I don't want to be someone who goes on and on about the weather...but lately, it's been in the 60s. In February. In Virginia. This is not a normal winter. We usually get cold weather and snow here. (Not Syracuse cold - been there, done that. But cold enough.) I'm not complaining though. If it didn't mean that Earth was about to burn up, I'd be all for winter never existing at all.
The unseasonably warm weather calls for getting my butt outside. Nature, fresh air, and sunshine - I always underestimate how much my body needs these things to survive the winter months. Our whole family has had a bad case of spring/cabin fever lately, so we laced up a our hiking shoes, packed up the dogs, and headed to Great Falls for a romp in the woods. The ranger at the entry booth even had a stash of dog biscuits for the pups!
Great Falls Park has been one of my favorite places ever since childhood. Every time I visit, I'm blown away that something like this is a mere 12 miles from my house. And every time I visit, I take the exact same photo. I can't help myself. No matter how many times I've seen it, it's hard to tear my eyes away from this view:
The pups had a grand time inspecting holes:
And checking out the view:
The mighty Potomac:
Gravy wasn't so interested in having his picture taken. His expression in this picture kills me. He wanted to play with a little boy who was yelling "TEN NINE EIGHT SEVEN SIX FIVE FOUR THREE TWO ONE. ZERO! BLAST OFF!!!"
Happy boys:
Signs of climbers:
Gravy is not a fan of stopping for any reason or taking breaks. He becomes very impatient and starts making a very annoying sound:
"Hey Dad, stop trying to take pictures of Mom's boobs, and let's get moving!"
There were definite signs that spring is on its way: daffodils in bloom and frogs everywhere. (And mosquitos. Shit!) I've never seen so many frogs, but the remaining parts of the canal that still have a bit of water in them were full of frogs. We're talking dozens and dozens of them. I was fascinated watching them puff up their little cheeks and sing BUD WEIS ER ribbit ribbit ribbit!
It was a bit hard to photograph them (evidently, I didn't have an appropriate frog lens with me), but trust me, they were everywhere:
We had the place almost to ourselves, which was a nice change. We sadly often avoid Great Falls because it gets so crowded during the peak season.
A view across the river to the Maryland side:
I seem to always end my hiking stories with a photo of the dogs post-adventure. Once we got home, I busted them sleeping like this:
Awww.
Until next time...
4 comments:
It's been year since I've been to Great Falls, for exactly the reason you mentioned - it always get so crowded! What great photos though - and the dogs looked like they definitely had a good time!!!
I got to hike in Great Falls for the first time in January and I've been meaning to go back, though this time I want to try the Billy Goat trail on the Maryland side. It's such a beautiful place and your pictures capture it so well. And I had no idea there were so many little frogs all over the place there. What a difference a month can make!
Amazing photos! I really love the frog ones :) Mike and I have been saying that we need to go to Great Falls for, um, way too long. I haven't been there since 2003 :(
Brandi - The Billy Goat trail is a lot of fun! There's a rock scramble not appropriate for dogs, so we haven't been in a while.
Becky & Lauren - I truly hate the crowds at what should be a beautiful and serene place. Plan a trip before it gets too warm out, or better yet, go during a weekday if you can play hooky from work!
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