January

Icy Potomac River

Potomac River Treasures

Plummers Island

Plummers Island Cabin

Plummers Island plaques on rocks

Old machinery on C&O Canal 

Frozen Pine Lake

 Arctic air has remained in the area all month, slowly freezing local waterways and bodies of water. It's been refreshing to hike through, as long as the appropriate layers are worn. The Potomac River has large, slushy ice chunks floating down it at the moment, a sight not often seen, creating an interesting slushy sound as the ice flows past rocky areas. Occasional snow storms have come and gone, making for tricky driving conditions and a few school closures. It's supposed to remain cold for the rest of the month...

First hike of 2022: Snow Day!

Last hike of 2021 

First hike of 2022

2021 has come to a close and we are now in 2022. We just had an unbelievably mild December, Christmas and New Years Eve were in the mid 60's. In fact, many plants started to sprout in the forest, which made it look like early March. Suddenly, in what almost seems like the first cold day of winter, a snowstorm arrived today, blanketing the area in about 6 inches of snow. I managed to get out for a hike for a couple hours before the snow let up.

We were supposed to head back to school today after a 10 day winter break, but classes were canceled due to snow. Tomorrow, I'm certain we will at least have a delay. The pandemic continues to rage on at this moment in time. I wish I could say I have moved on, but that is not the case. I've managed to evade infection up to this point, and now it feels all but inevitable as we head back into the classroom as Omicron cases skyrocket. All I can do is hope cases are mild, as reported. Otherwise, here's to a hopeful and healthy 2022...