Now that we’ve settled in one place for more than a year, my gal and I are looking forward to getting a dog. Now that cooler weather has arrived, we’re also looking forward to getting out hiking more. Looking for a nearby Sunday morning hike, I found the NOVA Hiking Club for Dog Lovers on Meetup.com, which is the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup of dogs and hiking in Northern VA.
Esther and I jumped on the chance to hike to Great Falls in Maryland, only half an hour up the George Washington Parkway from us, kicking off at 8:30 this Sunday. The day was brisk and patches of fog made the parkway look even cooler in the early morning light as we headed to the hike site. Organizer Audrey Roh was easy to find in the parking lot with broad brimmed white had and a silver balloon, and we soon set off with about sixteen hikers up the Canal path towards Great Falls.
This was a Class “D” or easy hike, of about four miles with wide level trails, but the scenery was terrific and varied, from the Canal tow path to the upper rapids of the Falls themselves. Audrey likes to hike early in the day, which we’re all for, and sets an early pace that can only be described as brisk. About half the hikers had their dogs, on six foot leashes, with them and both dogs and humans loved the brisk air and interesting sights and smells (depending on your species).
This was just about a perfect Sunday morning hike. We got to meet some nice folks, friendly dogs, and I got to take some good shots of people, places, and dogs. When we get a dog, we’ll definitely be bringing him/her along with the group to get them used to being with people and other dogs.
Pop over to my Flickr site to see the full photo set from the hike.
Links / References
- Flicker Set: Great Falls Dog Hike: http://www.flickr.com/photos/elilley/sets/72157627836320597/
- Great Falls Park/MD Side http://www.meetup.com/NVHC-DL/events/29978311/
- NOVA Hiking Club for Dog Lovers: http://www.meetup.com/NVHC-DL/