Ah, the first hike of the season! Where to venture? Katina found an easily accessible (just off 66) hike with a 5 mile loop – perfect! We met at Wildcat Mountain at 10a on a Saturday and joined 2 other cars in the small lot. It felt like we were in on some cool secret – like finding a tiny fabulous restaurant known only by the cool kids. At first I wasn’t sure we were at the right location but there was a nice map with paper maps to take and the trails were incredible well marked.
Naturally we had our usual moment of confusion in finding there trailhead – our signature move – but a quick glance at the map in Katina’s hands led us up the gravel road and to the trail. I had read reviews on their website so was not surprised by the steep 0.5 mile beginning. Nothing like getting started with switchbacks! However we were all surprised – dogs included – with how out of shape for this particular activity the winter had left us. Sheesh!
This first 0.5 mile of steep-ness connects to a loop with the usual terrain and more elevation changes. The best part? Well, don’t tell but the dogs were off leash almost the entire time! Fabulous for all of us! You can relate if you have ever tried to keep three leashes from tangling while navigating a small rock scramble. We only saw one pair of hikers while on our way up and one more on our way down – bliss! I’m pretty sure our story telling was the loudest sound in the woods that morning.
We did the hike at a relaxed 1:50 pace. We cruised through part of the loop but then stopped a couple times to water the dogs. We recommend checking out the website before you go, and we always advise our friends with dogs to go early before the rest of the hikers are done with breakfast. We will definitely be going back!
*Note: For the purposes of this post, I just re-read the website page. Um, it says no dogs allowed. Whoops. OK, so we can’t tell you to take your dogs because that would be wrong. [wink]
Fountainhead Regional Park – Blue Trail/Canine Trail
Time: 2 hours
Length: Out and Back
Gear: Lots of water, leash and daypack
Difficulty: 2 paws
Scenery: 4 paws
Pack: You and your dog
If you’re looking for a great trail that’s an easy drive, look no further than Fountainhead Regional Park. Even the entrance to the park is lovely as you wind through the woods to get to the parking lot. Because the weather called for another hot day, we arrived early and found only a few cars in the parking lot – mostly cyclists taking advantage of the great trails.
Karma and I arrived a few minutes ahead of Katina and Cannon so I tied Karma to the SUV while I did a little vehicle reorganization. Know where this is going yet? So, yes, another car parks near us and Karma has to great them breaking yet another cotton-web longline! Seriously?! He immediately went back in the truck while I tied knots in the busted leash. Shheesh.
But I digress. Our partners in crime arrived and we head out on the trail in the corner of the lot marked with blue blazes. There is a mapboard in the parking lot and the trail we chose was not the one favored by those on 2 wheels. We did have several runners pass us and saw a few dogs. Happily while the runners were pretty hardcore, everyone we met was polite and friendly.
At the beginning of the hike we passed a graveyard on the left. Turns out it is the Davis family cemetery and was established in the 1860s. The Davis home was destroyed during the Civil War and the newer house that was built in its place is now also gone.
We hiked out and back spending about 2 hours on the trail. You could easily spend as much time as you want but Karma was letting us know he was getting hot. Even Cannon started feeling the impact of the heat in the second half of the hike.
There were several opportunities to cool the dogs in water as much of the trail follows a stream. Even Cannon, who normally isn’t thrilled by water, got in and splashed around with Karma.
When we were done, Katina and I took seats on the picnic tables and chatted while the dogs rested in the shade.
Difficult Run/Colvin Run Mill/Cross County Trail
Time: 3 hours
Length: Out and Back
Gear: Lots of water, leash and daypack
Difficulty: 1 paw
Scenery: 3 paws
Pack: You and your dog
Katina and I typically take turns choosing trails for our next adventures. But make no mistake, I always defer to her trail-reading and guide expertise as I am a pure novice! So when she picked Difficult Run as our next hike and said it is close to my home, I was excited to learn a new trail minutes away.
In doing her research, Katina shared that it was “difficult” (pardon the easy pun) to find information about the trail along the Difficult Run stream. But directions in hand we piled the dogs in one vehicle and headed to our morning hike.
We arrived at our parking lot just off Georgetown Pike (Route 193) just after nine and the lot was already filling up. We headed south on the well-marked path and soon crossed under an underpass and then across a stone crossing. And suddenly I knew where we were! (Yes, I’m a little slow.) We were doing the Cross County Trail, just starting at a point further north than I had hike previously with Karma.
Finally I felt like I was the guide – ha! Karma knew all the places to cool off and we enjoyed the almost 3 hours on the trail. We hiked almost to the Colvin Run Mill parking area. There were more people on the trail than other times but the warmer weather and later time in the day contributed to the ever so slight “traffic.”
So lesson learned … If you are looking for “Difficult Run” you might also want to try the following keywords: Difficult Run Stream Valley Trail; Colvin Run Mill; Cross County Trail or visit Fairfax County’s park site.
Time: 2 hours
Length: 3.7 miles
Gear: Lots of water, leash and daypack
Difficulty: 3 paws
Scenery: 4 paws
Pack: You and your dog
Location: Sky Meadows State Park – Delaplane, VA
It really amazes me that just a couple months ago we were anticipate a record snow fall and now it’s spring. But it’s not just spring because the calendar says so. It’s spring because the trees are flowering and boasting buds or young leaves. It’s spring because you can spot 10 different shades of green in one glance and it’s spring because the wildflowers are popping up. Yes, I know this all sounds a little corny but it’s hiking season and I’m excited.
This past weekend Julie and I met for our own version of a two-a-day, two hikes in one day. We got an early start so poor Karma wouldn’t catch fire in the 80°+ temperatures. Little did we know that this would be a good call for all of us. Our first stop was at Sky Meadows State Park. There’s a three dollar fee (per car) to pay at the entrance gate which got us our parking hang tags. Then it was a short drive to the Visitor Center parking lot at historic Mount Bleak house, which served more as scenery for us than attraction. We got our gear together and let the dogs say a brief hello before we headed out on a ~3.7 mile hike.
The park offers over 12 miles of hiking trails. One of the highlights is that in just 1.7 miles you can hop on the Appalachian Trail (AT) and head to either Shenandoah National Park (SNP) or Harpers Ferry. We decided to take the North Ridge trail (1.7 miles) to where it intersects with the AT and then double back, picking up the South Ridge trail (1.6 miles) which loops back to the Visitor Center.
On our way out we were ascending part of what is essentially the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. If this hill or mountain had an official name we were unable to locate it. The trees were featuring immature buds so we were still seeing a lot of dull browns. The sometimes rocky trail (no scramble here) kept me watching my feet on the way up. This allowed me to catch a snake hurrying off the path as well as the early blooming wildflowers that were cropping up all over. The higher we climbed the more flowers we saw. I kept looking over my shoulder to catch the view across the valley below and hills beyond us but I could have waited for the trip back down.
The South Ridge trail offers a couple fantastic spots to take photos. No need to keep an eye on your map for these, you’ll know when you’re there. We took the opportunity to gather our shots as well as some of the dogs (see our pics). In all, it’s a fairly easy descent and the trail was wide enough for a truck. We came across 2 low flowing streams that made their way across the trail, which the dogs were grateful to stand in. The trek also meanders through a couple open grasslands. The ticks are out already. I pulled about 5 from Cannon. If you want to avoid these pests then keep your pup on the trail.
Back at the Visitors Center the traffic had picked up. The parking lot was nearly full and there were families picnicking and walking their dogs. We spent some time letting the dogs cool down and then it was off to our next hike at the State Arboretum.
