Wondrous & Wonderful Adventures in Nature

Monday, July 23, 2012

Scott's Run Nature Preserve, A New Favorite BUT Please Stay On the Path :)

Ben and I take pride in going "off" the path while out in nature.

After all, isn't "adventure" the point of it all anyway?

This past weekend I learned a lesson that perhaps staying on the path isn't a bad idea after all.....

The start of our hike

I've been to Scott's Run Nature Preserve a total of two times. The first time I experienced an unexpectedly breathtaking hike with a gorgeous waterfall and incredible views. The Potomac River was low enough that we could cross it at many spots with no problem at all. What an fantastic day!

Look how low the Potomac is! Plenty of spots to play on!

Walking across the Potomac River!

Beautiful Views! Low Water! Perfection!

On this fantastic day we stumbled upon a group of hikers who said they "followed" the stream down to the bottom instead of taking the strenuous hills that we had hiked on. It sounded like a great idea! Simply, jump in the water at some point on the very top of the hill and just climb your way down to THIS spot. Sounds easy enough......

A beautiful resting place at the bottom of the waterfall

Breathtaking Views

What I learned yesterday was that they probably meant they followed the other TRAIL down to the bottom and simply did not hop into the rocky, slippery, fast moving YET gorgeous river. I will say it CAN be done. It IS an adventure! Will I do it again? NO! :)

This above picture perhaps will put things into perspective. This is the hike the FIRST time we did it. You follow this trail up the hill and then go up and down a few hills and you are (safely & easily) spit out at the bottom of that gorgeous waterfall.
Now, yesterday we decided to "make a left". You see where I am on those rocks? Imagine if I stepped off them, turned left and then hiked a few miles through rushing water, rocks, and mini waterfalls.

Take this view and throw in some deeper spots, a few mini waterfalls and some nice steep drops, twists and turns.
Sadly, our phones were away most of the hike to protect them from the water so the pictures don't do the hike justice.

Finally we emerged at the very top...exhausted...a little nervous...yet exhilarated.

See? We finally made it!!!!

Oh? Wait? What is that we notice? The water level is....HIGH. I felt some panic sweep over me thinking about having to climb that entire trek again! I proclaimed "We will go swimming if we have to!"

Crossing this was a bit more difficult :)

Luckily, it only went up to my thighs in certain areas and we were able to jump rocks and somehow make it across!

Beautiful enough to go swimming in!
If it wasn't for the rushing current of the Potomac.

What a beautiful hike! Nature is always beautiful!

But next time, I may think twice before climbing down a river....in my crocs.....

Halfway down the river.....finally an easy spot!

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Secret Adventures, The River Glass Trail

What is an adventure? What characteristics must something possess to qualify for this title?

According to the wonderful capabilities of google, the definition of adventure is,

1) To take a risk

2) To proceed despite risks

3) An unusual or exciting experience

4) An undertaking usually involving danger and unknown risks

Sounds like fun to me!

The "River Glass Trail" is a name Ben and I created when we realized our favorite place to hike isn't even on the map.

In fact, they don't have a name for it, there is no trail map and the only way to find it is to stumble upon a hidden parking lot. I probably couldn't even tell you the complicated back roads it takes to get us there.

We found our secret hiking spot two summers ago after a beautiful Sunday drive. We like to play a game to try and get lost along the beautiful back roads of Virginia.

As I was commanding "left", "right" or "straight", we turned down a road that led us to a dead end with a few cars parked along the side. To our right, it looked like there were trails and we heard water rushing in the background. Ben quickly glanced over the map and we decided we would take a risk and embark on this unusual and exciting experience. The adventure began.

Now it is a mile or so hike to the actual "beginning" of the trail. As you walk down the gravel road the sound of rushing water gets closer and crisper. The woods become thicker and more chaotic as you are tossed further into nature.

June 2012, the end of the gravel road

Finally, you are presented with a beautiful view of the Potomac River. And right across the way, is technically Maryland.

July 2011

The hike is always beautiful and fun, winding in and out of woods with a fantastic view of the rumbling water. On calm days, you can play in the water and jump between Maryland and Virginia.

March 2012

March 2012, fields and fields of blue flowers

June 2012

March 2012

May 2012

The best days, the most adventurous days are when the water is low enough to walk up and down that hidden section of the Potomac River. Within the sand and dirt, we have found the most incredible river glass we have ever seen. Some pieces, dating back to the early 1800's!

Hence, The River Glass Trail.

March 2012, tons of glass that day!

This trail has inspired me to create these river glass pendants and these pendants have become a main seller for my etsy shop

We have gone on dozens of hikes on this trail and without fail I always say, "this is the best hike of my life".

The wildlife, the beauty and the glass! The feeling you get when you find a beautiful blue or an orange or a piece with a date on it! One of my favorites is a chunk of blue from 1854. So very cool.

Each one of these pendants holds a very special quality about it. They are pendants created from an adventure.

After the miles of hiking, the treading through the water, the digging through the sand, the cleaning, polishing and the wire wrapping you are left with a wonderfully unique pendant.

These pendants represent nature, adventure and the unknown...
Taking risks can lead us to such beautiful things!

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Beaver Dam, Ashburn, VA

Ben and I have always enjoyed drives together. Drives to somewhere, drives to nowhere, night or day, rain or shine, it is a way for us to get lost in the world and discover new places.

It was on one of these drives that we discovered Beaver Dam Reservoir in Ashburn, Virginia. In fact, getting lost always seems to be the best thing that can happen to us. One wrong turn and you find just the right place to be.

We pulled down a gravel road and were shocked to see such a beautiful view, so unexpectedly and a few miles off the main road. We parked and sat for what seemed like hours, admiring the people on their boats floating in what seemed like one of the most peaceful places we had ever seen.

I turned to Ben, "I want a boat." He smiled and nodded.

Beaver Dam inspired our frenzied craiglist search. Less than two weeks later we had our perfect boat, a 1973 Snark Sunflower.

WANTED: a boat
Requirements: It must float
Canoe, kayak, inflatable raft, sunfish, lazer, snark

I got the reply a couple weeks after we drove down that strange gravel road. "I have a Snark, it's yours if you come pick it up."
A day later we thanked her and drove off with our brand new dusty yellow snark tied to the roof of the Subaru.
A few days later we took it down to Beaverdam reservoir. no sail, no rudder, and a pair of solid oak oars.
We spun in circles a bunch (who knew a rudder was THAT important), had a picnic, and smiled. A lot.

We have been back to the reservoir dozens of times. Every season, every weather, every time of day. On the water, on the trails, on the beaches, on the rock by the parking lot. Fall is amazing for an evening picnic, watching the sunset. Sliding across the shoreline ice in the Winter brings back memories of decades past. The streams are enjoyable to jump over in the Spring, provided you don't slide in the mud. The beaches in the Summer aren't exactly someplace to dig in your toes.

There are plenty of better places to hike around here. The trails are average. The shoreline is nothing more than dried mud, some rocks, and reeds. But it is the tropical paradise stuck in the middle of Monday rush hour that makes this place so special.

As you row into a cove and turn around to see the dancing ripples in the water, you'll smile to yourself at how you've finally left that busy world behind.

I'm building an antenna.

Transmissions will be sent when I am through.

Maybe we could meet again further down the river.

And share what we both discovered.

Then revel in the view.

~Incubus

Pros: Close to home, calm water, not too busy, secluded coves if you have a boat, beautiful sunsets, outstanding views in the Fall

Cons: average trails, directed more towards those with a boat

Small Dock at Sunset, May 2012

Heading into a Cove, May 2012

Main dock at Sunset, May 2012

View from the trail, February 2011

At the end of the trail, February 2011

Sunset, June 2011

Exploring Coves, May 2012

Beautiful Views, May 2012

The Frozen Reservoir, January 2011

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

What Our World Has To Offer

As many of you know, I love being in nature, taking pictures of nature, heck, I even love dreaming about nature.

Nature is my peace, my serenity, my happiness.

“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.”

~ John Muir   

The pictures below will speak for themselves as they give you a glimpse of the places I've been inspired to blog about. While many more pictures and stories will follow, these pictures convey more truth than any words can be written about them.

Enjoy these images. Much more beauty coming soon.

Old Chainbridge C&O Canal Park, Washington DC
More info, link to park website