I think it's time for me to move to a different platform and make some important changes to my blog. I've been using the blogger platform to share my stories for several years. In the beginning it was quite easy but as time passed I wanted to add more features and content to it which, unfortunately, is not as easy. There are a couple of other issues with other platforms I use that have changed creating some new challenges for me. For instance, Google Photos changed the way the manage photos when they got rid of Picasa. When that happen, I lost the ability to add photos to my maps which I think it was kind of cool. Now the mapping tool I use, might stop working or go away in the next couple of days If that happens all the links and maps I have won't work anymore. There are solutions to all of these things but those involve moving everything to other services. The mapping issues are going to be a bit harder as I will probably need to build something from scratch. I've started researching new options and I think I have a path moving forward. This is the main reason why my posting cadence has slowed down quite a bit in the past couple of months. So my plan it to keep posting things here now and then while I make the transition but I will tr to make it as seamless as possible. I'm keeping my fingers crossed so it works.
On other news, I just came back from a long three week trip to Norway, Faroe Islands and Iceland. As you cam probably imagine, I did a lot of hiking and brought back over 5000 pictures so I have a lot to go thru and post for the next several months. Should be interesting.
Billy Goat Trail, Mar 31st
In that area I saw the exit point for Section A, so I continued to the far end. Once there, I headed West towards the Potomac River where the trail veers south and follows the river to the Mather Gorge. This section is very rocky and the path can get confusing. Rather than the normal trail signs I’m used to, the path is marked with blue stripes painted on the rocks which, at certain angles, are difficult to see. The trail does a lot of ups and downs but generally stays flat as it follows the river downstream. On the rocky section, there’s a spot I had seen in pictures before where the trail goes steeple up following a crack on a rock.
The trail continues down until it reaches a point were the river splits and goes around Sherwin Island. At hat point you follow the river back towards the canal and end section A. Back on the Towpath, I retraced my steps towards the point I started from but continued down to Section B which a found a short distance after the bridge. This section is completely different than the previous one. The rocky section and the gorge is left behind and now you find yourself traversing low lands. It’s all forested without any prominent features so it goes fast. Towards the end, the rocks appear again, and you pass a section that seems to be the place for rock climbers. I saw several groups with ropes and gear climbing and descending the rock face. Further down, another split of the river to go around Herzog Island and Vaso Island forces you to head back to the Towpath. Once there, I turned right again to continue to section C of the trail. This section was similar to section B as it goes around the Carderock Recreation Area. Along the way there are some smaller trails I didn’t explore but suppose, looking at the map, that go to the day use area and parking lot. Towards the end of this section, I found a couple of peaceful ponds right before the trail made the last turn north towards the Towpath.
Once again at the Towpath, I marched my way back to the bridge and the car. By then lots of people, bicycles and families were on the trail. On the lower section, as I was going next to the canal I noticed a lot of frogs and turtles.
It was an interesting day and hike. I’m glad I had the opportunity to do it.
Interactive map
To see the full map, click here
Ghost Ridge – Palmateer Point – Devil’s Half Acre, Mar 10th
Once again, a good snow day and a wonderful route to get some views. Not much to write here but I’ll leave you with some pictures
Yellow Jacket, Mar 4th
Luckily, we were pretty close to the road, so we backtracked just a bit and got to the road were a bridge took us to the other side of the creek. Shortly after we found the turn-off I was looking for. From that point on, we were off the road and on the trail following the very faint blue diamonds. Not to long after that we got to a crossing I had forgotten about. It’s a pretty descent shallow creek that you could cross almost without getting your feet wet or by plowing on top of a log that goes across it. Sky marks got just to the creek but no further, so nobody had crossed in quite some time. For whatever reason I was not feeling brave to clear the path for everyone else, but we were lucky another brave soul went ahead and did just that. From there on, we were braking new tracks, oh the joy. We went thru numerous ups and downs and creeks and openings…. It was a winter paradise.
At some of the openings we got a bit of clearer skies which gave the whole thing a very special glow. It was just fantastic and everyone was having a blast even though I knew we still had to pass the traverse. At some point, after we had gained significant elevation, the route made a right turn right before a traverse that opens to amazing views to the Salmon River below us. It’s a section that can scare people off a bit as it’s pretty steep fall if you were to slip. One of the guys in the group was pretty tired by then and did a horrible face plant as he was trying to grab on a tree for balance and the tree just bent in front of him. I felt bad for him and decided to stay close just in case. Towards the end of the ridge we came to a tight turn right that goes steeply down to the river to a potential crossing. WE had to explore a bit to find a good spot were snow was deep enough that we would have a descent bridge. After crossing it was just a steep uphill to the viewpoint I had setup as a destination for the day.
After enjoying a nice break and food with good views it was time to retrace our steps. The first part was a lot of fun as we raced down the slop but then we had to work our way out of the valley and back up to the ridge. It was hard, and we had to really kick with out snowshoes to get some traction. Then we just retraced our steps the way we came. I had to hang in the back as the guy that did the face plant was going a bit slower and we had several creeks to cross. He was tired, and his legs were not responding right. It didn’t help much that he was not paying attention to what I was telling him to avoid getting in trouble. That proved right at a particular crossing where he doubted himself allowing me to get close. When he finally went for it, he slipped and felt forward sliding back into the creek. From the other side I saw it almost in slow motion, so I just braced myself and grabbed him by the backpack to prevent him from completely falling on the water. One of the guys in front saw the action and rushed to the creek so he grabbed him from the other side, but he didn’t have a good grip. So, I jumped to the other side and we made a quick human chain to pull him out. He was now wet and tired, not a good combination but the worse was done so it was just a slow march back to the cars.
Interactive map
To see the full map, click here
Wilson River Trail from Jones Creek, Feb 24th
I stood there feeling the warmth and saw as the sky cleared up a bit. It felt like it was tempting me to go further. It worked as I decided right then to continue. While traversing the forest the sky light up in blue but as I gained elevation the snow got deeper. It got impossible to hike and keep the shoes somewhat dry. It was now a matter of time until my feet got cold, but I was still trusting my wool socks. At one turn I though I was close to the fork that goes up Coronary ridge but soon I found I was off by a couple of miles. By then, the snow was about 8 inches deep and getting deeper by the step. The problem in this kind of situations, when you need to make a call and turn around to head back, is that you always want to get somewhere to turn around. Turning around mid-trail seems to make sense, like leaving something incomplete. I was looking for a view or an opening, something that would work well as a turning point. Then the trees thinned out a bit, the snow got much deeper to the point of making it difficult to see the trail and the views opened to the valley. I had found my turning point. There was a small rock outcropping with amazing views of the Lester Creek valley below me and the mountain range due south.
The clouds had come back and were menacing, and my feet were cold. It was time for one or two pictures and march my way back to the car. AS I did, the weather change again. So far, I had gone thru sun, clouds and rain. The only remaining, that I got on my way down, was hail. Yes, the weather was definitely not playing nice.
Interactive map
To see the full map, click here
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)