Billy Goat Trail 2019

Last month I hiked the Billy Goat Trail, sort of, with a friend as we have done fortthe past two decades. This year marked the end of the annual hike, for me at least, as my subtle yet real vision deterioration following my four eye surgeries last year preclude me any more from scrambling atop the many jagged rock edges along the boulder fields which intermittently make up the 3-mile rugged, rocky trail.  It immediately became apparent to me that there was too much risk now of a stumbling mis-step on such tricky terrain, with undoubted disastrous consequences. Time passes and things change. So we retired to the C&O Canal Towpath and had a nice 4-mile walk.

We encountered wildlife along the way, turtles in the water and a preying mantis underfoot (which we shooed off the trail).  The view from the overlook gave us dizzying views of roaring, rushing water underneath the bridge to the viewing point.

I always love the reflections that play along the still waters of the canal.  Off the trail down by the backwater channels of the Potomac are little sandy beaches with wading pools where tourists sometimes swim but it is illegal and dangerous, with a prohibitive risk of death by being swept away.

At the conclusion of three enjoyable hours spent perambulating the towpath, we retired from the park till next year.

 

Along the C&O Canal Towpath

Although our scramble over the rough Billy Goat Trail during the weekend had been cut short by my friend's shoe falling apart, thus introducing unacceptable, albeit remote, risk on parts of the trail involving rock-face traverses along high points with drop-offs below in case the shoe caught or failed completely, we had a nice stroll along the C&O Canal towpath.  I enjoyed watching reflections cast upon the still canal water by clouds overhead, the rocky shoreline and foliage in the background.

There was also wildlife around us.  I snapped a picture of a crane perched upon a log by the far shore.

We walked over to Virginia from Maryland in achieving the river overlook point just off the towpath.  The river was flowing fast and frothy as seen from Olmstead Island, which is Virginia soil although separated from the Old Dominion by the rushing river.

Our three-hour traipse done, we noticed an interesting, working relic from the past along the way by the park entrance.  I haven't seen one in years, although they used to be common everywhere.

Billy Goat Trail 2014 Version

Every year I hike the Billy Goat Trail along the Potomac River on the Maryland side, usually with a friend.  The trail is a moderately difficult 3-mile scramble over rocks, up boulder fields and around tree roots.

This year I did it in the fall, which is late for me, as I usually do it in the summer.  But with so many of the leaves blown off the trees by the lateness of the season, I enjoyed better vistas of the river from the trail, which runs through wooded land for the most part.

There are spots where the trail comes out upon sheer precipices overlooking the river.  Also long rock crevices on cliff faces you have to traverse.

If you're not somewhat fit the trail won't be an enjoyable experience.  But completing the trek does give one a certain measure of satisfaction, given its moderate difficulty.

A Concession On the Billy Goat Trail

I recently traversed the Billy Goat Trail, a 3-mile scramble over rock precipices and boulders big and small along the Potomac River in Maryland just off the C&O Canal in Great Falls Park, west of the District.  I do this traipse every year.

It's always a slog because although it's not technically hard, it is a lot of up and down, has some minor climbing and you have to be careful about your footing.

And awaiting you near the end (or at least waiting for me) is the dreaded log bridge, a twelve-foot scamper across a felled tree five feet over a rocky stream with no soft landing if you slip off.  There is a nearby footbridge but until recently, that was no option for me.

The walk across the stream atop the log has gotten more difficult though as the years pass, more uncertain and less sure, shall we say?  This year I teetered across it one more time, overcoming the trepidation and wavering balance brought on by the passage of time and upon reaching the far bank, I reflected with satisfaction my successful passage and decided that, being on the far side of sixty, I had just retired from that particular tree scramble henceforth and will take the footbridge in future years. 

Mt. Rainier

I recently read a travel article where the columnist described the difference between how he and his wife approach planning a trip.  He plans how to get there and then decides what to do when he arrives, whereas his wife meticulously plans each hour of every day.

The writer's approach is more my style, because when I went to the northwest for a week last month, after I had seen a baseball game in Seattle on the first day as planned, I didn't have no further plans other than driving into Idaho at some point because I'd never been in Idaho before, the only state in the lower 48 which I had never visited.  I woke up the second morning and started planning my trip.

The paper revealed the recovery that week of the remains of four climbers lost the winter before on Mt. Rainier, apparently a very deadly mountain.  So I went to see it.

It was spectacular all right. even though the road up to the base of it was closed for the season, since I wasn't a climber.  Here's a picture of me at Mt. Rainier Park on the second day of my vacation.

The Billy Goat Trail

Recovering from my last marathon a week ago has been interesting--on Tuesday I tried to run a mile but found it hurt too much and I quit after a block. Wednesday I limped home for a solitary mile in 9:47, slower than my average pace during the marathon. Thursday it got better and I did the same mile in 8:40, Friday 8:07, Saturday 8:04 and then on Sunday I broke through and ran my neighborhood mile in 7:40. All better, or so I thought.

There's a nice 1.7 mile hike in the area off the C&O Canal called the Billy Goat Trail that I do every year. It's short but challenging, with large areas over boulder fields where you have to climb up and down three foot tall rocks continuously. It is along the Potomac, and has several panoramic views of the river at overlook points that are, in effect, sheer drop-offs along the sides of cliffs. (Right: The Potomac River as seen from the Billy Goat Trail in MD.)

Scrambling over all of those rock faces on Sunday afternoon reawakened the fire in my trashed quads that the marathon had left me with. On Monday morning my legs felt all beat up again. They feel better today but I hope they get refreshed in a hurry because I have a 3-mile race coming up with a team from work tomorrow morning in SE. I am feeling so not ready for the challenge of a short, sharp race. (Left: Another overlook of the river.)