Many thanks to the 16 Adventurers who helped me celebrate my birthday on a marvelous late-winter day with wall-to-wall sunshine. We took our time strolling through what we tour guides like to call the city's Monumental Core, from the Lincoln/Vietnam/Korea trio at the Mall's western end to the WWII Memorial and Washington Monument in the middle and on past the Smithsonian Castle to the Grant Memorial at the foot of the Capitol. The emotional highlight of the day had to be when we encountered an unusually happy opposite-sex couple hugging in the District's little-known WWI Monument; it seems he had just proposed to her, complete with fabulous ring, and she was overjoyed to accept. By the time we got to the Capitol area, we didn't have enough time to continue to Eastern Market, so we headed up towards Union Station, visiting the relatively new memorial to the Japanese internment camp victims en route. At a critical junction I was inspired to suggest lunch at the nearby Dubliner Pub, which accommodated our mob very nicely with generous servings at reasonable prices.

The Park Service had warned us in advance that there was still "tons of snow" on the trails at Antietam, and they weren't kidding! Nevertheless, nine Adventurers and/or Chrysalians plowed through the drifts, which could be difficult when you couldn't just walk on top of a hardened snowpack but instead stumbled as your feet plunged through the soft snow. At least the weather was pleasant enough (seasonally adjusted), as temperatures were mild, the sun was usually shining brightly, and winds were light. We did three loop hikes all beginning and ending near the Burnside Bridge; two of these focused on the ebb & flow of the battle and the third took us along the exceptionally scenic banks of snowmelt-swollen Antietam Creek. We cheated a bit on the final loop by following a nicely-cleared Park road back to our cars instead of struggling any longer through the snowbanks.

The weather gods came through big-time today, as 13 Adventurers and/or Chrysalians basked in uncommonly pleasant mid-January weather with lots of sunshine, temperatures that felt warmer than they probably were, and none of the Arctic gales that frequently accompany our dead-of-winter Gettysburg excursions. The new Visitor Center was not as hiker-friendly as the weather gods, though; it allows neither backpacks nor outside food onto its premises, forcing us into an awkward detour around the building at the outset to find our trailhead. But it was all smooth going after that, as we first spent a couple of hours describing the world-famous Pickett's Charge from the Union perspective along Cemetery Ridge. Knowing we would not be welcome with our Sheetz-bought lunches at the cafeteria inside the Visitor Center, we then charged directly into the Mickey D's across the Emmitsburg Road for a leisurely meal. Our afternoon was devoted to the fighting around the northern end of the Union fishhook on Cemetery Hill and Culp's Hill. Our most strenuous elevation change of the day was climbing the old Observation Tower atop the latter, where the views were virtually unlimited in every direction. All told we probably covered 4 or 5 miles today, with much more company than usual as many others took advantage of a singularly gorgeous day to visit our most famous battlefield.

18 Adventurers joined this year's New Years Day outing at Great Falls under relatively benign weather conditions. Though skies were mostly overcast and temperatures were cold, at least it was above freezing and there were no Arctic gales to drive down the wind-chill factors. Footing on the brief stretch of the C&O Canal towpath between the Tavern and the boardwalk to the Falls Overlook was a bit dicey, as heavy foot traffic had compacted the last remains of the late blizzard into an icy glaze. But we all made it to the Overlook in one piece to enjoy lunch while gaping at the unusually high and boisterous stage of the Potomac. Holiday treats were passed around before we embarked on the walk a couple of miles upstream to Swain's Lock. Although the Canal towpath was sloppy, slushy and generally waterlogged, footing was no concern, thanks to the absence of any icy stretches. We lingered awhile once we reached Swain's Lock, beautifully situated very close to the river. The traditional New Years Brownies finally made their much-anticipated appearance here before we slogged our way back to the parking lot, ready to face 2010.

Despite a heavy rain that had melted nearly all the remains of the Blizzard of '09 from our streets and sidewalks, there was still a good deal of treacherous ice and crunchy snow on the Capital Crescent Trail, especially up towards Bethesda. Having to watch our step slowed us down considerably, so that a 7-mile trip that routinely takes us only a couple of hours stretched out to three and a half hours instead. But we really didn't mind too much, since nobody fell and the day sparkled with unlimited sunshine and mild temperatures. An abundance of chocolate truffles generously offered at lunchtime further added to our festive mood. We admired the furious flow of the Potomac as it roared through the Gorge around Chain Bridge, but couldn't figure out why the stream called Little Falls, parallel to a good chunk of the Trail, was so low after all the rain and snowmelt. Upon finishing the Capital Crescent beneath Key Bridge, we adjourned to the nearby Chadwick's for refreshments and good eats.

Nine Adventurers and/or Chrysalians gathered at the gateway to the Wilderness Battlefield to witness an historic occasion: The first battlefield interpretation talk ever delivered in front of a Sheetz. This particular Sheetz was ideally situated for such a lecture, being both literally in the shadow of Grant's Headquarters and across the street from the site of the proposed Wal-Mart that has generated a major conflict in its own right. What followed was not one long continuous hike but a series of short walks highlighting key actions on the battlefield, sometimes in menacing woods, sometimes in beautiful open fields. The weather cooperated nicely, as the seasonably cold temperatures were easier to bear without the gusty winds of previous days. The narrow escapes of Walt Whitman's brother George, arguably the best bullet-dodger in the Union Army here and for much of his military career, were described in vivid detail. Our final stop was a stroll on a carpet of synthetic chips that formed a soft, spongy and comfortable trail to the impressive new Vermont Memorial, honoring the many men from the Green Mountain State who sacrificed their lives during this nightmarish clash.

Another day of wall-to-wall sunshine embraced our nine Adventurers in Shenandoah this Saturday, just as it had on our last hike by the Susquehanna River the previous Sunday. (Every weekday between these two hikes was a dreary, rainy, soggy mess; the Weather Gods were being good to us again!) We made great time on the wide and user-friendly Keyser Run Fire Road between Skyline Drive and the historic Bolen Cemetery, where we lunched. Once we arrived at the base of Little Devils Stairs, it only took us an hour to ascend the steep if not perilous canyon, pausing to admire and absorb the dramatic scenery whenever it was safe. We might have made even better time, except for the one skittish Adventurer in our midst (i.e., your friendly neighborhood trip leader), who often needed a helping hand or two to negotiate the many crossings of rain-swollen Keyser Run. As we made our way back to the Fire Road, we were astonished to see, just as we had on our Susquehanna hike, a couple heading down the canyon with a papoose. Walking down a steep, slippery, treacherous trail with a Baby on Board seems like an awful risk, but what do we know?

The two halves of this hike could hardly have been more different. Once the 7 of us (including some locals) had rendezvoused under cloudless skies in the Duncannon Diamond, we headed out on the Appalachian Trail along town streets towards Cove Mountain. Once we reached the base of the mountain and started climbing, hiking conditions rapidly deteriorated. The trail on the lower slopes of the mountain was very steep and rugged if not treacherous, aggravated by a bumper crop of slippery wet leaves atop the rocks. Eventually we merged into a broader trail that seemed less dangerous if hardly less steep. Still, we all made it to Hawk Rock for lunch on time and in one piece. Even though we picked our way very gingerly coming back down the mountain, we still made great time, in large part because we took the broad trail all the way to the outskirts of Duncannon at the base of the mountain instead of following the official AT through those tricky lower slopes. After catching our breath, we proceeded to the second half of our hike, a very pleasant stroll on several miles' worth of town sidewalks. Duncannon probably qualifies as the biggest town the AT passes through in the Mid-Atlantic region. We wound up crossing the 1922-vintage Juniata River bridge to our turnaround point at the western end of the much bigger and more modern Clarks Ferry Bridge across the Susquehanna River, which was sparkling in silver from the bright afternoon sun. We walked back into town on a different street and discovered the Old Sled Works, a major manufacturer of sleds (think Rosebud)for most of the last century, now a huge, fascinating emporium of antiques. Our day ended with another great, affordable meal at The Avenue in Gettysburg.

Although the stubbornly-stalled remnants of what was once Hurricane Ida yielded steady but light rain in Harpers Ferry this Veterans Day, our party of six was scarcely bothered. As soon as we arrived downtown, we lunched in the only dry spot around, the covered pavilion at the shuttle bus stop. After the obligatory lectures on the colorful history of Harpers Ferry in general and on John Brown's Raid in particular, we marched across the Potomac and along the C&O Canal to our trailhead at the base of Maryland Heights. Now that the leaves were down, we were easily able to spot Laurel Lodge, the more-than-hospitable B&B operated by Adventuring stalwarts Chris & Ed on the ridge immediately above Harpers Ferry, as we ascended the Heights. We arrived at the superb overlook above town a little more than an hour after crossing the river, and pretty much had the place to ourselves. Unfortunately, we were once again forced to forego the Stone Fort Loop portion of our planned itinerary, so we'll have to try that section again when days are longer and drier. Less than an hour after leaving the overlook, we were back downtown. In dispersing, three went back to Grosvenor Metro, one returned to Frederick, and a couple of very lucky Adventurers got to spend the night at Laurel Lodge.