We had lots of sun and near perfect hiking temperatures today for our hike. Seventeen Scouts (one of them brand new!), a sister, 8 adults, and one very happy pup got outside today.
We often head west a few hours to get to the woods. But today was a snap--9.9 miles from McLean to the Riverbend Nature Center. We did a little backtracking at the beginning of the trip as the scouts worked their way around a closed section of trail. But soon enough, we were hugging the Potomac coastline and enjoying the view of the wide river.
We carried-on south past the Washington Aqueduct Dam--which was first completed across the whole Potomac in 1889. What I didn't know until just now was that Arlington and Falls Church also draw their water from that dam (https://www.nps.gov/choh/learn/historyculture/thewashingtonaqueductsystem.htm)
A bit further along we arrived at Great Falls National Park, Virginia side. If you've never done the hike from Riverbend, it's a great way to access the national park--and quite different from the usual line of cars at the toll booth.
Past the main Visitor Center, we headed inland a bit, and hiked up our only real elevation gain of the day. Once we hit Difficult Run, we followed it toward the Potomac, headed north along the River Trail and then retraced our steps to Riverbend.
With the way our weather's been, I bet we go from a chilly winter to a sticky summer with hardly any time in between. So kudos to the following scouts: Cy M., Andre G., Brandon C., Jordan C., Ian S., Pranav K., Jack T., Owen C., George C., Braden B., Charlie S., Ian F., Chris F., Danny O., Jonathan O., Nick B., and Helen F. for making the most of today's weather. And a big thank you to the following adults for looking out for safety on the trip: Mitch B., Ryan M., Mike T., Shelly C., Chuck C., Peter O., and Wendy S.
And a special shout-out to Cy--he crossed-over from Cubs to our troop on Friday evening and already knocked-out his first 10-miler.
Looking ahead, we're planning a big one for May -- 20 miles. The usual rule applies: you need three 10-milers under your belt before you go for 20.
Click here for photos.