A couple of weeks ago I went on a short hike in Great Falls Park near the C&O Canal. It nearly killed me. So, of course, I decided to give hiking another go.
The near fatal hike was on the Billy Goat A Trail. The A trail is an continuous nasty rock scramble interrupted by a couple of minutes of walking in the woods. It was not one of my better outings in nature.
When I was a kid, I used to hang out in the woods near my house all summer. When I wasn’t in the woods I was usually at home painting myself with calamine lotion. So Help Me Hanna! Putting calamine lotion on a poison ivy rash is like treating the leather on my saddle: it gives you something to do when you are bored but it doesn’t actually accomplish anything.
Today’s hike was along the B and C Billy Goat Trails. These trails and the walk along the C&O Canal towpath that connects them are much more my style. There was beaucoup walking on dirt trails and some fun rock scrambles here and there. I only had to slide down one on my butt. My only complaint about these trails is that there are lots of tree roots and jagged little rocks to negotiate. This meant that I spent a whole bunch of time looking at the ground and not enjoying the scenery. And there’s plenty of scenery, bubbling water, turtles, huge jagged rock faces, rock climbers, and vultures. (At one point I inadvertantly startled a vulture in a tree along the river bank. After seeing him launch, I am glad he eats carrion and not hikers.)
To do both trails in one go, you have to walk over two miles on the C&O Canal towpath. This is a very pretty walk, completely flat. I am so used to riding it that my subconscious wanted me to run. Running would have ruined the laid back vibe, not to mention my aging knees. The repetitiveness of the unvarying flat surface was much harder on my legs than the rock scrambles and tree roots along the trails.
All in all, the hike was a success. I hoofed it about 6 1/2 miles in 2:30. In my running days I could have easily done the whole thing in under an hour. Those days and the cartilage in my knees are long gone.
Here’s hoping that I didn’t brush up against any poison ivy. Some more pix are on my Flickr page.
A Few Spokes Shy of a Wheel 
I’m glad you had a better time this hiking trip. I love the Billy Goat Trail A, but we’re limited to fairly flat-ish trails now that we’re hauling the baby around in the backpack. We can go up fairly steep surfaces, but nothing that involves scrambling. When he gets older, I hope we can do B and C.
I especially loved the wildlife on GAPCO tour last fall. It made the C&O extra special.
Love it! Keep up the hiking. You’ve got to train for our fall Old Rag adventure!
Our fall Old Rag adventure? Do tell!
See here: https://rootchopper.wordpress.com/2014/07/14/im-no-billy-goat/ your 2nd to last sentence, my comment.
How did I miss you’re comment? I have been trying to get my 22 year old son to do Old Rag with me but it doesn’t seem to be in the cards.