pines.  And wildlife.  Very small wildlife.  Little bright orange salamandars seemed to freeze right in front of us on the trail - - were they hoping we would just pass on by?  We were afraid of trampling the tiny things. 

 

cute little salamander, just the size of my hand



PEEC on that day was educating a large number of enthusiastic 4th and 5th grade children.  Such an interesting place.  I'd not mind being a 5th grader again if I could attend PEEC.  At the end of the day, driving into the resort, we saw an 8-point buck with a small herd of deer wandering across someone's lawn.  The other great surprise was a flock of wild turkeys strutting down a driveway.

Wednesday the weather cleared up, so that was to be another waterfall day.  Off to Bushkill Falls.  I recommend it to anyone who finds themselves in this part of the Poconos (near Stroudsburg).   This is a business, unlike the state and US parks we had visited: a fudge and icecream store, a gift shop, an outdoor gear shop, a restaurant, and an admission fee of $9 or so.  But the fee was worth it.  The trails are well marked and have safety features like secure railings and steps, particularly where a trail crosses a stream.  And at the head of each trail are clear maps and warnings.

But Thursday was not a day to be spent out of doors. Rain, rain, and more rain. We needed to stay indoors, but the house being fairly small and the puzzle having been completed, we'd do something else. Barbara's old boots had given up the ghost the day before.  The logical thing to do was: go shopping. We spent the better part of the day an outlet mall looking at: hiking boots, children's clothing, halloween costumes, kitchen supplies, lingerie, outdoor clothing, and running through the rain from one mall section to another. Barb eventually replaced her boots with a pair from Timberland. As we passed a store selling evening wear, she mentioned that she needs a dress for her son's upcoming wedding. Ha! Another reason to go into more stores. And I found a store that sold umbrellas. It was not hiking but we spent a lot of time on our feet.



Silver Thread Falls



The last day was much like the day before but without the incredible downpours.  But not dry.  We went to three different parks:  Dingman's Park, Raymondskill Park, and  Child's Park.  All with great rushing water.  At Dingman's Park, we'd stopped in on an earlier day and noted that Silver Thread Falls was simply water trickling through a series of three successive slots in a tall cliff.  But this day it had grown stupendously to a series of torrents.   Down the boardwalk to Dingman's Falls, the roar of the water and the mist that it threw up gave strong hints of the great volume ahead.  Raymondskill Park has Upper, Middle and Lower Falls with overlooks at the top of each one - a great volume of water, brown above the falls, then white as it crashes over rocks til it explodes at the bottom. 



We packed up, locked the house, and started for home.  Although the drive home was just long and for me very tedious, we did stop once for a 3 miles walk.  But great to be home, with Joe, in Arlington.