Finally, But Only Briefly, Back to Nature

Last Friday I joined a couple of my brothers and my fiance for a jaunt to Great Falls National Park on the Maryland side of the Potomac River. The weather was perfect for a rigorous hike, chilly enough to prevent sweating, but warm enough to prevent shivering. With the exception of the poor lighting for photo taking, nothing could beat this brisk nature walk...particularly trying to fight a mob for a post-Thanksgiving sale.

We were joined by thousands of other hikers, rock-climbers, and kayakers in a near-urban return to nature. Of particular interest were the kayakers who braved the shockingly rough and bone-chillingly cold park waters for a little adrenaline rush. Some chose interesting spots to take out their kayaks. One group stopped along a steep cliff, whereupon one of the kayakers disembarked and proceeded to free climb the rock face. Upon reaching the top, he set up a rope system for the remainder of the kayakers/climbers to scale the face and haul up their boats. I was very jealous.