Alexandria, VA (USA)

[work - left for home on Metro at 1630 and stopped to visit Sabrina and Chavez (impromptu Halloween party) at their home in Alexandria - stayed for about three hours and had a fun time - home by 2000]

McLean, VA (USA)

[left my place at 0615 to attend software demos at MITRE in McLean - arrived at around 0645 and spent the next hour walking around the campus, including visiting the nearby Safeway - by 0800, I went inside the building where our meetings were going to be (help from Dan K) - was in the conference room by 0815 and everyone else arrived later - spent the next three plus hours in the demos - very productive and interesting - finished with all meetings and post-demo discussions by 1300 - drove home and teleworked for the rest of the day]

Washington, DC (USA)

[work - at 1715, took Metro to Federal Triangle - walked to National Union Building for MacAllan Manor whiskey tasting event - I had tickets for 1800 but ended up solo - the hosts let me in at around 1735 and I was in the first group of attendees - we started with and informal happy hour (about 20 minutes) and then started climbing stairs to reach the first stop of our tour of the MacAllan whiskey-making process - in the room (decorated with colored lights and "trees"), we learned about the ingredients (smells, flavors, textures) used by the manufacturer - after about 15 minutes there, we moved to the second location (more stairs) - there, a man dressed as a "butcher" took us through a pairing exercise (cheeses, meats, fruits) for each of the three Scotch whiskeys they let us sample: Sherry Oak, Double Cask and Triple Cask - each of the drinks was aged in different ways, sometimes with Sherry seasoned casks made out of different wood and other times with ex-Bourbon barrels - we all wore aprons and had a fun time sampling - after another 15 minutes, we walked up more stairs to a wide open bar area - for the next 10 minutes, we listened to a MacAllen rep talking about ways to enjoy the whiskey with friends and family (and we got more to taste) - the rep made a perfect sphere out of ice for us and talked about other items we could buy to improve the atmosphere - after this point, the demo was over and we were given two wooden chips that could be exchanged for mixed drinks at the bar - I tried each of the cocktails ("The War is Over" and "Scottish Commodore") and enjoyed the live music that was playing for close to 30 minutes - at 1915, I was done with this outstanding event and left for home (walked to L'Enfant and took Yellow Line to Huntington)]

Arlington, VA (USA)

[work - took Metro to Pentagon City and walked to Fashion Centre for happy hour (solo) at Matchbox (drinks and chicken tortilla soup) - left for Alexandria on Metro at 1700 - stopped to pick up Mollie (and take a walk nearby) - then drove home]

Washington, DC (USA)

[work - took Metro to Mount Vernon Square and walked to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center for the ATCA Annual (arrived at around 1530) - registered and then walked the floor - looked for my company booth (found it and said hi to Arnie, Iman, Scott P and Tony T) - walked around to other booths and met up with Charlie, Tim, Luke, Sean G, Arnie, Ray P, Jim R, Kelly, Jim L, Scott A, Tabitha, Greta, Aaron, George B, Mel, Bahar, Anetra, Bob M, etc.) - went to a happy hour, hosted by Frequentis, from 1600-1700 - walked with crowd of friends to the Marriott hotel (about two blocks away) - had drinks at the Dignitary Bar and then met up with another crowd in Lobby Bar - followed Arnie to the SpacialFront Afterparty (1830) and met the CEO - hung out with several engineers, including Tasha - walked down the street (north) to the Baby Wale (for the Thales Afterparty) but the line to get in was too big - walked the opposite direction until I reached Cuba Libre (1930), there the Veracity Afterparty was already humming - inside, I found most of the folks I'd talked to at ATCA - stayed for over an hour, mostly talking with Greta, Tom and Warren - Greta offered me a ride, so I walked with her and Tom to Portals III (via Metro Yellow to L'Enfant) - she drove me back to my apartment (after she learned that Tom didn't actually need a ride to Springfield Metro, he needed one to Burke...) - I was home at around 2130]

Landover, MD (USA)

Greta picked me up at 1100 and we drove to Landover, MD to attend the 49ers vs Redskins game at Fedex Field.  It was raining a lot and the traffic moved very slowly all the way.  Still, we arrived in the parking area by 1145 and went inside the stadium at 1210.  Jan (my boss) was already in the Suite and we found a good seat to watch the pre-game activities.  The food was great and we had nice conversations with several of my co-workers who had also attended (Mark M, Ron, Ronnette, new people).  The game started at 1300 and it turned out to be an error-prone, soggy affair.  The time actually went very quickly but the Redskins couldn't even score one point.  Greta and I departed with about six minutes left in the game.  By the time we reached I-495 (1600), the game was over.  There was lots of traffic all the way back to Virginia but we made it to my place safely.  Greta dropped me off at around 1630.  Another fun day, thanks to the perks of working at my company!

Montross, VA (USA)

Stephanie arrived at my apartment at 0900 and we packed up for our trip to Westmoreland State Park.  We took my car because it had more gas.  There was a lot of traffic on I-95 but we made it to the outskirts of Fredericksburg by 1025.  I filled up on fuel at Wawa (Stephanie also got snacks).  We then drove east on VA-3.  Stephanie was very excited about all of the fleamarkets and antique shops we passed.  We reached the State Park at 1115 - the weather was beautiful - and the gate guard at the park gave us information about finding fossil shark teeth near the picnic area on the west side of the park (a place I'd never been before).  However, when we looked there, we couldn't find anything.  In a vain attempt to reach a promising area down the beach, we walked along the bluff on "sort of" a trail but eventually gave up and went back towards the car.  We asked a local lady where the best searching was and she said it was over at Fossil Beach (where I'd been with Mollie previously).  So Stephanie and I drove there and parked.  There were lots of cars - most of the people had been there early for the low tide fossil searching.  We walked to the beach and started looking.  Stephanie tried to "melt" the thick sandstone rocks along the bluff but it took forever and yielded very little.  Many other people had brought colanders and shovels but the best way to locate the fossils appeared to be by walking the "seaweed line."  The kids called me a few times (to sort out a disagreement) but I was generally able to enjoy the peaceful search.  Eventually, we ended up (along with many other people) in a "danger area" and started to find interesting fossils.  At about 1300, I found a shark tooth - very cool!  The tide started to rise so we left the state park.  I took Stephanie to the restaurant, The Art of Coffee, where Mollie and I had eaten in February.  We got some paninis and enjoyed a meal, finishing just as the place was about to close (1500).  We then drove a short distance to the Montross Brewery and tried a flight (6) of their beers.  We then picked two we liked and drank those.  By 1615, we were on our way west again. Stephanie wanted to visit the Bourbon Distillery but it was too late in the day.  Instead, we stopped (1630) by the Highmark Brewery and tried another flight - this time, it was 16 (!!!) beers.  We stayed at the place for almost three hours.  Stephanie got some fries ("dinner") before we left and then I drove her back to Alexandria (2030).  She left for home from there.  We had a really great day!

Washington, DC (USA)

I woke up early and picked up Mollie (0600) so we could get her DOD ID renewed.  I used I-495 to get to Branch Avenue (so we could take the Metro).  Along the way, Mollie realized she had forgotten her Metro Card...  Fortunately, I had another one and we got on the train at around 0630 and got off again at the Navy Yard station.  Mollie and I got breakfast at Bethesda Bagels and then walked to the entrance of the Navy Base.  We got on post pretty easily and walked across the property, arriving at the ID Card Office at 0730.  Our appointment was for about 30 minutes later but the nice people working there squeezed us in early.  After we got Mollie’s new card, we walked back across the base and then to the Metro Station.  After a quick Metro ride, we arrived back at my car (0815) and I drove Mollie back to Alexandria (0845).  We stopped at Nicky’s so Mollie could pick up some earrings and give me the cookie dough I’d bought during Mollie’s JROTC fundraiser.  I then drove Mollie to Edison and took her inside to check her in late (end of first period).  After I said goodbye to Mollie, I went home to telework.

Washington, DC (USA)

[work - walked to Archives/Navy Memorial at 1615 and met Greta for happy hour at Plan B - we stayed until almost 1930 and then I took the Metro and Fairfax Connector to my apartment (arriving at around 2100)]

Arlington, VA (USA)

[work - at 1600, took Metro to Pentagon City for happy hour at Chevys (solo) - had fun texting with Sabrina, Kelly and Stephanie about a young couple having a blind date at the bar - Stephanie later showed up to watch the shenanigans - we stayed until about 1830 and then I headed home on Metro]

Oxon Hill, MD (USA)

I picked Mollie up at 0900 and we went to have breakfast at La Madeleine.  We then drove over to Beltsville, Maryland, to visit Brother Jim at the LaSalle House in Ammendale.  We arrived at about 1030 and stayed until almost 1300.  During our visit, we learned about Brother Jim’s 89th birthday and his 70th anniversary in the Christian Brothers community.  In addition to some good conversation, we ate a delicious lunch (sausage and egg omelet, vegetable soup and strawberries) there.  Mollie got asked a lot of times about her college plans (by the former teachers who lived at the House) and she handled the questions well.  After saying goodbye, Mollie and I drove back towards Alexandria.  We stopped at the Oxon Hill Farm (NPS Unit) on the way so Mollie could get another Passport Stamp.  Since the weather was pretty nice, we spent time walking around the grounds, including a short detour near the Oxon Cove.  We saw cows, horses, pigs, chickens, goats and sheep and Mollie enjoyed herself a lot.  It eventually started sprinkling and I took Mollie home (1500).

Arlington, VA (USA)

[work - at 1515, took Metro to Pentagon City - solo happy hour at Chevys - very animated (and slightly worrying) woman at the bar - glad she left... - left for home at about 1715 - lots of traffic on Telegraph Road - at my house by 1800]

Marion, VA (USA)

I didn't sleep well and got up very early.  I left the hotel about 0730, picking up breakfast at McDonalds in Marion (0740).  Drove north on VA-16 until I reached Hungry Mother State Park (0800).  I used an REI receipt to get free parking and then took a walk on the Lake Trail Loop for a couple of hours.  By 1000, I headed back into Marion and got on I-81.  Stopped in Salem (1100) for gas - had to leave interstate and drive into town to find a reasonable price.  I was pleasantly surprised that my new car got over 500 miles on one tank!  Got back on I-81 and drove to Harrisonburg.  Brenna called me when church was over and we coordinated a meetup.  I arrived at her apartment at 1235.  We then drove to visit the group house that Brenna planned to rent for her fifth year.  The "Rough House" was an old place located just blocks away from Brenna’s classroom building and the historic downtown.  I learned that there were eight IVCF ladies living there - most of them were going to move out but be replaced by more IVCF girls.  One of the residents gave us a tour and I was surprised to see that Brenna would get a pretty big room.  After we left, Brenna told me that I was being “surprisingly chill” about her moving across town!  I told her it was because she was almost graduated and I was happy she was taking responsibility for her future.  We drove to Walmart and I got some groceries for Brenna (1400).  As we were paying, I realized how tired I was - so I said goodbye to my daughter at around 1415 and headed home (via I-81).  There was a lot of heavy traffic near the I-66 merge - actually, I was in traffic almost all the way (grrr...) and it took about two hours for the drive.  I'd had enough by Centreville, so I used the Fairfax County Parkway to get to my house.  Felt pretty good after my backpacking adventure and started looking forward to more such trips in the future!

Shady Valley, TN (USA)

I was wide awake by about 0500 but the sun didn’t come up for almost two more hours. Mistake 3: should have made breakfast on my stove. Settled for ClifBar and cleaned up the campsite, departing at around 0800. Ran into a NOBO hiker a few minutes later - he confirmed my location on the map (I hiked seven miles last night), meaning that I only had to hike about four miles to my target (Vandeventer Shelter). This part of the hike was harder than the previous day’s - it was windy, cool, foggy and really hilly. I had more energy than I’d expected but was sore from yesterday’s hike and last night’s sleep. Still, I made good time to the shelter and backtracked after only a short break to admire the view below. At this point, I had started being careful of my water - it seemed like I would have enough but I wasn’t sure. And then the sun came out and messed up all my plans/assumptions. When I passed my campsite, I was almost certain that I’d need more water to reach the car. But where to get it? Oh yes, begging for Trail Magic! Someone had to come by in the other direction, though. At mile number nine for the day, I was excited/relieved to see two SOBO Thru hikers (married couple from NY, Snowman and Super-Sport) coming towards me. I tried my best “wet dog” impression and it worked - I got about a liter of water, which seemed like insurance. The “mom” decided that I looked bad enough that she gave me cheese and a huge orange. They stayed with me, talking about their adventures, until the third member of their party, Wanderer, arrived. He was even more friendly, offering me a drag from his Juul. By that point, though, the water had refreshed me and the orange had restored my blood sugar enough that I was “sure” I’d make it to my car. I started plodding through the last six miles, with breaks at the shelter and about 1/2 mile from the end. I hadn’t remembered the number of climbs from the night before (in the dark) and the mountain kicked my ass. I drank every drop of water and all the food I had and felt very lucky when I successfully completed the 22 miles in two days (with 15 miles on Day 2). Kept thinking about the some “For Want of a Nail” but substituted “orange/water”. Fortunately, Trail Magic bailed me out again! Not something I’m proud of, but I learned a bit more about the amount of work and preparation it will take me to finish the AT. Exhausted and sore, decided to go into town for the night.  I left the AT Trailhead on TN-91 (after declining food from Trail Angels having a cookout there) at around 1545.  I used TN-133 to get to Damascus and then continued on VA-91 to I-81.  Drove to Marion, leaving the Interstate a VA-16.  I checked into the Travel Inn (1705) and spent some time soaking in the tub.  I went across the street to Bojangles for dinner (1830).  For the rest of night, I read and watched TV in the room.  Went to bed at around 2200.  Will try another backtracking trip soon! AT Today (RON) = 8.10 miles / Grand Total AT = 1474.96 miles

Shady Valley, TN (USA)

In all my years of hiking the AT, I’ve usually stayed overnight in a hostel, lodge or motel. Based on experience, I’ve found that I get a better night sleep and feel fresher and almost pain free with this paradigm. And this has worked great because of the awesome trail towns and easy accessibility to the trail. But there are sections in the 700 remaining AT miles that can’t be “slack-packed” from town - some are in the Smokies and many more are in NE New England. To get ready for these, I decided to pick a difficult section in Tennessee and do a backpacking trip! This section was “marooned” in 2014 and 2017 - the 22 miles it would take me to finish the eight in the middle seemed like a good candidate for my dry-run (and had cell signal). Before leaving NoVA, I teleworked at my apartment for a few hours.  It took me a long time to get ready to leave: I had some difficulty fitting everything into my Osprey 50L (27 pounds when full) and I had to make the choice to leave behind my water reservoir, reasoning that I could refill water with my Sawyer Squeeze filter along the way.  Didn't get started on the road until almost 1130.  As a result, I was stuck in traffic almost all the way (grrr...).  Used I-81 (no stops) all the way to VA-91.  After getting off the Interstate, I took a break at a truck stop and then drove to Damascus.  Switched to TN-133 and then took TN-91 until reaching the AT Trailhead (1715).  The weather was very nice (temps in high 70s) but I felt a bit rushed/late by the time I started (SOBO) at 1730 (it was about an hour later than I’d wanted). Somehow, the additional weight and size of the backpack seemed OK. Temps were bearable and I had a full stomach. I had to climb up onto the high ridge of Iron Mountain to get back to the place where I’d turned around in 2014: the Nick Grindstaff Monument. From there, it was new trail! I’d seen huge piles of bear scat during the climb, so it wasn’t really surprising to run into a couple of cubs, just off the trail. They were terrified and raced up some trees - they glared at me for a few seconds but I couldn’t get my camera out in time (I was looking for Mama) before they scampered down and ran away. About 100 yards later, I encountered two more bears (older and less afraid). These guys looked at me from their berry-picking spots on the trail and didn’t appear to be planning to move. Thought for sure I’d get a photo this time but one ran away and the other scrambled up a tree and back down again (wow!) faster than I could react. Another 100 yards later, I found two humans (an older weekend hiking couple) “doing their business” right on the trail! They were completely out of water and reported that they planned to walk back to TN-91 (4 miles) to get some. At that point, I should have joined them... Nope - with almost three liters left, I continued.  The fire-red sunset was spectacular and almost made me forget that my dilemmas were increasing...  I met two hikers in the Iron Mountain Shelter who repeated the same message about water: all springs dry until the Watauga Dam (12 miles away). By then, it was dark and I knew the whole plan would collapse if I gave up. So I kept going. Passed three hikers in a campsite nearby but didn’t see anyone else for the rest of the night. Did I mention that I’d attached a bear bell to myself? Using a headlamp to hike the last hour - I was blessed by a bright moon, lights from town and along the lake. Found a campsite (at about 2030) just about where I’d expected it and set up my (one person) tent in the dark before going about 100 yards away to hang my bear bag. This was mistake number two (didn’t cook dinner). Read in my tent until around 2300.  At first, the temps were in the 80s but they soon dropped into the 50s so I layered up and burrowed into my sleeping bag. Somehow, I managed to fall asleep, despite a loud owl nearby and my alertness for bears. A few hours later, however, a heavy wind started and pine cones and twigs fell on my tent for the rest of the night. I dozed through a lot of it but became aware of the tent walls and the fact I’d set up on a slight incline.  Hoping for some luck (weather, water, etc.) in the morning!

Arlington, VA (USA)

[work - met Luke at 1600 and we took Metro to Pentagon City - happy hour at Chevys until 1915 - Metro back to Huntington and then home (arrived at 1945)]

Arlington, VA (USA)

[work - took Metro to Pentagon City (arrived at 1630) and met John, Kelly and Joe R at the Ritz lounge - we were celebrating Joe's birthday - we stayed for two rounds and then walked to the Double Tree Hotel - we wanted to go to the rotating bar on the top floor but it was closed - instead, we drank a round in the hotel bar - Stephanie joined the group and later drove us to Pentagon Row - we had drinks and got Joe a birthday brownie at Sine - finished at almost 2000 and headed home (Metro delays on the way) - at my house by 2100]