Solemates,

I am not ashamed to admit that I waited as long as possible to be as sure as possible that the weather on Saturday would be as great as possible. (I am ashamed of other things, but I won’t go into them now.) The weather does promise to be so...so we're going to Rock Creek Park to perform a “loopy” hike--That’s two loops and you can do the first loop only or both.

First, we'll do the southern loop, which is about 5.5 miles and 1,700' of elevation change, or 1.8 blisters (easy). When we finish that loop, we'll be back to the cars (magic!) for lunch. If you want more (hiking, not lunch), you can join us for the northern (second) loop. That one is about 5.5 miles and 1,500' of elevation change, or 1.7 blisters (easy). The northern loop is gentler, but we'll go at a faster pace. Both loops add up to 11 miles and 3,200' of elevation change, or 3.5 blisters (moderate/difficult). BTW, you don’t have to decide about doing the second loop until after you finish the first one.



Most of you know that Rock Creek Park is one of the most beautiful urban parks in the world and provides some of the best hiking in the area. If you don’t, you definitely need to check it out. Created in 1890, it is now administered by the National Park Service. We’ll visit several manmade and natural landmarks, including Pierce Mill, Pulpit Rock, Boulder Bridge, Fort DeRussy, and a poetic cabin.

Bring lunch and at least a quart of water. Trails may well be muddy and slippery, so wear good shoes.

We'll meet in at 9 am the parking lot of picnic area 6, on Beach Drive, just north of Military Road. That's right here > www.goo.gl/UYtoSt. Yes, you can get there going west on Military Road, despite what Google maps says: Take the first exit after 16th Street, to Ross Drive, then Joyce Road, to Beach Drive. We should be done with both loops by around 3 pm.

Our last two hikes’ photo albums:
- Northwest Branch & Sligo Creek: www.goo.gl/2tKhGS
- Parade of Parks: www.goo.gl/RuX5mi

Cheers,
Mike