For this pic, the E was back at the parking lot at Great Falls N.P. (14 miles west of DC). Nevertheless, this has been such a beautiful weekend (about 40 degrees at night, high 50s daytime) and this morning's hike so nice that I had to post this pic.

Most weekends we're in town (which is most weekends), a couple friends and I and our dogs hit the trails at Great Falls early. We hike for a couple hours and see only a handful of people, if that. Usually no one for the first hour.

The Potomac is wild in this stretch -- the "Great Falls" roar and the morning air is crisp except on the muggiest summer days. A wonderful treat so close to DC that I hesitated to post about it. Not that the park is a secret, but how peaceful it is in the mornings, is. This photo was taken on the east side of the park.

Three pics of the falls: Oct '04, after heavy rain in April '05 and during the August '05 drought. (by the way, has the picture file limit been reduced?)

A pic from this summer when we concentrated hiking up river (west side of the park, well beyond the DC aquaduct and Fairfax Cty's Riverbend Park). Very different environment from the east side of the falls, believe it or not. Some muggy mornings upriver we felt like we were in the bayou or on the Amazon. Lots of spiders - yuck! The east side is more of a forest, less underbrush, higher up from the water. No spider webs to wade through. You probably can't make him out in this pic but there is a gigantic heron standing on a log. He lives there and we see him every time we hike that side. Well, maybe "she" since we saw her tending a youngster late-summer. Magnificent, graceful bird.

ah great falls park! great place! My aunt and uncle took me there last summer!

cool! Great Pics!

Nice Pics, thats why they call it the great outdoors. :grin: