Potomac Heritage Trail -- C&O Canal (Arlington, VA to Georgetown, Washington, DC)

There has been more change in my life which has distracted me from finishing this blog post and starting several others. I feel as if I am losing touch with what I wanted to do with this blog. I hope that within the next few weeks, I will be able to get back into the swing of things. So, without further ado, I'm going to finish this blog post that has been sitting as a draft for nearly two months.

It was New Year's Day, but I wanted to rename it National First Dayhike of the Year Day! I figured it was too much of a mouthful though (maybe shorten it to NFDYD?). Anyways, I really wanted to celebrate a new year with my favorite pasttime of last year, hiking, so I dragged C to the edge of Arlington to what I thought would be a little known trail on the Virginia side of the Potomac.

We packed our bags with wilderness cookies (a dense cookie with nuts, dried fruit, and chocolates), salami and cheese, crackers, and a nice hot thermos of coffee. I threw in a few applesauce packets just in case and filled up my camelbak. We, then, dressed warmly, caught the train at the metro station, and rode to our stop in Rosslyn where we walked about a quarter of a mile to the trail head off of George Washington Parkway in the Roosevelt Island parking lot.. We dodged some marathon/ 5K runners as we walked down the Mt. Vernon trail and turned left onto the trail at the small  Potomac Heritage Trail sign. We were finally there.

The trail begins in little grassy glade with only a worn footpath to lead in the correct direction. We followed the trail where it twisted down to the shoreline of the Potomac, watching our footing over exposed roots and random ditches. Across the Potomac river, Georgetown University loomed like a misplaced castle, seen through the bare winter trees. The tiny images of people could be seen walking along the C&O Canal on the opposite side.

C and I navigated on the tiny footpath for a quarter of a mile before emerging onto the curb of the GW Parkway. The cars flying by us were surprisingly close and surprisingly loud. Luckily, the trail dipped back to the river's edge after a few yards.

Because the air was crisp and slightly above freezing, long strands of frozen sand and ice rimmed the river. Because I am from Southern Virginia, I rarely see frozen sand such as this, so I had to step on the crusty shore and explore for a moment before returning back to the trail.

The trail crossed a few foot bridges that were more than flexible. A few times, I had this sudden fear of falling into the icy water in the ditch below. I was more than relieved when we found ourselves crossing a sturdy bridge that crossed a stream of water that  bubbled out of a man-made tunnel underneath the GW parkway into the river.

Although the trail was mainly mud and dirt at the beginning, the trail turned rocky with large boulders by two miles. The parkway rose up above our heads, creating huge cliffs that trickled icy water. Streams also cascaded from the cliff, freezing on the nearby trees and rocks surrounding.

Water was the main highlight of the Virginia side of the trip. There was water wherever one looked. A few runs of water (being much larger than a stream, but smaller than a river) cascaded down to the river. We met several people who were staring into the calm waters of the river or playing among the rocks that bordered a run. More people were hiking, gathering in groups, and playing along the trail. Several were seen coming down from different turn off points in Arlington, appearing as if from magic around a large boulder or down the cliff.

There were a few places where we were alone on the trail for large stretches at a time. At one point, we were walking through the bare trees, a few yards inland from the river where we met no one for a little under a mile. Along the trail sides, we noticed large rusted drums, decorated with graffiti which were large enough for a person to step into. Pieces of metal, such as round door latches, were littered among the grass. I couldn't help but wonder where they came from.

Around the three to four mile mark, we were faced with scrambling among large boulders. C and I always have fun among the rock scrambles, but I not that confident so the going was tremendously slow. I also didn't get many pictures at this point because I was focusing on not falling over and twisting my ankle.

We rock hopped our way across a wide stream at a crossroads of sorts. A park in Arlington had a trail that came down the steep side of the cliff. Several people and dogs came down that way. C managed to jump across the stream like a billy goat. I, on the other hand, got stuck several times; ultimately, I had to get C to help me across. I was not happy about my lack of confidence.

We met with two gentlemen who were walking towards us at one point. They asked where our destination was so we told them Chain Bridge. They told us that we would want to make a left up a stream instead of having to climb up the cliff at the bridge. We thanked them and moved on. At the stream, we made the left and moved away from the river. Suddenly, the stream became a roaring waterfall with giant concrete slabs in the middle to jump across. Then, handrails went up the side of the waterfall which I was grateful to have a handhold for.

At the top of the waterfall, the trail still had a steep incline to the top. Finally, when we reached the top, our labored breathing and aching joints made us enjoy the view of the serene Potomac river flowing underneath us for a few moments before turning around and heading towards Chain Bridge Road and our halfway mark.

At Chain Bridge Road, we walked into DC and sat down at a little parking lot overlooking the river. We took out our coffee, "grown-up" lunchables, and cookies and sat on a ledge to eat. Our particular picnic spot wasn't quite scenic and people tended to look at us strangely, but we earned the respite. After a 30 minute break, we packed our things and started off onto the C&O Canal towards Georgetown University.

Sadly, the C&O canal was not much to behold. It may have history, but it was also crowded and flat. I had thought that the Potomac Heritage Trail was crowded, but nothing compared to the C&O canal with people strolling, jogging, and riding their bikes along the wide flat path. We quickly transversed the five miles back to Georgetown University and headed to a pizzeria for food and drinks, but it too was crowded. We decided to continue walking to Foggy Bottom and jump on the metro to head back home.

When we got home, I decided to make cioppino, a spicy tomato based soup with seafood. I got clams, shrimp, sausage, and fish from the international market close to home with some crusty bread and began cooking. Within 45 minutes, I had dinner ready and we sat down to watch a movie, eat our food, and enjoy the rest of the first day of 2015.

The following week, it snowed at the Potomac Heritage Trail, so I went back to see what snow would do to transform an already interesting hike. I managed to only go a half a mile before having to turn around. I overheated and dizzy so I felt that going further would be hazardous. Below are the pictures I took on that beautiful day.

As always, I had fun both times I was on the trial. It still amazes me that being in the backyard of DC, there are still wonderful places to hike. It was easy to quickly lose track of time and dump the stress that hangs around after the work day is over. I can't wait to return in the spring to see how this trail has changed.