Pohick Bay Regional Park

I have only been here once to put in my newly bought kayak with a friend. It's the perfect park for boating as it's mostly water oriented. You can rent canoes, kayaks, paddle boats and jon boats on weekends (March-October). It also offers group camping, hiking, fishing, picnic areas, miniature golf, large play area for children, and swimming (it boasts one of the biggest outdoor freeform pools on the east coast). The hiking trails total 8.5 miles and there are specific bluebird trails that detour to bluebird boxes so you can check on the park's conservation efforts The waterpark is open May-September.


Official Website

Pros: Perfect for boating. Lots of water routes. Close to DC.

Cons: Some visitors have complained about the cleanliness of the cabins.

Tips: Get a kayak. You'll thank me.

Rating: 4/5

Fountainhead Regional Park, VA

 This park lies along a tributary of the Potomac: the Occoquan Reservoir. The marina and parking opens at 6am and there is a bait/tackle shop nearby as well as boat rentals (kayak, canoe, or rowboat). Fishing is allowed with a license (though I've heard it's not superb). Fountainhead also boast an 8 mile mountain biking trail (you can call 703-250-9124 anytime fore trail conditions). Picnic areas are located near the marina and along some trails. The hiking here is beautiful - sometimes hilly, but not difficult unless you decide to portage your kayak by climbing over the dam (not recommended and most likely illegal). The 17.5 mile Bull Run Occoquan Trail begins in Fountainhead and winds through Hemlock Regional Park before ending in Bull Run Regional Park so there's loads to explore.












This is my favorite spot for kayaking due to its size and its proximity to the DC area. It's a quiet and beautiful area with gorgeous homes along the water.

Website

Driving directions (it's good to have several options since 95-South is usually a beast to drive on)

Pros: Easy access off of 95-South (if traffic is actually moving), absolutely beautiful

Cons: Crew teams row along the Occoquan so keep your ears and eyes open, they're fast! Bathrooms are often closed in off season.

Tips: Don't portage your boat over the dam

Rating: 4/5

Westmoreland State Park, VA

Westmoreland State Park takes up 1,311 acres along the Potomac River in Virginia. It boasts 133 camping sites (electric and standard) and several cabins. The waterfront is perfect for fishing and picnics and gets quite crowded in the summer. There are no designated swimming areas in the Potomac itself but the park has a pool available in the summer. Bald eagles are known for nesting within the park and many campers scour the riverside looking for elusive sharks teeth.There are several small hiking trails (the longest just under 2.5 miles) that are ideal for children. I've camped here once for a quick weekend get-away and found the sites well-wooded though a little close together. Since the hiking trails are minimal and swimming isn't technically allowed I would recommend bringing a canoe or kayak as it's proximity to the Potomac is perfect for boating. Paddleboats can be rented Memorial Day through Labor Day and powerboats are permitted as well. Next time I go I'm bringing my kayak for sure.

 

Pros: Beautiful scenery and wildlife. Right along the Potomac River.

Cons: No swimming in the Potomac. Short hiking trails.

Tips: Bring your boat.

Rating: 4/5

 Website

Owens Creek, MD

Owens Creek campground is part of Catoctin Mountain Park and usually opens early May. I've camped here once just to get away from DC and be outside. It served the purpose quite well. The campsites were well wooded and it was fall so there were beautiful leaves everywhere. Aside from nearly being impaled by a large falling piece of dead tree while sleeping in the early morning, it was a pleasant and uneventful day and a half of camping goodness.

Campground information

Major Pros: It is quiet and pretty remote considering its proximity to route 15. A great weekend or one night get-away.

Major Cons: If you arrive after dark its really hard to find wood for a fire, but this is true of all campgrounds.

Tips: Arrive before dark. Avoid falling tree debris.

Rating: 3

Back from Scotland.

Took the sleeper train up to Glasgow and poked about for most of Friday. Conveniently the World Pipe Band Championships were occurring on Saturday so we got to watch about six bands and some highland dancers in some pre-competition routines.

Off to Helensburgh that evening for a few days near Loch Lomond. Beautiful hiking and homecooked meals - doesn't get much better. Got a sneak peak at part of the West Highland Way which I'll be backpacking in September. So stoked. Also, I now realize I need a new rain jacket. Hmm.

On to Edinburgh. Climbed up to Arthur's Seat which was b-e-a-utiful. The Fringe Festival was in full swing and streets were jam-packed with tourists and performers. We spent an entire day watching street artists: fire eaters, chainsaw jugglers, unicyclists, pantomimers, break-dancers, comics, you name it. Wrapped up the day with a magic-comedy show involving a guillotine, floating table, and a lot of sarcasm.

Weather held out until our last day. Ate at the best mussel place in the world and also had some crazy good bangers and mash at Mums Great Comfort Food. Also tried some not-so-great haggis (it wasn't me, it was the haggis).

Can't wait to come back in September and conquer WHW and Ben Nevis. Let's hope the rain and midges don't get the better of me.

More Scotland photos

Sneak Peak

Some recent Scotland hikes:

Part of the West Highland Way near Loch Lomond

Arthur's Seat overlooking Edinburgh

More to come!

She is Beautiful

My love for outdoor activity is coupled with my passion for environmental justice. That being said, here is a powerful reminder of our responsibility and some thoughts shaped by my own beliefs regarding mankind's relationship with our beautiful world:




C.K. Chesterton's view of our relationship with earth has been helpful to me,

"Nature is not our mother: Nature is our sister. We can be proud of her beauty, since we have the same father; but she has no authority over us; we have to admire, but not to imitate. This gives to the typically Christian pleasure in this earth a strange touch of lightness that is almost frivolity... To St. Francis, Nature is a sister, and even a younger sister: a little, dancing sister, to be laughed at as well as loved” [Orthodoxy].

So is this love? Are we trampling out the dancing of our younger sister? Are we neglecting and abusing the fragile ward that has been placed in our care? Sadly, I think the answer is yes. Creation was meant to glorify God and I firmly believe that through exploitation and irresponsible consumption of its resources we are coming into direct opposition with its created purpose. We are tainting creation's praises to our Almighty Father. How sad to think we have damaged something so precious - something we were so lovingly entrusted with. "The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it" [Gen 2:15].


And while I have mixed feelings on the statement that "she is worth dying for" I have complete respect for those that have sacrificed so much to redeem our world. Exploitation of our earth often goes hand in hand with exploitation of the most needy among us. The rubber industry that began stripping the Amazon of its seemingly endless resources in the early 1900s also led to the torture, enslavement, and overall abuse of the nearby tribes. Dams constructed to outsource electricity to the urban wealthy often divert vital rivers which the indigenous poor depend on leading to the flooding of villages and farmland as well as drought and famine downstream. It is far too easy as Christians to poo-poo environmental issues as political propaganda or liberal ideology, but look closer and you will see the widows, orphans, and poor that Christ charged us to care for at the center of these issues. We are tied to our world, what affects our ecosystem affects us and destruction of creation often disproportionately impacts the neediest among us. Oppression, famine, abuse, neglect, greed, gluttony - these are not synonymous with the kingdom that I have been told to expect and to work for. I believe in a kingdom where the lion will lie down with the lamb, where swords are turned into plowshares, and where creation will no longer groan awaiting freedom from its bondage. And I believe that is worth dying for.


"Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing."  [novelist Arundhati Roy]