in between the six weddings we're attending this summer and fall - we've managed to carve out some time for adventure. the pics below are from the first two weeks of september.
on a 94 degree labor day, sloane and i braved the 99% humidity and hiked the south trail along the gunpowder river. i thought it was going to be a cake walk, but it turns out i was wrong - it was brutal. we only hiked 7 miles, but it seemed like 14. the air was thick and drinking water was scarce (my fault) - but the scenery was superb. the river, which is dam released from the bottom of pretty boy reservoir, is a constant 55 degrees. the combination of cold water, humidity and warm air temps created pockets of fog all along the river. it was awesome.
pockets of fog felt like air conditioning along the river, a fly fisherman soaks it in.
contemplating jumping in the icy waters, we decided against it
wildlife.
the following weekend sloane and i met my brother, sister in-law and niece at cunningham falls state park for some good old car camping. again it was incredibly hot, but we made the best of it, hiking and eating like kings.
french bread casserole in the dutch oven. it was delicious.
mmmmm bacon.....
a blue tailed skink, pretty sweet looking
the fortress, it came in handy for the sever thunder storms that rolled through shortly after this photo
being carried through the woods is tiring.
this kid is incredibly fascinated with paper bowls
brenna getting a better view
we checked out catoctin mountain national park on sunday, it was literally across the street. we had the perfect weather for some hiking, and took advantage of it.
at one of the vistas we hiked to.
hiking catoctin
she's gonna be a rock climber
i took some time during a week to meet up with a friend of a friend in bmore, some one i have been meaning to hang out with for quite some time. we took a ride down i95 and braved the traffic for some white water on the potomac river, just outside the district. little falls only has 3 rapids, one of which we deemed un-runable due to some sharp cement and a serious strainer at the end, but it was a blast.
riley making it look easy
nailed it.
one last image, a power plant of sorts, spewing beautiful pollution into the skies of western pennsylvania on our way to yet another wedding.
much more to come in the next few weeks - a trip to gualey fest this weekend for more white water, 3 more weddings and in early october i am planning a few nights on the water in the adirondaks, hopefully it doesn't snow...