Big Schloss

Lately it seems I am less averse to driving than I had been in the last several years so I decided to drive an hour and 40 minutes to hike the Big Schloss out in George Washington National Forest.  I really like ridge line hikes since you usually get a nice view.  It's a bit tough though when it's warm since there isn't as much shade, if any, at the top.  Once at Big Schloss though, the views were great.  I didn't get up to the platform for the 360 view though since getting there was a bit dodgy and I didn't want to risk Millie slipping down off the edge somewhere.  Lots of little flies at the top too, which kinda ruined it.  The view was definitely worth the hike though.  I saw a bit of fall colors already in the mountains.  Looking forward to more.  

Montauk, NY

Last winter our forecast office introduced probabilistic winter products.  It was such a hit that the regional office decided we should do the same in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia offices.  So I was sent off for a few days to the regional office in Long Island for a planning meeting.

As always, I bring Millie when I can to my trips so I drove there, and stayed an extra night to check out Montauk - the most Eastern point on Long Island. It was a good 1.5-2 hours getting there since the highway eventually turns into a 2 lane road through the Hamptons.  Didn't see any celebrities when I stopped in East Hampton for lunch, but most of the people dressed like they're about to play tennis or golf, and couple of the tables around me looked as if they were planning ways to spend their money.  One table had a booklet of vacation homes, and another a map of some exotic vacation spot, I'm sure.

Feeling out of place, I scooted out of East Hampton pretty fast and was glad to arrive in Montauk.  It was a hilly place, and the views on the drive were pretty nice.  I arrived at Montauk Point around 3:30pm and found out there's an $8 charge to park.  Seems most of the state parks in NY charge $8 up to 4pm.  I decided to go kill time elsewhere until 4....

There wasn't much in the vicinity of Montauk Point so I headed out of there and stopped at a trail head across from a ranch.  The trail led to a beach, and although I only intended to walk about 10-15 minutes with Millie, I somehow ended up walking a mile and a half or so to a bluff with a view of Amsterdam Beach.  I could've walked down to the beach, but I was a bit worried about the rip currents sweeping Millie away so I stayed up top.

Once back to the trail head, there was a lot of commotion and vehicles at the parking lot and at the ranch.  Turns out they were on location for a new Showtime TV Series, The Affair, which is set in Montauk.  I didn't linger too long since I had no business there, so I headed back to Montauk Point.

The lighthouse at Montauk Point was closed when I got there, but I hadn't planned on going in so that was ok.  I took the above shot from outside the gate, and also got other vantage points just from walking around the point.  You can walk down to the beach on a trail near the lighthouse, and also back up to a little rest area & shop.  A lot of people were fishing on the rocky beach.  The view of the water all around Montauk was a nice refreshing change of scenery and I was glad I went.

Doggy Pool Party

One of the things I like about this area is that every year, usually the Saturday after Labor Day, a lot of the community pools and water parks opens their doors for the pooches.  The two closest to me was the outdoor pool at the Ashburn Village Sports Pavillion, which was a regular lap pool, and the AV Symington Aquatic Center, which was like a small water park.  I chose to take Millie to the latter this year because it was cheaper ($5 vs $10) and also looked more fun since it was a water park.  We were there shortly after 10 there were already lots of doggies of all kinds.  I saw one really big dog (maybe a Great Dane) and even bunch of little ones.  Some dogs seemed new to swimming, and you can see their owners trying to coax their dogs into the pool.  Couple had a swim vest on - one was a cute Scottish Terrier.  Of course, many of the dogs played fetch and Millie spent most of the time fetching tennis balls.  All of the swimmable areas were open, and we tried various parts of the park.  The lazy river seemed the least crowded so we spent a lot time there.  Too bad the slides weren't open as it would've been fun to watch the dogs go down them :)  It was a hot day today, but luckily there was a shaded area that I could stand under a lot.  We were there about 2 hours and by then I think Millie was well exhausted.  It was fun for both Millie and me.  I really enjoyed watching all the dogs run around crazy and swim.  

Raven Rocks... Again

Six years ago I hiked Raven Rocks and finally decided to try it again last weekend.  The trail head was only about 30 minutes from me, so I really had no excuse.  The hike is 5.5 miles and 1530 feet elevation gain.  It's normally more than I might want to do after 4.5-6 hours of Jiu-Jitsu, but that week I only went to class once so I was pretty well rested and up for a harder hike than usual.  I feel I had a much easier time all around than before, at the very least more prepared.  I had no problems finding the trail head, and has a better idea what to expect on the trail from the trail maps.  For some reason I remembered the trail quite differently though, which was a bit weird.  I enjoyed this hike more than last time.  The trail is somewhat I remarkable, but it wasn't bad at all. Nothing nasty for Millie to get into.  It was also a pleasant day and I enjoyed the walk in the woods.  I even met an elderly couple who was section hiking about 60-miles of to Harpers Ferry (perhaps from Front Royal).  I chatted with the wife on the way up and saw them again on my way back since they were going quite slowly.  Like the guy I met on Hollow Brook Trial, she made the through-hiking idea quite doable.  Possibly even with Millie.  The only part of the Appalachian Trail (which this trail is part of) that you can't bring a dog on is through the Smokey Mountains.  As much as I'd like to take Millie on such an adventure, I don't see myself getting 6 months off while she is young enough to do this.

The view at the top was much better than I remembered it from before.  The photos I had didn't do it much justice either.  The trail was also just right.  It had just enough ups and downs to give me a really good work out, but it was not so challenging that I'd be exhausted at the end.  This would be one I would like to do often to keep my hiking legs up and get some fresh air.

Hollow Brook Trail

July and August this summer was pretty quiet for me.  I focused hard on BJJ, so I was often wiped out by the time the weekend rolled around.  I felt bad for poor Millie, who hasn't been getting out as much as before.  I did take her once to a swim meetup at the Northern Virginia Animal Swim Center, and occasionally I took her on our usual hikes through Riverbend and/or Great Falls.  I was starting to get a bit bored of those hikes though, and also didn't like that there were often nasty streams or the Potomac River that Millie can jump into.  So I finally got around to trying a new hike.

Since I worked out a lot during the week, I wanted to keep my hike short.  I found the Hollow Brook Trail, which was just shy of 4 miles, and 860 feet elevation.  Perfect.  The trail was fairly easy, with a side trail to a tiny waterfall, and a view at the end.  It is part of the Appalachian Trail so you could continue on past the view point.  I haven't done it yet but may some time.  I should probably get a map though to see if there's anything past it worth going to.  Anyway, Hollow Brook was a really nice hike, with very few people unlike Riverbend/Great Falls, and no nasty water for Millie to get into.  I went back a second time and enjoyed it then too.

Depending on the time of the year, you may see through-hikers or section hikers on this trail.  I saw one on the first hike as I arrived back at my car.  He popped out of what I thought was nowhere, but then realized he was coming up the AT.  He was the first through-hiker I've met, and wasn't carrying as much stuff as I thought one would.  He was in running shorts and sneakers, which he claims dries faster than hiking boots.  His pack was not much bigger than my day pack, with some plastic bags hanging off of it.  He didn't even have a tent, just tarps.  Someone else told me though that there were huts every 10 miles or so.  He also carried tarps to sleep on and use as protection.  He was skinny and unshaven.  He probably covered about 20 miles a day.  He made through-hiking sound pretty doable though and made me think about the possibility of doing it myself some day.