John Muir Trail Northbound Section 1 – Horseshoe Meadow to Onion Valley (Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, CA)

John Muir Trail above Lower Vidette Meadow, Kings Canyon National Park, August 2021 Note: This is the second in a series of five posts describing the John Muir Trail (JMT), a scintillating, multi-week hike through California’s Sierra Nevada that extends more than 200 miles from Yosemite National Park in the north to Mount Whitney and …

Continue reading John Muir Trail Northbound Section 1 – Horseshoe Meadow to Onion Valley (Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, CA)

Fort DeRussy Loop (Rock Creek Park, DC)

- Civil War Series - Occupying prime position atop a high hill in northern Washington, DC, Fort DeRussy was mostly quiet during the Civil War. But for two days in July 1864—when Confederate General Jubal Early’s Second Corps attacked the city, the war’s only raid on Washington—the artillerymen at the fort unleashed more than 100 …

Continue reading Fort DeRussy Loop (Rock Creek Park, DC)

Pine-Holly Trail Loop (Rock Creek Park, DC)

Situated in Rock Creek Park’s wild northern section, the Pine-Holly Loop traces a 1.5-mile circuit in the woody pocket between the creek and 16th Street in Washington, DC. Although the scenery is modest, this short hike is easily accessed by city dwellers, beginning and ending at 16th and Holly, located on the well-trafficked bus line …

Continue reading Pine-Holly Trail Loop (Rock Creek Park, DC)